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Mandy and Neil Go Global
Hi all
Now for a quick lesson in modern history. Well, probably not that quick, but for a long time I've really wondered what the mechanics were behind the US getting involved in Vietnam. Obviously it was all part of anti-communism, 'reds under the bed' and all that but I really wanted to know the full extent of what happened. If you don't, then seriously, move down the page til you see a big sign saying OK SO YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW.
Let's start with the end of the war with the US backed French. By 1954 US aid to the French had topped $2 Billion. In 1954 money. But the French had had enough. Uncle Ho's statement about killing 10 to our 1 held true, and after 10,000 starving French soldiers were forced to surrender at the siege of Dien Bien Phu they decide to get the f*** out while they still could. The Geneva Conference was held in May 1954 as a means to negotiate an end to the conflict. The main points were that there should be prisoner exchanges, the division of the country into North and South along the Ben Hai River with the DMZ acting as a buffer on either side of it, a 300 day free passage of people across it, and free general elections to be held on 20th July 1956 which would unite the entire country under one rule. The elections never happened. The newly installed governmental leader of the South, one Ngo Dinh Diem a staunch anticommiunist Catholic, backed by the US decided that the Geneva Agreement wasn't really for him, and refused to be bound by it. Probably because he was blatantly going to lose the election. Before you can say 'What the f***?' the North are very much at war with the South.
Now what about all these families that thought they would be reunited after only a couple of months apart from each other, separated by the DMZ? Well, they wouldn't see each other until the war ended. 1975. Or 20 years to you and me. The Vietnamese equivalent of the Berlin Wall had come into being. Atrocities abounded on both sides.
The North took all property belonging to 'Landlords' (they believed landlords were a threat to their power), tried them (such as it was) and imprisoned/executed them. Thousands of other 'threats' were also imprisoned/executed. Thousands of them. However, when faced with serious rural unrest (this was a party for the people remember) they realised things had gone a little crazy and embarked on a Campaign for The Recftification of Errors. A government admitting its mistakes early on and trying to rectify them? What a ridiculous idea.
In the South, things were initially slightly better, such that Eisenhower on a visit called the President Ngo Dinh Diem the 'miracle man of Asia' (bear in mind he was US backed here). However he eventually lost the plot and began dealing with dissidents in a less than friendly way. Diem, not Eisenhower.
So who was Ngo Dinh Diem, and how did he get to be President? Educated at French Catholic schools, he trained as an administrator and was made a provincial governor. During the war with France, he went off an a jolly jaunt to...wait for it....the US. Where he met JFK. Yep, that JFK.
At the Geneva Accord, not surprisingly, the US put him forward for the job of leading the South. The French, to be fair to them, claimed he was not only incapable, but mad. For once, it appears the garlic munching surrender monkeys were right.
Diem was as unwilling an 'imperialist puppet' (I love that) as you are likely to find. He disregarded the advice of the US and the views of the Vietnamese population under his control.
However the US felt duty bound to, at least in public, support him. In a supposedly free election to be held for the leadership of the South in October 1955 (9 months prior to the big one to reunify the country), Colonel Edward Lansdale suggested that his opponent's ballot be coloured red (Vietnamese for good luck) and Diem's be coloured green (Vietnamese for bad luck). Maybe this would help. Unfortunately Diem didn't need luck. His supporters arrived at the polling stations and began telling people to throw away the red papers and put the green ones in the ballot boxes. Those that refused were beaten. I love those anticommunist Catholics, don't you?
Diem then reported that he had secured 98.2% of the vote. In all honesty, this is actually possible given the antics of his supporters. This was too much even for the US who told him that that was simply unbelievable. Woo hoo.
Instead they told him to announce that he'd only won 70% of the vote. Oh....
When he remembered that there would be a full national election in 9 months time, Diem rejected the Geneva Accord and began arresting his opponents. Around 100,000 people were put into prison camps. Religious leaders, communists, journalists, trade unionists, men, women and children. This prompted internal terrorism with thousands of people nipping off into the woods, and members of Diem's government began dropping like flies. Or should that be getting swatted like flies. Either way, in 1959 around 2100 government officials were murdered.
Even then, things didn't really come to a head until 8th May 1963. Buddha's Birthday. His 2527th to be exact. As large numbers gathered in Hue, the police attempted to disperse them....by opening fire. Buddhists. The most peaceful, nature loving, violence hating people on earth. One woman and eight children were among the dead. These religious folk and their guns eh?
Buddhism at the time accounted for 70% of the population. Catholicism 10%. So the Buddhists waged war and killed Catholics every time they saw one. Of course they didn't. That's not the Buddhist way. Instead, they asked for volunteers to kill themselves. By hijacking planes and flying them into buildings. By getting them to blow themselves up on commuter trains. Hmmm no, wrong again.
