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Re: Vietnam War Anniversary



Had the United States allowed elections to be held in Vietnam after the
defeat of the French in 1954 as called for in the Geneva accords, the war
would never have taken place.  But instead, American diplomats, lead by John
Foster Dulles,  scuttled the elections (which Ho Chi Minh would have easily
won, by every account) and then maneuvered to install a series of corrupt
buffoons (Bao Dai, Diem, and various generals and political strongmen) in
the newly created state of South Vietnam to do our bidding.   Therefore, the
resulting carnage was a direct result of American Cold War political
strategizing. And please site your source for the claim that more Vietnamese
died after the fall of Saigon in 1975 than had died during the war.  I've
seen that figure tossed around for years, and no one has ever provided me
with a source for that claim.

Here is an interesting fact-at  the end of WWII, during a ceremony in Hanoi,
Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam to be a Republic.  In attendance were various
American dignitaries, and American aircraft flew overhead.  Ho also quoted
from the Declaration of Independence during his speech.  Talk about missed
opportunities.

Howard

----- Original Message -----
From: Scott, Paul (FPM) <paul_scott@FPM.CO.HARRIS.TX.US>
To: <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: Vietnam War Anniversary


> While that "crazy Asian war" may have ended with the fall of Saigon, the
> killing did not.
>
> The Stalinist and Maoist of North Vietnam and Cambodia killed more people
> consolidating their victory than died during the war.
>
> Not everyone on this lists thinks that this is something that we should be
> celebrating.
> Paul R. Scott
> Records Manager (and former Capt. USMCR)
> Harris County, Texas
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: J. Frank Cook [SMTP:fcook@LIBRARY.WISC.EDU]
> > Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 1:38 PM
> > To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> > Subject:      Re: Vietnam War Anniversary
> >
> > Patrick J. Prior
> >
> > I am sending this response to the list instead of just to you only
because
> > you did.
> >
> > No, he was a major figure in the anti-war movement here in Madison and I
> > was just sharing the story about a good friend of mine -- mostly with
> > Midwest Archives Conference members for whom I don't have a separate
> > list.  He was never in the military to the best of my knowledge, just
> > celebrating an end to "that crazy Asian War" as the popular song had
it --
> > and as a lot of us did 25 years ago.
> >
> > Frank.
> >
> >
> > At 12:27 PM 5/1/00 -0500, you wrote:
> > >Frank,
> > >
> > >I am having a hard time understanding this post.  Was Quinn somehow
> > >involved in the final mad rush from Saigon in 1975?  Or was he an
> > anti-war
> > >protester?  Or both?  And what was he celebrating?
> > >
> > >Yours in Haste,
> > >Patrick J. Prior
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >On the 25th anniversary of the end of the war -- and also May Day -- it
> > is
> > >fitting to remember the contributions of one of our own to that effort.
> > >
> > >Patrick M. Quinn, formerly of this shop and now archivist of
Northwestern
> > >University, was interviewed by the Madison evening newspaper, The
Capital
> > >Times, on Saturday, April 29th for their article on "The Fall of
> > >Saigon."  The front page article concluded with:
> > >
> > >         "Patrick Quinn had been gone from Madison for a year, but the
> > > calls from
> > >UW friends from around the country flooded in as images of a helicopter
> > >pulling away from the US. Embassy in Saigon flashed on the TV screen.
> > >         Quinn, a key organizer in Madison's anti-war movement and the
> > > assistant
> > >archivist at the State Historical Society, moved on to Northwestern
> > >University in 1974 [Patrick worked at the SHSW before coming to the
> > >University Archives], where he became the head archivist.  He said he
> > >'banged back that Old Style' beer in a private celebration with his
> > family,
> > >but said there weren't any public celebrations to join down there.
> > >         The war, he noted, had been fading for years, but there had
been
> > > no real
> > >conclusion until that moment."
> > >
> > >
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
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> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>