Reds in Yellow Robes?

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363-04742.pdf

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363-04742

Title

Reds in Yellow Robes?

Description

Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the potential connection between Buddhist protestors and the Việt Cộng, page 19

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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

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- Page 1
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Reds in Yellow Robes?
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
Yes, Madame Ngo Dinh
Nhu was probably right about
the Buddhists.
But no one will ever know
for sure. When the lovely spit-
fire sister-in-law of former
President Ngo Dinh Diem la-
beled the militant Buddhist
monks as "Reds in yellow
robes," she caused an internal
and international furor.
And her attacks indirectly
aided the monks-who were
later to spark the overthrow
of the Diem regime 16 months
ago by making her the sym-
bol they needed to attack. Her
vitriolic remarks also sabo-
taged the attempts at compro-
mise between the Buddhist
militants and the President.
Still one of the most power-
ful-and puzzling-factors in
Vietnamese politics, the Bud-
dhists this weekend are hold-
ing a mass conference in
Saigon to determine their
future policy and assess their
grass-roots strength.
In behind-the-scenes talks,
leading priests and laymen
are expected to decide their
stand on key issues of peace
negotiations with the Com-
munists and American inter-
vention in South Viet Nam.
Two prominent priests
Quang Lien and Phap Tri
have already called for the
withdrawal first of Com-
munist guerrillas and finally
of American troops from the
country. But their views have
been repudiated by other
Buddhist leaders.
High ranking Buddhists
will also discuss their attitude
toward the government of
Premier Phan Huy Quat. The
regime has avoided answering
recent Buddhist demands for
the release of students and
priests jailed by the previous
government, for destruction of
police files on Buddhists and
for permission for civil serv-
ants to join Buddhist
'sociations. The religious
leaders also will study com-
prehensive reports on
strength and sentiment of
as-
the
their followers at the village
level.
Are these men-or some of
them "Reds in yellow robes"
or not? Observers here believe
no one will ever really know.
They would never carry Com-
munist party cards.
Vietnamese politics are so
obscure that a ranking Bud-
dhist leader would never at
this time be caught in a meet-
ing with Communist cadres.
"And even if they are Com-
Maybe Mme. Nhu Was Right
munist agents," one ex-Com-
munist explained, "they will
selflessly sacrifice themselves
and fade into oblivion once
the Communists have taken
over."
PLAY GAME
ele-
But anti-Communist
ments in Viet Nam believe the
Buddhist militants are "play-
ing the game of the Com-
munists" because of their past
actions, their present policy
and their "anarchistic" ten-
dencies which have shriveled
the effectiveness of every
government since the fall of
Mr. Diem.
And without an effective
competing government, the
Communist political subver-
sion and organization has
mushroomed in size and
strength. From this viewpoint,
the Buddhist militants have
obviously aided the Viet Cong
Communists.
In the past three weeks, the
Buddhists have reached an
important turning point. They
have apparently entered a new
phase. These are the new de-
velopments since the Febru-
ary bombings of North Viet
Nam:
Except for the Viet Cong
Communists, the militant
Buddhist organization is the
most important power group-
ing in Viet Nam.
Their potential power now
appears to overshadow not
only the country's government
but the armed forces, which
have become since the Feb. 19
coup attempt more divided
and less politically oriented.
Neither the armed forces nor
the government appears pre-
pared to resist the growing
strength of the Buddhists
militants.
During the Diem regime,
the militant Buddhists were a
clandestine, semi-underground
political dissident movement,
which used religious persecu-
tion as their battle cry. After
the fall of Diem, they became
a political movement of pro-
test, which successfully neu-
tralized or spearheaded the
toppling of each of the succes-
sive governments. Now, as of
mid-February, they have be-
come part of the government
of Premier Phan Huy Quat
and have acquired a sizable