One monk, 66 year old Thich Quang Duc sat down in a road in Saigon. Buddhist monks then poured petrol on him and he set himself on fire. And ran into stores, setting them on fire and killing 23 people. Nope that's not true either. He just sat there. Reports say that he didn't scream or even look too bothered. As he burned, Buddhist monks gave out leaflets calling for Diem's Government to show charity and compassion. To all religions. Now that's a nice breed of religious fanaticism. The outcry worldwide was huge.
Diem's response? Lock up a shed load more Buddhist monks, many of whom were never seen again. Cue more self burnings and Diem's sister in law (Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu) to publicly state 'Let them burn, and we shall clap our hands.' Nice touch, girl. Just as a point of interst, she was considered 'The First Lady' of South Vietnam as Dien was unmarried, and she had serious influence on policy. She formed women's military units and pushed for the passing of 'morality laws'. These laws outlawed abortion, contraceptives, dance halls, beauty pageants and boxing matches. Also, brothels and opium dens. Now that's just outrageous. What's a man supposed to do on a quiet night in Vietnam? b****!
Anyway, this all became too much for the US. Diem had already survived a number of coups, mainly due to US protection. Via a CIA operative named Lucien Conein, they simply gave $40,000 to some Vietnamese generals to finance a coup, and promised that US forces wouldn't protect him. On November 1st 1963 Diem was overthrown. The generals changed their minds about letting him go and killed him. Fair one.
So there you have it. The US interfered to fight against a people where they weren't welcome. Then installed a puppet dictator. And when he refused to obey them, they got him killed by his own people? I hope Saddam isn't reading this....
So, where was I before that 'quick' note on Diem? Ah yes, let's go back to 1959 when the North decied to liberate the South. In December the National Liberation Front was formed in Hanoi. It soon became known (and not as a compliment) as the Viet Cong. Yep the VC were finally here. It's actually an abbreviation of Viet Nam Cong San (Vietnamese Communist). The US called them Charlie, probably as in Victor Charlie.
By 1964, the southern Vietnamese were f***ed. Not to put too fine a point on it. They were losing 2000 men a month to desertions and the North were pushing on, taking about one provincial capital per week. But don't worry, noticing their plight the US were on their way.
In fact they had been there since 1950 when they'd gone there to instruct local troops on how to use the weaponry they were supplying the French. Now all they needed was a way to enter the war 'legally'. Oooh 'legal' wars as opposed to 'illegal' wars. I really hope you're reading this Saddam....
The came a slice of luck Two, not one but two US destroyers came under 'unprovoked' attack. The Maddox and the Turner Joy. Unprovoked? Those b****** commies, let's kill 'em. The key word here is unprovoked. The Maddox was in the Tonkin Gulf (North Vietnamese waters) assisting South Vietnamse commando raids. They also carried a device to analyse North Vietnamese command and communications systems. A goal that would be helped enormously by the commando raids.
The second one never happened. Never happened. Never. Happened. It has since come to light that they thought they were going to be attacked that night. They never were. The US Air Force flew over them and found no trace of Vietnamese boats. Even when directed to the vectors supplied to them by the ship's radar. No one aboard the ship offered a reliable spotting. They were definitely not attacked. But it was enough for the US. Despite hardly responding to the first 'unprovoked' attack, they took this imaginary one incredibly seriously. So seriously in fact that they launched an air strike on North Vietnam. 64 sorties. Hundreds of bombs. They lost two aircraft and one of the pilots became the first US pridsoner of war.
In view of this aggression, a few days later the US Congress passed The Tonkin Gulf Resolution which allowed the US President to 'take all necessary measures' to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression'. Ooooohhhh, handbags anyone? Effectively, the President could do whatever the f*** he wanted without recourse to anyone. Suits him. Down to the ground.
So essentially, it comes down to this. The US entered the war on the grounds that they were f***ing around in someone else's business, and then to garner support, they lied. They also brought on board Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the Phillipines and Thailand. They named this the 'Free World Military Forces'. Did they need the others? Nope. It was to confer some kind of legitimacy on the war, and internationalise it. Saddam? You still there?
OK SO YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW. The history bit is over. Trouble is, this post card is now huge. Long as my schlong. Nearly :o)
Anyway, I'm going to put the trip on a separate post card. Maybe I should rename this one 'Neil becomes a history teacher.' But at least it proves all this time in museums and studying the Lonely Planet haven't been in vain. It is definitely time I went back to getting drunk.
Laters history buffs
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