https://mediacommons.unl.edu/MediaManager/srvr?mediafile=/MISC/UNL~139~139/1796/363-08390+to+363-08399.pdf

Media

Part of Article about the South Vietnamese election

extracted text

s-+ 71r.

a� ,.-a.-:.....

saigon, Vietnam
August 22, 1967

y

llr. R. M. Du:ffialn
Poretgn Editor
'l'he Australian
GPO Box 4162
SJ'dney, Australia
Dear Mr. Duttieldl
election.
want.

1•11 enoloae your requested pieoe on the Vietnamese
Hopefully, it•s somewhat in the ballpark of what you

We heard up here you ,were on strike;'
things have settled down.

It true,

I hope

There's no suoh animal he.re as ari inch-per-mile ma.pf to
the best of my knowledce. However, I'm trying to sorounee :frcm
the U Fa 1150,000 soaling, wh1oh is about as olosc ae we oan
cane here. I'll send it along to you l ter,.

I

,.

P.
me

• In tho event of 8111' payments, oould you please send them to
trough the Chartered Barik of Saigon. Uy thanks.

,,

Bever.ly Ann. Deepe
64A HoJlg Thap TU
sai gon, . Vi e.tnalll
August�, 19

7

Bleo:tion-page l

SAIGClr-!'he Vietnamese elections for ,:resident and the 6D-man
senate on September · 3 are a oruoial hillge deterrn1n1 ng the agonizing
issues of peaoe or wu-or vioto1"7- or defeat-for this oountr7 and

at a fiel'Oer,. bloodier paoe
.more pol1 tioal diaadvantagea tor the

a newl.J' eleote4. government

in saigon and ita Allies.
"these eleottons mark the end of' one
'beginning of' another,"
":But,

plus

:--,.,

9a chapter and.
'

the

one Yietnamese politioaJ. source explained.

we don•t know what the new ohapter ls all about.

we don·• t even know what kind of book the ollapters are in.
thi.s appears to be a big oomed.7.
are part of a giant trageqe

But, to the Yi etnameae

in faot,
Tol outsiders,

i', the elootiona

Deepe

Blection--page 2

The YletnP..mesa electoral oampa,ign is oonsidere4 here as a
and the one mill tary

verba,l exercise between ten oivilian-� 1 "ha:wks"

ill ot the leading oandidates are, for'Ei

tioketl of "super-ha*s."
all egtenta and purposes,

hard-line anti-Communists.

that they are for ..�q "peace."

All have oampe.isned

Jlost have advooated. diaoussion�

with Hanoi-but not with the Bational Uberation .Front for south Vi etnam
(NLF).

Only one candidate,

'1'ru011g Mnh�

tmoffioial disousaiono w1th the BLF�

Tet,

Dsu,

ha.a advooated even

the purpose of these

diaoussions i �er---,f<t?� �cmmunist "@an elemen:ts from miiitng

the NLP and then to Yj�iil the newly-elected Saigon regime.

The oontext

in which virtually all the oandidatea use the word "negotiation•
ia to ask Hanoi and the liLF to·
to compromise.;:
April 1,

:&'Yen the

gji? 1

oapi tulat�, rather than
. '3/
Tietnameee Constitution, pomulgated on

under whioh tie eleotiona are being held,

as a "hawkish"

is oonsidered

anti-Communist doo1.11aent, barring a Oommun1st goverrnent

or a neutrall st, ooali tion goverment 1n the south.
doo1.m10nt itself' is considered here as a block to
w1 th Hanoi and the NLF,

Henoe,

�JJma.-

the

q negotiations

@It tor the Oonmunista main aim in negotl.a tiona-­

the plaoe of the NLF in the f'uture government-would be ignored and beyond

the

realm of di s0uosion.
Bot oven the most o;ptomistio oftioia.ls here believe the Communists

are rcad,y for t.hi s kind of n1:,fl'Wiitions.,

.

..

.....

�·e
:.fildOtion-page 3

'l'hoao are the, three .leading Pre:sidential tickets-,
**Lt. Oen. lfg\\Y'eft

,�.n

'!bi�

44,

has

Is boen

a military o:ffieer

Ra attended a.n infantry school in Fr·&n0e, e�ly .in hie
tv,iO

_,.-

career and-le.tel'
-

�ii-•

American milltcU!'.y

/

:lnstitutions�•the Commend and

�rel staff Colleg-e in Jlort l,oEtvenvrorth_. Ea.nras, in

*

.-famili:u·laation 01· rr.odern '<7teapona
Thieu leAd the
'-./

19S"h

and a •

�hree ,-ears lateri,

5th Infantry l)iviaioz/ to tho p:re!Jit\ontial 'Palaoe in

sat. g� in 19-63 to .spear.head the coup d•atat o..ge,inst form0r l',t'eaident Ngo
Dinh Diam.

