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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01553 to 363-01561.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01553 to 363-01561
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Title
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Second article on the Cheiu Hoi Open Arms hamlets
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Description
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Second article by Keever about the Cheiu Hoi Open Arms hamlets, sent to The Australian for publication
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AI Usage Disclosure
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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.
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Transcript
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64
Hong Thap Tu
sinh non, Vision
April 24, 1967
Open Armpage 1
Chien Hoi
BAG, VÌ T
In 1961, as a frail, 15-year-old Nom joined the Communist Viet Cong
21st Mobile Regiment, which for years thoroughly terrorized on South
Vietnam from the northern 17th parallel to the outskirts of the capital city of
saigon. In leto 1964, he me x a squad leader when the regiment attacked
a Vietnamese government unit in the Ba Gia mountain camp. The government regimental
commander was killed on the spot and the regiment decimated within 30 minutes.
"It may easy. The governmont's deputy commender was a disguised Viot Cong,"
confided Deng a Non-hose momo moons "Bountiful south."
The next year, as a battalion of U. S. Marines secured the strategic
Denang sirband for bombing raids against Borth Viotnem, the 21st Regimont
struck again, motoring and assaulting the sprawling complex. It was
sensationslough to warrant American President Lyndon B. Johnson to
telephone directly from Washington to Danang demanding an explanation from the
American Merino general.
(Moro)
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page 2
But, in one major battle, Ham's kid brother in the recama
reconnaisance unit of the 21st Regiment we wounded, his log shattered by
a moztaz shell. Viet Cong medios trusted him. Non picked up and hid the
bottle of modioine the modio had injected into his brother too hours before
bo died-mond mae Intor told the medicino wee poison. "Then I know many other
wounded Viet Cong and boon killed the same my," Hom explained.
throo
Bob then not only dofooted from the Viet Cong but aloo retaliatod
against them by betraying his om 12-man squad. He led the squad into a
pronged ambush ambush set up by Vietnamese coverment soldiers.
of his former conrodes were killed. The Viot Cong counter-retaliated by
capturing his girl friend and shotting his 67-your-old grandmother through
the heart in front of a staged people's Court" of village.
Today, on fights with the
Marines againot the Viet Cong
in the one village ho once battled the Americans.
"After the Viet Cong
killed by grandmother, who raised no se a orphan, I decided to devote my
whole life to a killing Communists," em id with a pensionate betred burning
inside hin.
Nem is one of 60,000 ax-Communists who voluntarily mitohed sides
to join one of the most promising programs implemented by the morioan-supported
Vietnamese government in Seigon. The progren is appropriately called "Open
"Chion Hici" in Vietnamoco. It is a patterned after a similar
program used by the British government during the Malayon Emergency in the
1950's
(More)
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Scopo
Opon
-pace 3
The aim of the program is to "volcomo book home and forgive pect nine" of
the "mid "misguided" Vieta Dono ho onco fought with or support the
North Viotonese Communists or the Southern-born onos called the Viot Cons.
Sho progaca promises the Communists an annesty, full citizenship rights and
resettlement in south Vietnamose society, in return for voluntarily giving up
their mar against the Vietn none government.
since the program began four years ago, 60,000 Communiste
voluntarily onno over to tho Vietnamone government sido-roughly the equivalont of
siz Vict Conc divisions. In 1966 alone, 20,000--or roughly two divisions-dofceted
from the Communist ranks. In 1967, the figures are easily oxpected to double
to more than 40,000. Open Arno officiels view the program as a chort out to
victory.
Pirot, in it sops tho political and military strongth of tho
Communistag an o timated 3000 /111od coldiors would have boon killed attempting
to eliminto the 20,000 returnees in 1966 on the bottlofiold. 3ooond the
goldmine of pinpoint intelligenco information from the ex-Communiste edo odda
to the capabilities of the Allied troops to proacoute the war nose offcotivoly.
The Opon Arms program was a significant port of both the closed-coor
discussions and official dcclarations at both the novon-nations Manila Conforonoo
lest Cotobor and the Cuam Conferonce this spring whore U. 3. Provident Lyndon
B. Johnson not Prino Minintor Bouyon Cho Ey and othor South Viotnomono govornmont
londorn.
(More)
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Doope
Opon Armopaco 4
Anotho Communist defectos is Nouyon Xuan Lion-hoc nomo
moone Spring Lotus. lion told this correspondent a his Jamon Dond adventuro
experience.
