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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-06049 to 363-06056.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-06049 to 363-06056
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Title
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Article about Việt Cộng land redistribution
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Description
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Original title: "series", Keever's title: "Land Reform Needed but Negligible in South Vietnam", article about Việt Cộng troops taking lands from landowners and giving it away to peasants, article 6 of 7 article series
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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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deepe
sorios-article 6 of 7 article sorios
page 1
May 19, 1965
SAIGON"The most important question in the
Vietnamese countryside besides occurity is land reform,"
a low-ocholon American technician explained. "Yot virtually
nothing has boon dono about it. Tho Viot Cong are gaining
alot of brouny points with the peasants by simply issuing
land titles--and it costs then nothing. They simply take
the land from the landoumor and givo in it away. Nothing
vo give to the peasants-like pigs, insecticides or
Sortilison-do ao important as land."
Lou-ocholon American thchnicians and provincial
officials for the post poveral years have urged the implemon-
tation of an offective land reform program. Svo land
distribution ochones have currently boon uitton, but
noither have boon accepted. Upper echelon officials in the
American bacoy and in the Agonoy for International
Developmont (USAID) believe land reform is not the pancoas
for Vietnam's problemo."
A program for the training of land-soform cadre
is under consideration; but the program would not be instituted
until "the other day"-when the Viet Cong Communists have
boon defeated.
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doope
sorios--article 6 of 7 article corioo
pago 2
Bovovor, one Vietnamese general rocontly varned
Anorican gonorals and a nombor of the Honry Cabot Lodge
party that the American-backed efforts to pacify the provinces
would fall unloos 1 vozo linlod with land roform.
"Whon tho Vietnamese national army goes back to
pacify areas from the Viet Cong, the local landounor good
back with thon, offoring to sorvo as intelligence agent,"
The general explained: "Obviously he wants to collect his back
taxes. So once the army pacifies the aroa-ho pacifico it
for the landownor and not for the peasant. Of course, 35%
of the poasante are landless--they become fanatics and will
fight for the land given then by tho Viet Cong because it's
as important to thom no thoir life."
Ono U.8. official lobellod as #Bozzor storios"
the actions of some landowners to collect book: tasos, once
government forces pacified Viot Cong areas.
According to roliable sources, in other casos,
when the Vietnamese governmont army attempts to pacify the
aroa, the commanders simply ignore the problem of land
reform, refusing to collect back rents and taxop--but also
refusing to confirm the land ownership rights, in como
c0000, peacants family offor to give land back. In Viot
Cong controlled areas, if landowners or their agents return
to collect book: tason--the matter is simple. The poasant
comeans to the Viot Cong-and the agent io shot?
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doopo
corios-articlo 6 of 7 article sorios
pace B
Anoricon officials who have talked with largo numbero
of Viet Cong prisoners and returnees, believe the Viet Cong
recruits within South Vietnam are almost entirely from the
rural population, rather than the citios, probably indicating
not the strongth of the Viot Cong appeal so such oo tho
accessibility of rural nascos for Vommunist recruiting.
Furthermofo, an ostinatod 30 percent of the Viet Cong strength
recruited within the South are concidosed to belong to tho
"farm labor class," which is the lowest class in the coni-
Confucianistic, rigidly-stratified rural society.
The five rural claccos in Vietnamese countrysido
0200 020: the landowners (who sent all the land they oum);
the rich peasants (who own more land than they till, and ront
como of it), the middle-class peasants (who owns all they ti11);
the tonant farmors (who ront all their lands); the farm labororo
(who can not ront land, but are consonally hired for planting
and harvesting).
"The question of land roform is quito simple," onc
low-ranking Viotnanoco provincial official explained. "The
government represents the landowners; the ministero and
gonorals are either landowners or friends of landownoro.
The Catholic Church ouns land. The Buddhist Church ovno
land, Bobody is interested in fighting for the poor peasant.
And the top Americano--voll, they talk to only the ministero
and rich people so they don't push it either."
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doopo
corios-article 6 of 7 article sorios
pago 4
One Viotnanose gonoral recalled that during the war
with the Communists against the French in early 1950's, he
was ordered by Imperial Decree to have landowners in his
security district in North Viet Nam divido up the land with
the peasants. There were two large landounore in the area,
he recalled, ono of thom a Catholic Bishop and the socond
was a relative of the finance minister.
"The Catholic Bishop refused to divide the land because
he said he had to support 2500 seminary students with the
ront money; the big landowner also refused. The general
explained:" I warned then both 12 they didn't give the nint
land to the peasants the Communists would take over not only
the land, but also the seminary and the landowner's house!
But they wouldn't listen. The big landowner told the Financo
minister what I was doing; I was quickly transferred to
another place--and three years later the Communists took over."
