A Native Critic on U.S. Role

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363-04744.pdf
Digital Object Identifier
363-04744
Title
A Native Critic on U.S. Role
Description
Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the opinions of Vietnamese citizens towards the American presence in South Vietnam, page unknown
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
Transcript
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A Native Critic on U. S.
good!!!! Could heke the prod
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
"You Americans should not
be une fleche de paille-a
straw arrow," the young Viet-
namese
province chief ex-
plained, carefully lighting a
filter cigarette. "You cannot
be haughty and arrogant like
a turkey. You must help us
to increase the prestige of the
Vietnamese government and
you must respect Vietnamese
sovereignty."
With great deliberation, he
ordered a tasty array of
Chinese dishes in the noisy
Vietnamese restaurant. The
lively orchestra, playing Viet-
namese love songs, French
love songs and American melo-
dies, nearly drowned out any
attempt at conversation. The
fingers of the young province
chief followed the syncopated
beats by tapping on the white
tablecloth a habit he had
learned from two years of
study in the United States.
Then he continued his story,
which typified the frustrations
of a Vietnamese government
official.
"You Americans must work
side by side with the Vietna-
Jin
mese government people-but
the Vietnamese must always
be in the forefront, leading the
projects," he explained. "This
is especially true in the vil-
lages and hamlets where the
people have been contami-
nated by Viet Cong (Commu-
nist) propaganda about the
evils of the Americans. This is
your official government policy
that the American govern-
ment does not want to take
over South Viet Nam, but only
wants to free it from the Com-
munists.
"But what happens? In my
province, all sorts of Ameri-
cans go directly to the hamlets
and villages to pass out books
or to inspect a project-with-
out even consulting me, or
checking in with local au-
thorities. One day, I went to
visit a very poor orphanage in
my province. I spotted an
American whom I had met
before. He was sitting in his
car and didn't even bother to
get out to say hello. I asked
him what he was doing there
without my permission and
without notifying the provin-
cial authorities he was there.
I told him 'Get out! Get out!
Get out! You have no right
to be here!' And he left.
be
Role
Chief you told about?!
"In another case, two drunk brains, because we are fight- So in the provinces last year,
Americans-I suppose they
were CIA were living in a
house in my provincial capital,
at the house, but it didn't
and someone threw a grenade
explode. There was a big flap.
I said, 'Who are you and what
are you doing here?' Even my
American (military) counter-
part did not know who they
were. How can I as province
chief possibly provide security
if they don't even notify my
office they're in town?"
INNOCENTS
By this time, the fried rice,
broiled pigeon eggs and other
Chinese delicacies arrived, and
the young province chief be-
gan to serve his guests. But
he continued talking.
"Every one knows the Amer-
have the very best of inten-
icans have a big heart and
tions," he explained. "But
you are so innocent. You like
ing the most insidious, the
most politically conscious
enemy of all-the Commu-
nists. But the Americans
I come to Viet Nam with a New
York mind, or
mind, but not an Oriental
an Atlanta
mind. One day some Amer-
ican advisors and I visited one
of our districts, and the dis-
trict chief served us lunch.
In our tradition, he must
serve us lunch-the Amer-
icans are dying for Viet Nam
and the least the district chief
could do was to serve lunch.
But after lunch one of the
American advisors paid the
district chief 200
we didn't get any money until
September-when the United
States appropriations came
through. That left me from
September to December-three.
lets-what should have taken
months to pacify 100 ham-
me a year. It's impossible to
do.
"Now, it is April, and I've
submitted my 1965 pacifica-
tion program for the province.
But it still has not been ap-
proved. I'm supposed to have
two regular army battalions
in my province for the pacifi-
cation work-to chase out the
Viet Cong battalions. But still
I don't have them."
piastres
(about $3) for the lunch. My
district chief was dumbfound-
ed; you are so innocent and
naive, and every one is laugh-
ing at you."
He then began to discuss
the strategic Hop Tac pro-
gram-the American-backed
He ignored the almost deaf-
ening din of a French love.
song and continued his con-
versation.
"Then there's the question
of justice. You know an old
beggar man on social welfare
gets two piastres a day from
the government-that's less
to be flattered-and you must program to secure and pacify than $1 a month. But in the
know the Vietnamese are the,
No. 1 flatterers in the world.
"Your American (military)
advisors are very good mil-
itary technicians, but we need
some one with good political
the provinces around Saigon.
"The Vietnamese budget
runs from January to Decem-
ber," the province chief ex-
plained, "but the American
budget runs from June to July.
provinces, we spend 11 piastres
a day to feed the Viet Cong
prisoners. Of course, we have
the national policy to re-edu-
cate the Viet Cong-but is that
justice?
Date
1965
Subject
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion--Vietnam (Republic); United States--Relations--Vietnam (Republic); Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Public opinion
Location
Saigon, South Vietnam
Coordinates
10.8231; 106.6311
Container
B4, F6
Format
newspaper clippings
Collection Number
MS 363
Collection Title
Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
Creator
Keever, Beverly Deepe
Copyright Information
These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
Publisher
Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
Language
English