Viet Jungle Sweep: the Surprise That Wasn't

Item

derivative filename/jpeg

363-04846.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-04846

Title

Viet Jungle Sweep: the Surprise That Wasn't

Description

Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the first time an American unit was officially deployed to fight Communist forces in South Vietnam and a recounting of that first operation, page unknown

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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

deepe conference--1 march 11, 1965 SAIGON--The United Buddhist Church--lead by politico-priests who have [deletion: spared over] sparked [insertion: the] overthrow of [deletion: the] three Vietnamese governments--are preparing this week-end for a major policy conference with delegates from throughout this war-weary nation. Political observers [XXXX indicating deletion] are known to be ready to watch the three-day conference to determine if the politically important Buddhist movement makes any key policy decisions on the issue of peace. Some of the Buddhist priests, who are suspected of being pro-neutralists, have issued nebulous religious statements on the question of bringing peace to the country. [deletion: but] These priests have influence over [XXXX indicating deletion] some pro-Buddhist [insertion: lay] elements which gives them considerable [deletion: political] [XXXX indicating deletion] importance as a political force [deletion: in] within and outside the Saigon government. (More) deepe conference--2 [deletion: During the] At the time of the recent arrivals of Korean soldiers and American Marines, a whispering campaign was launched among the Saigon population that the Buddhists would peacefully protest against the introduction of [XXXX indicating deletion] foreign soldiers, [deletion: “he”] who would intensify [XXXX indicating deletion] and enlarge the anti-Communist war in their country. Hundreds of delegates are expected to attend the conference, though the exact number [deletion: of] is unavailable. The brief [deletion: introductory session] inauguration ceremony opens Saturday night, Saigon time, and full-day sessions [deletion: will] are to be held Sunday and Monday. Delegates who have been invited to attend include Buddhist priests, numbers, laymen, representatives from the provinces and districts in the countryside, representatives of Buddhist-sponsored or allied associations, such as Buddhist youth organizations, women organizations, charity services. Some political party leaders are expected to be invited. (More) buddhist--3 deepe Reliable sources said invitations had [insertion: also] been sent to the [XXXX indicating deletion] heads of the six departments of the United Buddhist Church, delegates [XXXX indicating deletion] of the Church from the provinces and Saigon, the Buddhist university, [deletion: he] the Buddhist chaplains corps in the American-backed Vietnamese armed forces and representatives of Buddhist associations. According to documents distributed to the incoming delegates, the business sessions of the conference would be devoted to reports of past activities of the United Buddhist Church, and all its related agencies and associations, revision of the charter, “consolidation of leadership,” to “discuss the present situation and the line of activities of the Church,” and to draft the budget. The rather vague wording of “consolidation of leadership” raised the question to observers here whether there would be a shift in the key leadership positions. (More) deepe buddhists--4 The conference--a similar one was held thirteen months ago--comes at a time when the Buddhists have presented five demands to the month-old [insertion: American-backed] government of Prime Minister Phan Huy Quat. These demands call for [XXXX indicating deletion] release of students and Buddhist priests arrested by the previous prime minister--Tran Van Huong who regarded the Buddhists as “playing the Communist game.” Other demands include permission for [deletion: Buddhist] government civil servants [deletion: to in the government] who consider themselves Buds to [deletion: form and] organize and join Buddhist associations; [deletion: to destroy] destruction of the police files of Buddhist students, monks and youth who had been arrested; [deletion: [illegible]] [insertion: re] opening some newspapers closed by the previous government; and re-instating Thich (Venerable) Ho Giac as deputy chief of chaplains in the Vietnamese Armed Forces. Many [deletion: of the highest-] ranking Vietnamese officers regard Thich Ho Giac as “pro-Communist.” [insertion: Government has yet to take a specific stand on the five demands.] The demand to allow government civil servants join and form a Buddhist association within the government is considered to [deletion: allow] permit the formation of a “quasi-political cell” within the government’s administrative apparatus. The Buddhist movement has [deletion: als] already been granted the permission to have 