On a stuffy, hot day in 1964, ho somod oregone into the ouffe of his
Ho tuoked a three-inoh dagger and allont-firing pistol, undoin
in Comuniot Ching, under his belt and his simple cotton shirt. Chen,
pretending to be a construction voskes, bo nocked onto the strategic,
ultra-scoret Bion on airbaso, 18 miles northwest of
choro silvery,
U-2 pry aircraft touched down and refueld betoon missions for the U.
Contral Intelligonoc Agency (CIA).
Lion-a 2-you-old North Tietmon Vietnamese intolliçonce agant-
stayod for three months on the base, nonmuring off and counting the longth
of the rummy, the number of Vio in mono soldiers, hinds of mono,
petroleum dumps and dofonce bunkors. Ho ap alopt on the bono, un or tho
nose of American-advised Vietnamese guards, persuaded other construction
orkors to 2 buy food for him and to pick up his wookly paycheck.
30h nicht,
Bach night, ho turned on his Digir mini-radio, hiddon in his wrist untoh, and
gavo a progress report to his Borth Vietnamoso suporiors.
Thon ho left the airbene, he drow to a sale larger than the top
The next
a cardtable a detailed map of the complex. Tooks later, Viet Cong
guorilles, uning the map, portared with surprising nocarney the airbase, ve
touching off the prelude to American econlation of the Viotann ma
yar, Lion onocked three more tinos onto the airbase, oven though a 5000-man
Soveral times he roomed around
American airborne brigado protooted it.
Saigon's giant Ton Son but airbone to noko noro maps for the Communists.
(Mozo)
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Doopo
Open Arno00 5
But, today, Lion bao laid down his pistol, ondod his Janos Bond
advonturen, foronkon the Communist cousand is now a lo-abiding oitison
living in a poocoful village situated nidway betmoon the tro major airboooo ho
had no carefully kotohod for the Communists.
"Aftos 11 yoors as a coldior, including fux four years as a Communist
Porty nombor, I dosidod I mo tired of fighting," he explained simply. Thus,
endod his intolligence and reconnaissance work, for which ho had studiod five
yoors in Communist Chino. A fornor second loitu lioutomnt in the North
Viotmono a Army, ho xxx in the youngest and lovost-ranking of eight cong-
all militory of flooroof a North Vietnamese carpenter in cho An province,
the birthplace of forth Viotmamono Procidont Ho Chi Minh ai tuntod above tho
17th perallol soparating the two Viotmans.
Onco a Communist auch so lion in or llon dofoota to on Allied unit or
outpost, ho io immodistoly tokong to the noorest opon Asmo a Contor, one of which
hoe boon constructed in onch of Viotnon's 44 provinces. Thoro, ho and his family
live for 45 days; they are given at government exponce, food, clothing,
socards for moapons brought in and superficial political indoctration. The
roturnee is corooned, interrogated and classified into military or politicol
entegories and ranko. Then, the defcotor, or returnoo as the Victrococo
goverment calls hin, in froe to go to his hono villago, if it is roletivoly
sofo from Communist domination, or to find jobs in the oition. Most profor to
return hono. Roughly 20 por cont choose to cosvo the Ve Vietnamese government
in eithor pill tory unite or in paramilitary dution, such as paychological
mrfare, intolligonoo or police work.
(More)
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Deopo
opon anggago 6
Returneos such as Lion who have no rolativos living in South
Vietnam, or those homo villages lie in the Communist sono aro given the chance
to live in one of 10 hamleto opoodally built for them. A total of 50 of those
honlots, housing 5000 families, are to be completed by the end of 1967, in
one foot of the program that le receiving incrossing attention by Vietnamese
government officials.
Lion livos in the opon ammo hamlet named Phuong Boeng (Coléon Englo),
thich houses 82 roturnoon, 17 mives of roturnoos, 44 children, 3 mother-in
mother-in-law, 23 Amorionn-imported pics and a countless number of duolo ond
homotore. The homlot leaily sproule enid sugar cane fields and mangoustin
[sovon to tho zoor of a brand-now, but still un-unod agriculturel toohnical
school. Roughly ton air milos from the northeastern fringe of Seicon's
Tan Son Nhut airbase, the hamlet is constantly buffeted by the jet voices of
Amorigan bombers, transports and helicopters circling in a donoing treffio
pattern above it. Normal conversation in tho henlet below in regularly oranod
by tho jot ding Lion miles olfishly an ho watches the orbitting plonoo and
socells bio previous oconpedos mopping the jet airbares.