:From that groUp .of lffl'l1ri ooup-leadei·s,

one , to havo

r.§ii'.w

��urv1�ed to date. : '?he

Thieu is th-e only

I

alight•fl:amed e-eneral

wa.s born in Centrr.1.l l'ietr,,am and ws..� converted to Uatholioi !ID with bis
B'eoni,so of the enormoua- controvel"s.;r abou-t J)iem -,
Catholic,

mm

alro a

the current ·va.t1oan 11nG is to avoid supporting a,.

Catholic p·reaident clttring the eleotions,.

reliable fj()UJ:'oes roportit

Thus•

�eu hi,-s the -disa.dvant�,g-es of' being a. Catholic( in a largely non,,;Oo.tholic
country,

yet none of the t:'.,(iva.r�tr�s of thoir b:toe vote during tlw election.

He :served. a� rrima Kini ste.­
toT iE&!lt�n nearly throo months in late 1964 and aa:rly 1965

dU1'1.Jle the

ohaotio 11o�iod. in whioh 1'iotnam w1 tnoaoed a. mmber of coups• £alee doup13 ·
atl4 demi-coups,

all of them lea.cling- to

be:?ore the commitment of Allied i,roops.

(Jlore)

an upsure;o in C�st aotivity

neepe
Election

.age 4

During his brief .Prime llin1.ster-ship,
on, Bud' 1i:rt-inspired street demonstrations.
o:f the Roman Catholics.
Catho).ic vote.
o:f' Saigon,
area.

1101,i

Huong o:racked dom

which won him the adniration

He is el..'l)OOted to win a larg-e paroentage of' the

in tho hou.vily-populatetl liElkong Del ta, south or

Huong is also considered the most populo.r oandidate in that

Ho tau¢lt school in the delta for nearly a decade in .i his

oBrlier yoorH;

m��-n.y of hi a students-or the student a of his studon t
/
4 $ I ·-til!i PE
I 3 8►48414 4
�11 ...·•••liiii1tilii!INb-C
( a.re aoti,rnly o::.impa.i¢:ng- f o.r him.
rank of rtene:ral,

lll!U'lY 1i7:my offioe�s,

some holding

·i;}

e

• a.·e among his pupils in eaz·lier years.

Known .for his inte�ity and lr.l!'!rt honest;,,

Huong aor-ved as

Ma;:;-01· o:f. S3-i6'()n 111 the mid-50a dai�ing the early days of the Ifgo Dinh Diem

ra..the1• than being on'"u:ffsUl'ed about in a. gover:r:!Ll1.mt automobil�.
maint 1.inccl his honesty during this pei•iod,

Re

al thougil he r�pol:tsdl:, ,,a·,
l.mpri :lOOO

by the Diem
baekml by th<➔ pirate ga;ng known D-a the Dinh .Xu;,en. La-tm:' 5
regime, · o t7l'ota a set o:f poems anti tled, 0 Ins'"' iro:tions f:ran Jail."
His l'tuming mote, Jlai Tho TrU1'en, 1.s a lG&dlhg llif I
promirn:mt J.e.y 1.(laJ.er oi· -�he Southvl'rr-ctyled .Buddhist move."nent,

v,hich

rel u •,9CJ. �jo J>1;t:r·tioipato �it' ·i;uo mo:ce m:i..litan·i Central � Viotnc:.mo �e
br·,)ed

�7&

01£t to;pr>led Ruont:;•

eu port �·:i:-om the

'rihe ·!;iok.ei; ia �:p0o·Lou.. o vJin sa.oo

outbern Bud.dhistu,

e0tue li0011>...n Cat-holic:rn--andx ironically,

it hoper: c to oull votos f1•cm the mili ·i;fi,nt Buddhist::i · u.ung Ol'f,1,C:lked d.o m
on1

l,!10

,,.

