Article about militant Buddhist leaders peace proposals

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363-06953 to 363-06960.pdf

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363-06953 to 363-06960

Title

Article about militant Buddhist leaders peace proposals

Description

Keever's title: "Militant Buddhists Devise a 'Three Vietnam' Neutralist Aim", article about militant Buddhist leaders planning to propose a neutralist political settlement where they would control key Northern provinces

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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

Morgan Gandy SAIGON, April 23110, (UPIS)--Powerful militant Buddhist leaders are planning to propose aye neutralist political settlement for the key northern provinces where the majority of American and Korean combat troops are based. High-placed sources close to the Buddhist hierarchy said under this proposed plan--called the “Three Vietnams” plan--the five northernmost provinces would become aye pilot case and transitional buffer zone of aye neutralist settlement involving the Communists, the Americans, the French and the South Vietnamese. These five provinces during the past crisis were in open state of rebellion against both Saigon and the Communists.” Historically, Vietnam was cut into thirds--the North called Tonkin, the Central provinces called Annam and the rich Southern region of the Mekong Delta called Cochinchina. American sources, speaking both privately and officially, said the militant Buddhist plan had notrptnot been presented to them and they were would be unwilling to comment on it until “the shape of the proposal is announced.” “If the Americans like the plan, all they have to do is to quote Dean Rusk.” one Western diplomat said. “Rusk says a neutralist settlement is alright. It’s clear that Washington have [deletion: forsaken] given up their original rationale of stemming the tide of Communism in South East Asia.” [insertion: (More-Miller-BD)] 1st add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x south east asia. The reaction of the Communists and the French is still unknown. However, diplomatic sources predicted the Communists would reject such aye plan--they are shooting for neutrality of the entire country. Possibly, the French would support it. If the future proposal succeeds, it would become only aye transitional pilot case to be applied to other provinces throughout the southern republic--as well as towards strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with Cambodia, Laos--and perhaps Thailand. The political cement for tightening relations with neutralist Cambodia and Laos would possibly involve the return to Vietnam of aye member of former royal family to serve as symbolic chief of state, as well as promoting the Buddhist religion on the regional level. Both Cambodia and Laos retain monarchies and Buddhism is the dominant religion. These well-informed Buddhist sources said that the forty eight thousand American Marines based [deletion: there] in the five northern provinces would notrptnot be asked to withdraw in the short-range future, but they would be used to maintain aye balance of forces with the North Vietnamese units and local Viet Cong guerrillas in the area. However, it was considered likely that the American Marines would be asked, under this proposed plan, to maintain aye static defensive posture within designated enclaves instead of an offensive stance to “search and destroy” Communist forces outside of the enclaves. Military experts viewed this change of tactics as both “containment and isolation” of American military power within the South. (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: first] 2nd add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x the [deletion: enclaves x x x] south. The [deletion: ri] five northern provinces, [deletion: among] which include the [deletion: per] most economically depleted [insertion: ones] in the country, form the Vietnamese army first military corps, which is already, for practical purposes, under the [XXXX indicating deletion] actual control of the [deletion: military] militant Buddhist politico-priests who are now attempting to restore order there following five weeks of anti-government demonstrations and strikes. These five northern provinces stretch from the seventeenth parallel--bordering Communist North Vietnam--to the fifteenth parallel on the south. If the [XXXX indicating deletion] Buddhists’ experimental plan succeeds in establishing aye state of neutrality in the five northern provinces, the plan would be instituted southwards, at least to the thirteenth parallel, which is roughly half the length of the anti-Communist southern republic. [deletion: Hence,] These neutralist provinces [deletion: would divide Vietnam into] [XXXX indicating deletion] would serve as aye [insertion: transitional] buffer zone between [XXXX indicating deletion] the Communist North and the anti-Communist south, hence severing the country into thirds. The American First Air Cavalry Divisi comma one hundred first airborne brigade and moren division of Korean troops are based [deletion: in this] [XXXX indicating deletion] between the fifteenth and thirteenth parallel. (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: second] 3rd add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x [deletion: into thirds] thirteenth parallel The militant Buddhist leadership is scheduled to unveil [XXXX indicating deletion] and slowly move towards this plan of action following the national elections for aye constitutional assembly, which are slated to be held in three to five months, sometime between July and September. These Buddhist sources said that the [XXXX indicating deletion] militant Buddhist leadership would move towards this [XXXX indicating deletion] implementing this plan [XXXX indicating deletion] irrespective of whether or notrptnot [deletion: they] [XXXX indicating deletion] pro-Buddhist laymen [deletion: [illegible]] held the majority of votes in the constitutional-drafting assembly. “The militant Buddhist leaders are determined to go ahead with their plan to neutralize the northern province [insertion: region]--and have given this priority over [deletion: importance of te] the upcoming national elections,” one informed Buddhist source explained. (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: third] 4th add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x source explained. These Buddhist sources disclosed this outline of the pilot case proposal: 1. On the military side, the