[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Vietnam War Anniversary



Howard,

First of all, this is all OFF-TOPIC.  If you wish to re-fight the Vietnam
War then you might want to join a Vietnam discussion list.  I happen to
think you are engaging in Monday-morning quarterbacking but, to paraphrase
that North Vietnamese officer at the Paris Peace Talks, "What you say may
be true; however, it is also irrelevant."

Cordially,

Mark D. Jaeger
Purdue University Libraries
Special Collections

On Mon, 1 May 2000, Howard wrote:

> 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!
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
> >       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
> >                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> > To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
> >
> > Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
> >      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
> >
> > Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
>       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
>                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
>
> Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>