�- I
r ti
lino of .reasoning � that the mili ta11.t monks would pi•ei'ar ,_

Huong over � e

military ticket.
More

Ble otion--pa. e a& 5

1tttphan lbao

suu.,

62-,

waa hee.4 of the e.l eoted - Aseaiibl.7 whioh

drafted the new Coasti tu
aaulgate4 April l of thi a 7ear,. 1'he
�
assembly has been rename4 ProT.l aional l,egl slative Aaa•bl.7 until the

ourrent elections are 1 oonoluded an4 smi serves as President of thi s

bod;?'•

Be al.so s8"ed. •• o � ·� state 111 1964 and 1965 1
t
before the genere.ls· took over power la · ,�5.
An agricultural engl.ne81' b7 profession, · �

;i was born 1n the . southern., Keko� Delta regl.o�

like :H�ngt ·

but i s not so well

known as Huong. Be fought against the French oolonial1 eta and la tar
:,.,.. pK : i;� i,.:. h -'.'
and tortured
against the Ngo Dinh Di• reg:t.me , which pdt id& in PII
him.

Re still wallcs· with a limp because of these maltreatment-a in

pri son.

Unlike Huong i.l!l'mh who 1 s considered to have a rigid

of thinking,

too fi¢ble.

religion,

wa:r

SUU i s largely considered b7 saigon intolleotual a as
sun--hi s name means "Buffalo" -i s of the CE.O De1

an of�shoot Buddhi st h,J'bl1.dt but i s not considered to be

suu• s running mate 1 & Dr. ,Phan Quang DBD,

medical doctor born in Central Vietnam.,;

a narvard-sohooled

the smi ticket ma7 meJce a better

chowing in the oentra,l provinces then Huong because �f having Dan on

bi s 11. st.

Deepe

Page '
The milita.17 ticket of the genera.ls is predioted. to win easiq 1W' a
large majorityJ some Vietnamese political source s predict th• will win
qr

65%.

A large turnout of the

5•4

million registered voters { those living

in government-secured areas) 1s also predicted .

The moet sizzling question here is, however, not how big a vote the
..

'

genera.ls get , but whether the result· s 1dll be interpreted as suah to in\,

die to � fair rmd honest election.

·,

'

'

The charges o-r the civilian candidates

that the generals �• rigging the election are la:rge]T considered. true
� --;:e rank and fil<> Vietnamese ' following � elaotoral rao· e; """"
a number of important Congressmen in .America have voiced oonoern with the
Wf'l3 the election w� h;rind led 'ti" the generals.

But, for e.11 practio·al

purpoaea, •1taarvers here, including the Western press that is ohargod tdth
� l lefri
the responaibili ty of traoking• down a!Zltb. infra.otions of the electoral

..............,..:,/

law, will be imable to determine whether �he eleotion is in fact rigged. or
\

fair; exc ept in isolated incid ences,
Thus far, the election at best ha.s become something of a :f':l aoo.

It•

has revolved from a verbal free-for-all emong the Vietnamese gene:ltals in
lete Jime to a generals versus certifying oo�ittee tif'f to a generals

ta

versus civilian cimdidates debao, le in early August to a dead lock betlf8en
the military ticket and the ten c iviliana oand id e.tes; who temporaril1'
refused to c ampaign,

Once, th9.Y started to campaign, the civilians charged

the generals were il:'iggi.ng the election ; the Amerio an o:f:fioiald.am here '. and

l'l e epe

Page f'
�" 11

s 1-/4 · )\c,f-'11/1, ,../

President lqndon Johnsonfieniecl the oharges--uhioh hao c aused the civilian
candidates simp'.q to counter- charge the America Ambassador• Mrr11, Ellsworth
Bunkff, w1th meddling in Vietnamese p,.f'fBJ.rs.

'.

It the election oomes off fairly mooth'.q with the results generally
aooepted in Vietnam as well as internationally, the Communist-inspired

�-�

National Libero.tion Pront will have suffered a sizeable, significant politio al
.

.

defeat� which would have mdemined its o laims o:tf"the so le representativets
of the Vietnameso people.

The election wou ld have est::1 blish�- the legitimaoy

of the anti-Commmist, p!'O!-A,llied government in Saigon .
i '

The Allies here sre

, ourrentl_y faeed with the astronomical dilemne, tW- they have million troops
.
£ ;; ,; 7S
in Vietnam at the invitation of a government tha.t no longer �the
government of Prime Minister Phan lll;\V' Qua.t in . early 1965- and even

men

it

existed., it was never consid.ered legal, and for that matter- rare'.cy' oonsid8red
a gov�snt .

'.l:hUst a ..Hilaa legitimate government ia n eeded to legalime

the .A llied pz-esenoa beret and whather Amerioon-South Vietnruneae government
policy is to bring in more troops or to begin t�lking wlth the Communists•
or str.addling both courses simultanoous4', the .A llies need a legal Vietnamese
government to val1date the moves.,
A significant f'ringe benefit from 11 t)()pw.a.r�eleoted t. oon sti tutional
governmont here would be a muo h more palatable reg.ime to justify to the
Allied. friends and enemies at home and abroad the inore .sing measure of Allied
oommittmant of gilll> troops and ground support elements.

