-
derivative filename/jpeg
-
363-01548 to 363-01552.pdf
-
Digital Object Identifier
-
363-01548 to 363-01552
-
Title
-
Article on the Cheiu Hoi Open Arms hamlets
-
Description
-
Article by Keever about the Cheiu Hoi Open Arms hamlets, sent to The Australian for publication
-
AI Usage Disclosure
-
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
-
--------------------
- Page 1
--------------------
Beverly Ann od
Khi Hong Thu
saigon, Vio them
April 26, 1907
Open
1
File CH.
To powe
Compubles
Hand
SAICON-Administrative snago and economic troubles are beginning
to confront the oxuoiab Open Arms program designed to lure Communist
defoctors to the Allied mido.
In sheer numbers of Communist defectors, the Open Arms program,
called Chiou Noi in Vietnamese, has been 000sful thus far. Open Arms
officials are hortened by the steadyin inorenne in the defector figures.
In 1966, the 20,242 Communists who switched to the goverment side equalled
two Viet Cong divisions; Open Arms officials estimated more than 3000
3,000 Allied soldiers would have been killed attempting to eliminate
that number on the battlefield.
"The Viet Cong come over to this aide mostly because Allied round
offensivos, bombing and artillery, makes life with the Communiste difficult,
if not unbearable," one Open Arms official explained. "But they don't come
because any political or economio attraction to the Vietnamese government.
"The biggest problem facing the programas sore and more dofcotors
octe in--is what can we do with them, how can we help them and where will
they live?"
(More)
--------------------
- Page 2
--------------------
Opon Arts-page 2
Cnco a Communist defeotor returns to the government side, he and
ajo his family are taken to provincial oontors, horo for 45 days they are fod,
clothed and given political indoctrim tion lectures. ("Those indoctrination
seccions are so boring and naive they sound as though they might have been
pitton by a M. I. T. professor," one moricon advisor to the program said).
The defectors ero interrogated and much of their information about the
Viot Cong produces better intelligence material for the Allied side than any
other source. They are also classified and norocned to wood out any plantod
Viet Cong agents.
Only three onnes of genuino Viet Cong agents are known to hevo
ponotrated the program. One me e momen with orders to soduoo a Vietnamese
Open Armo chief and then carry out espionage. In the chong Delta, tro
Viet Cong ngente plented in the opon rms contorn wore won over end
voluntarily revealed Communist plene to attack the bugo Bien Boe air force base,
18 miles northwest of Saigon.
"But this soreening prooeen in't good enough," ono ADorionn advisor
to the Vietnamese military forces said. "Thoy ARVIe (ny, Republic of Vietnam)
beliove the Communists con and are ponotrating the program.
They believe that if
the Vict Cone think they can not in the military vox, they will politically
infiltrate into the government's Opon Ame program and the political apperstuo
to stir up trouble in the future. Besides, the ARTS have been
chasing the Viot Cong for youre and when the Communists get tired they can
come a to the government side and get more bonafite than the ABVNA dopondents."
(More)
--------------------
- Page 3
--------------------
Deepe
Open Ar
3
Thile in the Upon Aras centers, the dofootore or returncos as the
Vietnamese government calls then-are supposed to reooivo 24 piastres (roughly
20 cents) a day for food, 500 piastres (84.50) for tro suite of olothing and
remrds for weapons brought into the govemment aide (the equivalent of 87
for a pistol up to 170 for a lethal .57 mm. 200oilless rifle).
But, in como provinces, the returnoos complained to Open Azme
giving them
officials this they were not in their clothing allowance.
In other
Viennese officials had made a contract with a local tailor to get
e kiok-book and to give the returnees less then their money's worth in
olothing, reliable souroon reported.
mages for
In other onnos, returnees pronised
mim holping with the construction of Opon 200 building
complained to this correspondent they had not boon paid.
Thon a Vietnamono
overnment official ach confronted with this, he simply forced several
unhappy roturnoes to len receipts they had boon paidand thon fired them
from their jobs and transferred them to an already over-crowded provincial
oenter.
Amaricon officials, infuriated with this failure of the Vietnamoso
government officials to fulfill their promises to the returncos, have attemptod
to get the bond-ful of corrupt officials samovod. But, the most bothersome
ones are seldomo removod, American sources said.
"It's always the cone story," ono American advisor explained.
"The corrupt Vietnamone oivilien officials are just an i Indian to a higher
ranking Vietnamese general, In some cases, the general is a blood relative
of the civilians in other canes, just a protector for him."
(More)
--------------------
- Page 4
--------------------
Doope
Open Amepage
A small number of Opon Arms returnees have been rosettled in apoc.
honlethich is a formard political strategy, one official explained.
Eighteen of these Opon Arme hamlets have been built thus far; 50-onough to
house 5000 returnees and their families--are scheduled to be completed by
the end of this year. Those hemlots usually house returnees whose homes are in the
Viet Cong zone or else North Vietnamese defectors who have no homes in the
South.
However, this phase of the program io enmeshed in economie troubles.
The Vietnamese government would like to issue land and land titles to the
returnees to sustain themselves by farming-end to use this as a moans to
attract more Communists to the government side. But, the amount of avilab
available secure 1 n land in the government zone is very limited-end it is
usually non-rod non-productive sand or alun soil. The large chunks of
Thus far,
productive land that could be distributed ere in the Viet Cong zones.
American and Vietnamese armed forces are either unwilling or unab unable to
try to the third alternative-to open new lands in an attempt to copy the
"land for the land-loss" program which succked away the peasant support
from the pro-Communist uk movement in the Philippines some 15 years.
"If we had enough good productive land to promise and give to the
Viet Cong fighters and supporters, they would come into the government sone
in hordes," one Open Arms official explained.
--------------------
- Page 5
--------------------
Open Arma-p/05
In one of the 18 Open in Arma heclots, in the norther northern province
of Quent g the wife of one & ex-comunist told this colop correspondents
"This place in co hot oven our chickens perish. To tried to plant moet potatoos,
but the soil wouldn't grow any potatoes, co no aunt cat the root potatoe leaves.
A fom of the's villagers have pigs, but only if they have enough money to
buy food to raise them-hich I don't. We are starving to doeth in this
hablet."
-
Date
-
1967, Apr. 26
-
Subject
-
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Chieu Hoi Program; Propaganda; Psychological warfare
-
Location
-
Saigon, South Vietnam
-
Coordinates
-
10.8231; 106.6297
-
Size
-
20 x 27 cm
-
Container
-
B8, F5
-
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
-
Language
-
English