(Noro)
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ned as though a giant cookie-cutter rather
gn.
Each of the 28 duplex houses has
size of a tennis court. A comont flour
tnam has been laid for each. Villagers
ames for the walls, which are packed
e walls. Each building is topped with 36
1 supplies tin roofing, cement, nails,
one Vietnamese government from American
coods used for the coonomic development of Vietnam. The
villagers are given certificates that they own their of homes-hich they calculated
to be worth rogh roughly 70 pounds each. Each morning and afternoon, in rain
or sun, the villagers continue their neticu meticulous task of building 22
more duplex houses; then the village will house 100 families.
Because the hamlet lies within the defense perimeter of Tan Son Nhut
Vietnamese government
airbase, it is relatively---but only relatively-secure.
soldiers in nearby villages provide protection. In its one year of existence, the
hamlet has yet to be attacked. But one-quarter mile down the road, Viet Cong
guerrillas stole government papers from a neighboring village headquarters,
threatened to kill the village chief and smashed office furniture with
machetes, hammers and rifle butts. (A x Vietnamese hamlet is an administrative
sub-division of a village). Giant, eight-ongino B-52 SAC aircraft occasionally
bomb so close to the hamlot that chunks of the fragile mud walls shatter to the
Smaller American tactical fighter-bombers regularly launch airstrikes
lo floor.
four miles from the hamlet, sending mushrooms of smoko into the sky.
(More)
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Opan
The az-Comtalete-like other Vietnenes
llegere in occuro are
have the right to vote in both village and national elections. In the Open
Ammo homlota, the iron hanlot council are all former Communists. In
Golden Foundz homlot, the ohiof is a vison-food, 40-year-old formor
Vieta Cong deputy battalion commander med to Cong
"Public 00005" A Conoun of Party member ninoo 1951, Thanh dofcoted in into
1965 boonus, "I was so tired of the
I started fighting in 1940 (against
the French colonialiste). I had been fighting for a long long tino. Dorn
in South Tiotnom, ho lives with his wife and four childron in the booket whore
ho receive a monthly celery of 2500 piastres (roughly 7.4 pounds sterling)
The incroning number of Comunist defector-the chief indos of success
of the progris orating nozo administratic administrative and economic
hondoobos for the open me officiala. The Golden Bogle hemlot is typical of
many of thesup problems, which the ex-Communists are begiming to grumble about.
In the hamlet, the govemmon he promised to distributo 200 square
meters of land por returnce for vegetable growing. The returnees oomplain that the
Covernment has yet to do so--but even it if does, the soil conteino no much
alum not much could be produced.
The covormont also pronlood that 50 of the returncos would beformed
into special squads designod to propagandise on noarby villagora about the
Opon me program but for four months no peyohooke have boon received. "This
in a very hard lifes me a look: alot of torial things and no noed cur
payehooks," one Borthornor oxplained.
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Opon
10-pago 9
Once a month an American military nodionl tommo atopo in tho
village to and at the niol and an American dental toon oconciomally vinito to
pull nohing tooth. But, thoro is no drinkable motor near the homlot. The
conalo and ditohon are filled with bittor alun vator; the river rith colt
mator. Roquonto to the government for a daily tonis-lond of purifiod motor
have gone unhoodod.
Opon Ace of An officials, well aware of the problems, are morising
hard to find colutions. But como colutions can not bo found for a goors. The
amount of productive lond in noouro, covonmont-controlled sono that can bo
distributed to opon Amme roturnoos all continuo to be very limited and
soletively poor quality until largo chunks of the countryside are pacified or
until the gonoral intoned ty of the whole war dinini ho diminishoo.
"It's Foot me are getting co many returncogit means the Vit
Viot Conc are in sorious trouble," ono Ono Opon Arme official explained. "But
no have so many problems taking care of them, it's a mircolo they don't go
book: to the Communistn." But for of thon do. Expleinod Spring Lotus Lion,
Chinos treinod formor airbase nop ertist deluxo, "Evon this drab life on the
nationalist sido is bottor than fighting in the jungloo ith the Communist."
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01 0
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Date
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1967, Apr. 24
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Chieu Hoi Program; Propaganda; Psychological warfare
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6297
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B8, F5
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections
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Language
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English
