How Are Things in Hanoi? Jittery

Item

derivative filename/jpeg
363-07277.pdf
Digital Object Identifier
363-07277
Title
How Are Things in Hanoi? Jittery
Description
Article about the political situation in Hanoi after air strikes, for the New York Herald Tribune
Transcript
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- Page 1
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How
Are Things in Hanoi? Jittery
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
BAIGON.
The North Vietnamese gov
ernment has taken super-
precautions against American
air strikes but shows no signs
of "eing shattered," accord
Ing to travelers from anol.
(about $8) to move and main-, like North Viet Nam, you
can't shatter the regime un-
less you split the (Commu-
nist) party.
These travelers said dip-tain a child in the villages.
Jomala in the Communist
capital told them the regime
had even set up "een cen-
ters in Hainot even though
no strike has been made on
the elty.
"Hanol is divided into dis-
tricta (atmilar to American
precincts), and the govern-
ment is supposed to be setting
up en centers in each dis-
trict to distribute coffins in
case of death," one traveler
reported. "Frankly, we are
mystified by these super-pre-
cautions by the government."
These sources say the older
generation-those who
member bombings of World
War II and the French-Indo
china War-are frightened by
the air strikes. But the young-
er generation "has been stif
fened in attitude and morale.
"But the whole population
more miserable than
afraid." one traveler reported.
Since the first bombings
last ugust, military vehicles
in Hanoi have been camou-
Baged with tree branches and
"military people on the streets
eyen have little twigs in their
hata. the travelers report
"When you drive down the
streets of Hanot or Haiphong
(Hanol's seaport), you can see
trenches and pillboxes all
around." one traveler said.
The Hanol government has
evacuated all the children
from Hanol and other major
cities at considerable ex-
pense It costs 15 dong
"From an économie point of
view, this is causing consid-
erable distress. Why put the
people to such an enormous
distress without necessity?
No one believes the Americans
will flatten itanol just now
TRAINING
In major towns, "you see
defense training, another
traveler said. There are
people huddled in parks with
bamboo sticks. They have to
work during most of the day-
light hours. So the govern-
ment is probably trying to
keep the people's minds off
the bombings. But it seems
dimeult to keep up this type
of tempo for long."
After the August raids and
the first raids in February,
Hanoi had a number of public
demonstrations.
But by mid-February the
government stopped all these
demonstrations," one traveler
reported. "They now say it's
not safe to have such a large
number of people in one place
at one time."
Other observers in Balgon
who carefully watch develop
ments in the North said the
demonstrations might have
reduced production too much
Others noted that the Chinese
Communists also had stopped
their large-scale public pro-
testa
"But the bombing ralds
have not yet shattered the
Communist regime," one trav-
eler reported. "In a country
"If the party splits, then
this would be reflected quick-
among the population.
But there's no impression of
a split. Of course, there's Ho
Chi Minh on the liberal (pro-
Soviet
side and Truong
Chinh, President of the Na-
tional Assembly, on the other
(pro-Peking), alde
"But there's no reason for
them to split they must
stick together
can't get anything they
want
French sources-with dipfo
matic contacts with North
Viet Nam-reports that some
North Vietnamese have at
tempted to leave their homes
around military targets, fear-
ing American bombs. The
North Vietnamese army has
fired into crowds to prevent
evacuation.
However, one traveler from
Hanol said there's no evt
dence of anti-government sc
uvity. The people have been
reduced to such a state eco-
One traveler said: "The nomically and through real-
economie situation is ex-mentation that they don't
tremely bad. Cars, for ex- care if they get shot the next
ample they are not an in- day. It's a
sort of apathy.
dex really, but do
show a
certain state of economie de-
velopment. All the cars you
see in anol would not
equal the cars you see on only
one street in Balgon.
FEAR
"There's nothing in the
shops: the women rarely wear
the long Vietnamese dresses
seen everywhere in Saigon
because the people get only
six meters (about six and
half yards) of cloth a year.
There are no restauranta in
Hanal-the former Paris of
the East. You see only tea
shops. There's no galety
anywhere."
Diplomata from the Euro-
pean Communist countries
have "a superiority complex
with the Vietnamese," one
traveler said. "They complain
they can't buy soap-or they
"They belleve once they
conquer South Vies Nam
(which has the most produe-
tive rice land) then it will be
paradise-and this menna
something for them individu-
ally. There's enthusiasm for
that.
"But the regimentation of
their life is close to that of
Communist Chins. I've been
told that in Hanoi itself, each
family is registered to live in
a certain house-and one per-
son can't stay in another
house even for 24 hours.
"Because of their low eco-
nomic state, the people pre-
fer to have war in South Viet
Nam) than their present ex-
istence, thinking that when
the south is won, things will
get better in the north.
"But I asked one Vietna
mese man what career do you
want your son to follow? He
replied "Oh, here, we can not
think in terms of our son's
career. There is only a pre-
ent here there is no future.
"There's no doubt the peo-
ple have confidence in Ho Chi
Minh," the traveler reported.
"They think he will prevent
an occupation by the Chinese
Communist armies and he
won't allow the people to be
regimented to the extend of
communising the farms, like,
in China. The people know
that is the last straitjacket of
the Communist apparatus
and that their life would be
much harder. Bo the people
know that though their life is
hard it hasn't yet gotten to
the state of Chinese-like vom-
ne life."
Date
1965, Apr. 4
Subject
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam (Democratic Republic), 1961-1975; Vietnam (Democratic Republic)--Politics and government; Bombing, Aerial
Location
Saigon, South Vietnam
Coordinates
10.8231; 106.6311
Container
B186
Format
newspaper clippings
Collection Number
MS 363
Collection Title
Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
Creator
Keever, Beverly Deepe
Collector
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