chunk of that government
through pro-Buddhist repre-
sentation in it.
Buddhists appear to have end-
ed their period of protests
against the government-since
they have become part of the
government. However, they
now have developed a new is-
sue-peace. Their current ap-
peals for peace may in the fu-
ture become protests for
peace,
which would again
serve to increase the Buddhist
power over the masses.
During the 16 months fol-
lowing the fall of Diem, the
Buddhists had been a third
government operating be-
tween Saigon and the political
backbone of the Viet Cong
guerrillas, the National Libera-
tion Front.
In an
important position
paper, a leading monk said
the militant Buddhist move-
ment was against both the
Communists and the anti-
Communists, whom he de-
scribed as the Catholics and
the Americans. It was clear
from their policy that their
immediate enemy was the Sai-
gon government and not the
Viet Cong.
MAIN LINK
Now, that they have become
a substantial part of the Sai-
gon government, however, it
would appear timely for them
to declare war on the Com-
munists.
But they have not. Instead
they launched their peace
offensive, which places them
in the position of rising as an
arbiter above other parties-
Saigon and the Viet Cong.
It is reliably predicted that
in the coming months the
Buddhists will become the
central link between Saigon
and the Viet Cong, paving the
way for the coalition govern-
ment which the Viet Cong
have always wanted as part of
their neutralization of the
country.
The Buddhist concept of
is ambiguous.
peace
One
Buddhist priest gives one con-
cept to Western and local cor-
respondents only to have it
denied, contradicted or clari-
fied by another priest.
More significant than the
official statements given to the
press are the sermons which
the Buddhist priests are giv-
ing to the masses, their source
of power. No one really knows
what they say in their ser-
mons.
The foreign embassies the
Prime Minister's office the se-
At least momentarily, the cret police
and
the foreign press send a num-
ber of reporters to the Bud-
dhist sermons. Each comes
back with a different version
and a different emphasis.
"Each hears what he wants to
hear." one journalist ex-
plained.
This Buddhist peace offen-
sive is the talk of Saigon. The
Buddhists are considered pro-
neutralists, their version of
peace closer to the Viet Cong's
than to the free world's. Sai-
gonese see no cohesive anti-
Communist element capable
of stopping their offensive.
Since mid-February a trend
has developed to draw a
sharper line between the anti-
Communist military war and
the political subversive war.
Since the February dismis-
sal of Lt. Gen. Nguyen Khanh
as Commander in Chief, the
armed forces, which had been
a super-government, has less
political power. The Armed
Forces Council has taken a
tough anti-Communist stand
against the guerrillas but has
virtually ignored the subver-
sive element.
The government of Premier
Quat has taken a tough stand
against both the Viet Cong
guerrillas and the Communist
subversives. But the govern-
ment has chosen to ignore the
Buddhists as part of the sub-
versive movement.
During his first press con-
ference, the Premier inter-
rupted one translation, took it
upon himself to become the
spokesman for the Buddhist
position, carefully explaining
that the Buddhists were for a
"nationalistic" sort of peace.
This "soft" stand on the
Buddhist issue is one of the
mosts important developments
since the departure of Gen.
Khanh.
STRUGGLE
were
All last year, mostly in
behind-scenes intrigue, the two
contenders for power
Gen. Khanh and the Buddhist
(Rev.)
politico-priest, Thich
Tri Quang.
Gen.
In August,
Khanh,
then Premier and President
and Tri Quang collided; the
priest won momentarily as
pro-Buddhist demonstrations
toppled Gen. Khanh from the
Presidency.
But Gen. Khanh, with bril-
liant maneuvering, quickly re-
established himself as the
strongman-until Feb. 20 when
pro-Buddhist generals allied
themselves with pro-Catholic
generals to vote for his dis-
missal.
Gen. Khanh then left Viet
Nam Now the
This

Date

1965, Mar. 14

Subject

Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements--Vietnam (Republic); Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Religious aspects--Buddhism; Buddhism and politics--Vietnam (Republic)

Location

Saigon, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.8231; 106.6311

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