The land zoform issue in Vietnam--involving not
only issuing of land titlos, but also law enforcement on
land rents, land security for tonants, fixed rates on the
interoot of borrowing of money-is not considered as acute
no in other parts of Acin. The Japanoco say, for example,
that a ponnant without land is like a mon without a soul.
The victory of Chinese Communiato in taling over mainland
was achieved not so much by armed guerrillas as by the promise
of land to the poverty-stricken, landloss peasantry.
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doope
ceries articlo 6 of 7 article sorios
pago 5
"The land for the landless" campaign in the Philippines
virtually broke the back of the flul insurrection in carly
1950*.
According reliable sources, the Viet Cong guerrillas.
in Vietnam have a haphazard, inconsistent land reform program
which varies from area to a roa in coctions of the country
thoy control. However, the current government has virtually
no program at all. One American provincial official estimated
that the Viet Cong had loquod land titlos to 50% of the
peasant families in his province; the government had issued none.
In como area, the Viet Cong talo como of the land from
the rich peasants and given it to the land-loss tonant-who
still pays rent.
So far, the Viet Cong have not killed or harracod
the rich peacenta aa they did before their pelcure of pover
in florth Viet Nam.
In some cases, the Viet Cong program in the rural
areas is considered solf-defeating. They have made definito
puch for higher ronto and tasson as they move towards the lobile
Warfare Phaco. In some areas, Viet Cong taxes and indirect
taxoo in rico have doubled over that of last year. In othor
areas, the Viet Cong are known to have redistributed the land,
lent increased the land tax from 100 to 900 piastros and
increased the rice tax from 50 to 500 piastros. In the country-
sido until outside of Blue, which has recently fallen undor
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doogo
ceries-article 6 of 7 article corteo
page 6
their control, the Viet Cong are attempting to collect 10-153
of what the peasants have raised during past decade, whon
they lived in peace. The peasants are considered to be discon-
tonted about that; in isolated cases, the peasants have burmod
their own crops rather than pay Viet Cong taxes.
In the mid-50's, President Ngo Dinh Bion attempted
But his
to correct the injustices in the countrysido.
offectiveness was limited. A U.S. Government bulletin published
in January this year explained:
"Under the ordinances approvod in 1955, a progran vas
boing carried out to regularise tenancy agreements through
vitton contracts. The contracto established minimun and
maximum rents of 15 and 25 per cont, respectively, chargeable
by the landlord against the tonant's main crop. Whilo a start
has boon mado in land roform, real progress has boon nogligiblo
and a soview of the entire program noods to be undertakon."
One American advisor in the provinces explained:
"The Viet Cong had passed out their land titlos before Dion
did, The peasant then grabbed one of Dion's titles for the piece
of land titled by the Viet Cong--he figured he would be ablo
to retain his land no mattor which aido won the war."
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doopo
corios-article 6 of 7 anticlo serios
page 7
One American provincial official in Viet Nam, who
had served in the Philippinos during the Bul rebellion said
that in the early 1950's, more than 80,000 arned guerrillas
controlled virtually all of Luson Island, and were fighting
on the outskirts of Manila, Thon Tagsaysay tool: ovo
an president and promised land for the landloos". Ilo ordered
Any units to clear acres of forosted land, to build houses,
and a number of the fluit fighters laid down their arms and
took advantage of the offor to live peacefully.
"Magsaysay was just a dumb guerrilla fighter, he
vasn't brilliant," the American explained. "Ile once told the
Pilipino Congress to repeal the lad of supply and demand
because it was creating problems for him. But be travolod
in the provinces; he sacked colonolo ho say olooping on theo
poot; ho promoted on the spot congoants who had fought woll.
He instituted the Prooidential Action Committoo, whore any
peasant for a few conte could send a telogran from any post
office complaining about anything. Within 48 hours thoro
vas an investigating tean out there to see what was the
matter."
In Vietnan, in 1965, a plan was forumlated whoroby
Magsaysay's scheme of giving land to the Communists would
have been implemented. Groat tracts of land in Vietnam
wore to be cleared to induce the Communist fighters to accept
a botter way of life
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doopo
cortos-artiolo 6 of 7 article serice
page 8
crioio.
But tho plan fisslod during the turbulent Buddhist
"Last your alone thozo wore 700 American tractors
of all varieties in the warehouses in Saigon," one low-
ochelon American agricultural export explained. "Thoy had
been turned over to the Vietnamese government, which
zofused to release them for uso. If a province chief
wants a tractor, he has to ront it from the Saigon government
for $200 a bootaro--but whore would he got the money, oxcept
from Saigon. How those tractors should be in the mountains,
elooring land for the Communists.
It's still not too lato."
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Date
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1965, May 19
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Mặt trận dân tộc giải phóng miền nam Việt Nam; Farm ownership; Land, Nationalization of; Land tenure; Civilians in war; Land reform
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B187, 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, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