60 Buddhist chaplains in the armed forces--and an additional 60 are being trained--and to have three-man Buddhist groups within each army battalion. (More) deepe buddhists--5 The conference is considered politically significant to for the [deletion: foo] following reasons: to give the Buddhist politico-priests a rather exact estimate of their strength among the masses throughout the country, to determine their organizational strength as well as [deletion: their] quality of low-level Buddhist leadership in the provinces, and to [deletion: take a pulse of] measure the mood of the Buddhists about the current political situation in the Saigon and in Vietnam. In behind-the-scene caucuses, key Buddhist priests and lay leaders are expected to form their over-all political program regarding the issue of peace, their attitude to the American military support to Vietnam, and their position regarding the government of Phan Huy Quat. (MORE) deepe buddhist--6 the Buddhist leaders have also called for reports from all Buddhist associations, agencies and pagodas, at all levels of their impressive hierarchy--from the hamlets to the villages, the districts, the provinces and then to the central level. Political observers are amazed at the efficiency of the Buddhist organization. [deletion: They] hav The Buddhist leaders have sent a “model form” for their reports--asking detailed questions which low-level leaders are to answer. These reports, which were [insertion: to be] sent to Saigon by March 5th, are expected to give the Buddhist leaders a sweeping [XXXX indicating deletion] barometer of the political mood of the country. “This model form for their reporting is very, very scientific,” one Vietnamese political leader explained. “It’s [deletion: als] almost the same way the Communists organize things.” An example of the “model form” for reporting throughout the country [deletion: is] concerns the section about [XXXX indicating deletion] [illegible] organizations: who are the members of the executive committee and what [deletion: sect] Buddhist sects do they represent, when was the organization established, “what is the spirit [deletion: of the] (or mood) of the members--is it positive or not and what are the causes of this--how often the organization meets, how often members review the situation, the relationship between the lower-level members of the organization and the leader. (More) deepe buddhists--7 Another area of interest in the “model form” included reports at all-levels of the “Special Commissioner for Youth”--important in view of past [deletion: student] youth demonstrations in Saigon and the provinces. Their reports are asked to include: The general situation of Buddhist youth, how many members, what [deletion: activities] Buddhist activities they participate in, what is their “spirit or mood”, what is the situation with the Buddhist Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The “model form” also asks for reports from all-levels about “the [deletion: permo] performance” of the Buddhist movement: What is the mood of the Buddhist believers, what is the spirt of the masses after each campaign (of [deletion: top] sparking overthrow of three [deletion: successive] governments)--does their spirit go higher after each campaign or does it go lower and what is the intensity of that spirit--how the non-Buddhist population [deletion: feek] react to the Buddhists campaigns, what is [deletion: their] the attitude [insertion: of non-Buddhists] concerning “the national situation”, what is the attitude of political parties and government officials to the Buddhist movement after each campaign, what is the attitude of other religions, [deletion: the attitude of] and the Communists towards the Buddhists, and the [insertion: general] security situation in the provinces. Dear Mr. Rosenfeld: I’m enclosing a rather drab news article--not analysis--on the upcoming Buddhist conference. The conference begins Saturday, March 13, in the evening--which is Sunday morning New York Time. The conference will be undramatic and probably not worthy of much spot news coverage--but it will be very, very significant [insertion: [illegible]] in the future. I’ve tried to include some specific examples of the “model form” document of the Buddhists used in gathering reports from the provinces--I think [deletion: we] no other correspondents have this and they may give the readers some idea of the immense scope and depth of their organization. Sincerely, B Deepe

Date

1965, Jul. 8

Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Campaigns, American; Vietnam (Democratic Republic). Quân đội; United States. Army

Location

With the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, probably near Biên Hòa, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.95; 106.8167

Container

B4, F6

Format

newspaper clippings

Collection Number

MS 363

Collection Title

Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers

Creator

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