militant Buddhist leaders would attempt to arrange aye ceasefire between the Communists on one side and the South Vietnamese-allied forces on the other side [insertion: in the northern provinc]. During this time period, the American Marines would serve as aye counter-balance to the Communist forces. The Buddhists leaders want the North Vietnamese units to withdraw--either back to North Vietnam or Laos or further south. The local Communist guerrillas should lay down their arms and return to [deletion: civilian] non-violent civilian life in their villages. Then in return, the South Vietnamese armed forces in these provinces--now loyal to the anti-Communist Saigon regime--would [insertion: also] be asked [deletion: to also] to lay down their arms and return to civilian life or else move their units further south where the anti-Communist war would still be fought. Also, [deletion: on] the American Marines [XXXX indicating deletion] would be withdrawn in aye [XXXX indicating deletion] slow-motion phase-out [deletion: once] as the North Vietnamese units had departed. Norptno military alliances with either bloc would be then allowed in the buffer “Obviously, all the higgelty-piggelty discussions on all this might take three years,” one Western diplomat shuttered. “But, this might give the Americans an half-way honorable military exit from Vietnam, which is what they appear to want.” (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: fourth] 5th add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x [deletion: diplomat shuttered.] to want. (Recently captured Communist documents indicate they a the Communists are already attempting to establish aye vague sort of neutrality with the South Vietnamese armed forces, according to diplomatic sources. These documents revealed orders from Communist commanders notrptnot to attack South Vietnamese units during the current turbulent political crisis, and to attack [deletion: American] Unistates units only when they are certain of inflicting heavy [deletion: American] casualties.) 2. On the political side, aye neutralist local government, pivoting around the [insertion: militant] Buddhist leadership, would be established to administer and govern the area and to attempt to [deletion: fulfill the] implement any Buddhist social revolution. At the national level within South Vietnam, the Buddhist leadership would reportedly attempt to bring back to Vietnam and to re-install in power former Emperor Bao Dai, or his [XXXX indicating deletion] eldest son and former crown prince, Bao Long. Both are now in Europe. Aye representative of ex-emperor Bao Dai recently arrived in Saigon and is known to be consulting political leaders. The return of the royal family here, to serve as aye [deletion: sum] symbolic chief of state, gained credulence [deletion: here] [XXXX indicating deletion] when the former Emperor issued aye call for peace along the lines [deletion: of] General Charles De Gaulle previously had advocated. (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: fifth] 6th add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x had advocated. At the international level, the [insertion: militant] Buddhist leadership would request Unistates, France, Cambodia and Laos, in particular, to [deletion: gura] support this plan and to guarantee the peace. The return to political prominence within South Vietnam of the royal family would serve as aye link and common basis for closer diplomatic and political and economic ties with Laos and Cambodia, both of whom also have symbolic monarchies. This [deletion: would] could lay the foundation for aye vague federation of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, all of whom which were once united under French colonial rule. Regarding North Vietnam, the Buddhist leadership would seek the “normalization” of relations between the Communist North Vietnamese and the Vietnamese living in the buffer zone. This would include free movement between the two zones, and common postal arrangements. 3. On the economic side, the Buddhist leadership would request foreign aid from the Communist bloc, the [XXXX indicating deletion] non-aligned bloc, of which the French would be most significant, and the free world, [deletion: para] particularly Unistates. Trade with North Vietnam would be re-established. Since this buffer zone area is the most economically depleted region of the country--the militant Buddhist leadership would seek to profit from the economic competition between the Communist bloc, the Western bloc and the non-aligned nations. (More--Miller--BD) [deletion: sixth] 7th add--morgan gandy--saigon (SGN) x x x non-aligned nations. Buddhist sources first began to mention in [deletion: vague] non-specific terms this ‘end-the-war’ plan in nineteen sixty four, after student demonstrations had toppled General Nguyen Khanh from the Presidency. Even then there were undercurrents of discussion about the [deletion: tr] return of the Vietnamese Emperor [deletion: to] from Europe, [deletion: but] and these discussions mounted [XXXX indicating deletion] since the beginning of this year. It was [deletion: not until now] notrptnot until now however that the [XXXX indicating deletion] details of the plan had crystallized and been [deletion: discussion] openly discussed. The plan is the liveliest topic of discussion [deletion: among] within the highest-ranking Vietnamese political and business circles here. Diplomatic sources have long believed that the [XXXX indicating deletion] militant Buddhist leadership could and would serve as aye link between the anti-Communists and the Communists in the event of future negotiations. [deletion: [illegible]] The militant Buddhist leaders are known to have privately said they also believed that [XXXX indicating deletion] they could and should serve as aye medium [deletion: of] [XXXX indicating deletion] for negotiation between the [XXXX indicating deletion] Communist and the anti-Communist side. The crucial problem of [deletion: recognizat] recognition of the Communist-led National Liberation Front could then be sidestepped by an “under the table” agreement. (Endit--Miller--BD)

Date

1966, Apr. 23

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Peace treaties; Buddhism and politics; Diplomacy; Radicals; Religious militants; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Religious aspects--Buddhism

Location

Saigon, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.8231; 106.6311

Size

20 x 26 cm

Container

B188, F3

Format

dispatches

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