�. .

, /f'�-� �-

Deepe
p��
. l;wever, thus :rar, the Communist s h ve exploited, the election fiasco to
theh- full benefit.,.

�;
--14
1'r being

For months, the Oommunists had charged the e lection o

"

an ",itnerio a:n invention which would be rigged to serv._� imerio 1Jn
�Tffl: ,,..,,
.. t:'-s ·t?__,,;

ThE'/generels h - :ve �t le st perti lly proved. the riggi.nl charge
b'+:1RR,.,,J)
to have some vs,lid ity., for they oonvenient)s weeded out and WiiecI prestigious
interesta..

non-Communist candid a/i;aa who ooulci ha,"('e serious� challenged them at the

polls.
The Communist s are expec ted. to mount· a tfell-ooord. inn,ted pre-election

:-;:::
m. l , +A�
.
��qF,
'"'° \ &mi.a
a C,<,</\A-<,q
.
iiP&-r-Jid e lfiibit;r of'fansive
to m:itch their cont inuing !)Olitic :?.1. 1.Z&fll

f

Of'fioi�l s h re 110te t,h0 Coiln!luni£d., 1:, h;;. ·o the
d/
c n.pabiliV to lau.ach -:vell-'tim attacks on election clay- to di· srupt the
e.,g!".inRt the election .

'bsillotj,ng in the remote rtllfl6'9S as well a.s in the OG!lter ot major o ities.
Bu.t, more worrisome is the tull-aoale propAgand& war that the Oomr.n unists
ha.va been oonoietmt]y �iming a.t the election.

More

1md

More Vietn .. ,10$e 1n

the govermnent-oontrollad -zones c'.:r e h0ing :p0roua<l oo b°IJ:t their ,.,ro .,,,�w�nd a
.
lh:s�cL. c7
.
li:rv�ne rrelJ. C's cy tho rul§bfo.ttttft of' the general• du.ring the campaigri,.
On top of the economic and poli tioe.l discontent •already d.ormant here,
the elootion process is bringing •a naw kind ot politioal disilluaiomeot.
While the rura,l areas und er governmont control appear to be relativel;y'
:passive a.bout the e leotio.n, the impa.ot, of the blossoming d iot l lus1.onment
"'-?:
has hit a signifionnt element-the mi ,d. le and upperolaas in the oitiea,
imich makes them ripe for Communist prop,.ganda and subversive :i_, ooruitment .

►

r

Bleoti on--pa�

The aignifi:oanoe o:t the di ailluai onnent 1 s th1 s 1

!he

!hq must 'Vll n

Alli ed forces oan not w.ln b7 holding onl7 the oit1e s.

st:zeable chunks � the OOUDU7sl de--and hence the tmportanoe of the current
slow rate of progress in the rural paoifioation program.
Bu�,
countryside.
population.

the C0111Duni sts oan not win by holding only the 660hr
!he7 must oraalt the government• a hold on the urban

Jlenoe_,

the lmportanoe of the battle

and upper-class 'fte-�namesa,

tor

the middle

wh:l.oh i s the baoltbone of the gover:mrent

support.
C ontinuously,.
suoh

Radio Banol sprews out

day 1n and da7 out .,

poli tio� material ,
"The forthocming election farce will �ther exasperate the

internal oontra.dlotions plaeu!ng the ranks of the U�
in South Vio tnam. • • •

one

laoltqa

can thus ri_ghtl7 oonolude that the sai gon

author:l ty 1 s none other than the shadow of the
their henohmen.

s.,

Whether under a • military•

u.

S. polio;, of uaing

or • oiVili an• ' oover,
or

under an open militaJ.7 diotatorahip or with 'Presi dential•
• C ongi-ession 1 1·

trappings,

1 t will remain an out-8.Jld-out puppet

admini strati on. "
Jf the eNllt s on electi on day sbllehow prove the Hanoi pze.ttil
pred1cti<>J1 correct,

the newly elected sai gon government will become more

and more i sol ted t'rom :l ta own people. · An4,
aid the Conmnml at s

in time ,

thi s oould ,

ln taking over the country.:

Conversely,

i f the result s of the election are,

eooepted within South Vietnam and internationally,

faTOra'bly

the anti-Communist s

will have ,�ron a oruoial battle in thi s bighl.J-poli tioal war.