Article about the evacuation of American economic advisor from Huế

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363-07106 to 363-07112.pdf

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363-07106 to 363-07112

Title

Article about the evacuation of American economic advisor from Huế

Description

Keever's title: "Emergency evacuation of 71 U.S. civilians from rebel city of Hue is ordered", article about the evacuation of American economic advisor from Huế

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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, 06210, (UPIS)--The emergency evacuation of 71 American civilians and government employes from the rebel city of Hue tonight graphically illustrates--in miniature--the political jeopardy of the United States presence in Vietnam. The provincial office of the U.S. Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) was closed, as American economic advisors were withdrawn, leaving [XXXX indicating deletion] the supply warehouses unattended. Two officers with the Joint United States Public Information Office--an offshoot of United States Information Service, [deletion: which s] which assists with psychological warfare operations--were evacuated on the advise of the acting American consul. About fifteen to twenty American [deletion: adv] Army advisors to the dissident Third Regiment, First Vietnamese Infantry Division, were ordered to withdrawn to the American military headquarters, breaking American contact with that key [XXXX indicating deletion] dissident unit. “That regiment was supposed to go back to their battle positions to fight the Communists,” one reliable source explained. “But they still haven’t gone--and so the Americans left them.” The Vietnamese division commander has sided with the Buddhist-inspired demonstrators and “Struggle Committee” personalites--instead of [deletion: Vietn] the central government headed by Nguyen C Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky. (More--Miller--BD) first add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x cao ky x x x. The American contract [deletion: employe] technicians for the powerful American-supported Voice of Freedom, which beams free world propaganda to North Vietnam and Southern parts of Communist China, [insertion: were evacuated [illegible] the States] was left inoperative. The American Consulate General, the American military headquarters [deletion: for the First I] to the Vietnamese First Infantry Division and some United States Marine Corps combat units protecting even more delicate communications systems and the Hue airbase are still staying in the area. But, no one would speculate for how long. Clearly, Vietnam is fraying apart at the seams. While Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky has averted [deletion: aye] his second [insertion: bloody] civil war--his Marines fighting rebel troops loyal to the Buddhist-led Struggle Committee in Hue and Danang--the prospects of more rampaging anti-American demonstrations [insertion: in urban centers] plus [deletion: the] aye [deletion: prospect of the] prolonged state of chaos in Saigon, indicates the American military and political posture here is highly questionable in the future. (More--Miller--BD) second add--morgan gandy--saigoh x x x in the future x x The gravest danger of all is that the Communists are seizing control--and indirectly leading--the anti-Ky, anti-American agitation. Vietnamese sources call [deletion: have] termed this subtle subversion as the “invisible hands of the Communists” pulling the strings on [insertion: key elements and events in] the situation, although the most reliable sources here believe Prime Minister Ky “went too far, too fast” by labelling the whole movement of agitation as Communist. “This is aye beautiful plan of subversion by the Communists one Western source explained. “It’s straight out of their handbook. The best description of Vietnam tonight was written by General Vo Nguyen Giap--the Communist general who defeated the French here [deletion: 12 ye] moren decade ago, when he wrote that the Communist strategy was to “assemble all the forces capable of being united, neutralizing all those which could be neutralized, dividing all those it was possible to divide in order to direct the the spearhead at the chief enemy of the revolution, invading imperialism.” (More--Miller--BD) Third add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x invading imperialism x Tonight, some “invisible hands” are “dividing all those (Vietnamese) it was possible to divide.”--and norptno end is in sight. The present crisis is for more grave than previous ones on two significant counted. 1. This is the first political crisis since the committment of American combat ground units aye year ago. The government of Prime Minister Ky took power peacefully in aye palace conference last June. 2. This is the first time the Buddhist leadership attempted to topple aye military government. In the crisis against the late Ngo Dinh Diem in nineteen sixty three, the Buddhist agitation was futile--until the Vietnamese army launched the final blow. Again, aye year later, the Buddhists agitated--much like during the present crisis--against Prime Minister Tran Van Huong--but still it was the Vietnamese military command that had to bring the civilian government down. (More--Miller--BD) fourth add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x government down x x This crisis is far more serious internally because the Vietnamese armed forces is the government--and the Buddhist leader leadership is attempting to topple the military regime by shattering [deletion: the] both the military discipline and the political authority of the armed forces, [insertion: hence creating aye political vacuum.] And, thus the commanding general of the Vietnamese First Infantry Division, responsible for securing Hue, has sided with the anti-government Buddhist leadership and announced he would fight both the Communists and the Saigon regime. Since, the security of Americans could notrptnot be guaranteed, the “non-essential” personnel were [deletion: air] evacuated by helicopter and aircraft tonight. Far more serious, the First Corps Commander, Maj. Gen. Nguyen Van Chuan, who is responsible for the five northern provinces, is also siding with the Buddhist leadership, but more subtly. If he openly sides with the Buddhists in the future, the [insertion: attempts of the] thirty five thousand American Marines to pacify the [deletion: provinces] rural population while having mammoth anti-government demonstrations in their rear base would seriously curtail the anti-Communist war effort--if notrptnot make it politically impossible. (More--Miller--BD) fifth add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x politically impossible x x x But, the worst blow came today, when sources close to the Prime Minister’s Office revealed that Ky’s Deputy Prime Minister--and Minister for War--General Nguyen Huu Co, had also indirectly sided with the Buddhist-led Committees dissident Committees. [XXXX indicating deletion] These sources reported that General Co countermanded the orders of Prime Minister Ky by attempting to [deletion: order] dismiss the two battalions of Vietnamese Marines [deletion: to leave] from the Danang airbase --where they are in turn protecting American Marines--and [insertion: have them] return to Saigon. Ky hurriedly dispatched Lt. Gen. Cao Van Vien, chief of staff of the Vietnamese High Command, to re-order the Vietnamese Marines to remain in position around the Danang airbase. (More--Miller--BD) [XXXX indicating deletion] sixth add--morgan gandy--saigon x x x danang airbase x x x x As Buddhist-inspired demonstrations continued in Hue, Danang and Saigon, as [deletion: his military officers would norptno] as the military discipline and political unity of the Vietnamese armed forces fragmented, Prime Minister Ky hurriedly called together aye “roundtable” discussion with some of the ranking religious and political groupings to work out aye political formula [deletion: of] for legally transitioning power into the hands of the civilians. But, prospects of that looked doomed-- for [deletion: the [illegible]] even the moderate Buddhist leaders who are for fomenting Ky’s problems boycotted the session. (Endit-Miller--BD)

Date

1966, Apr. 6

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Evacuation of civilians; Economic assistance; USAID/Vietnam

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