Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Speaker tells of war's < * J Saigon qu: By Mark Lundgren Saigon's fall and life in the city after the war was the subject of a speech Monday by Paul Quinn-Judge, who was in Vietnam until July 1975. Quinn-Judge said the Saigon seige began on April 28, while General Biff Minh was hie innnmtrol o/4_ - c. ? ?O " " "b"*"' "u dress. Minh was the second successor to former President Nguyen Van Thieu. Three planes flew over the airbase and identified themselves as American. They then proceeded to bomb the airbase. The taking of Saigon was the last stage of At * l - nL m. m ------ me no ^ni jvnnn onensive, according to Quinn-Judge. On April 29 the American embassy was told to leave. On April 30 the airport was captured and General Minh surrendered as the North Vietnamese National Liberation Front (NLF) forces moved into the city, according to Quinn-Judge. Quinn-Judge said there was much hysteria during the last days of the war. This was due, he said, to people having been told for 20 years that if the enemy moved in, they u/nnlr) hp mQccanro^ TKic KI ?1 - * - .. ...MaaHvivu. a mo mcvci ua^-iicu. near riois occurred outside the United States embassy and other American installations, but other parts of Saigon did not reveal a hint that a war was going on. Quinn-Judge said there was "very little fight in Saigon." The Saigon army took the surrender order at face value and laid down its weapons. According to Quinn-Judge, one of the main problems the NLF soldiers had in taking control of the city was massive traffic jams which paralyzed Saigon. Equipment was simply deserted on the streets. Guns, artillery and armored vehicles were all over, deserted. Men's dorms to be renovated By Patricia Eleazer This summer the housing office has plans to renovate certa the Horseshoe and nearby men's dormitories. Director of Housing Robert Stewart said at Tuesday's Resi hearing that plans for Maxcy include the replacement of s third floor doors and the renovation of windows and 21 b Preston will also have second and third floor doors replaced. C will be improvements to accomodate handicapped students The Horseshoe will have the bathrooms renovated with tl addition of exhaust fans. The biccest change will ho n#>u> dormitories. Last year carpeting was installed in Thornwell. This yeai work is planned. Stewart added that a kitchen is being built in Preston as a jo of the dormitory's government and the housing office. In outlining the procedure for requesting repairs he saic renilHSt must hp flirnpH in tn hnncino \X/UKi? oa j ... ..uuuing mill. If I11SII1 <it IIUUi; should respond. If it can be fixed immediately, it will be. Ho\ is a big job the worker will leave a card to notify the resider tact someone with the proper equipment. For repairs after hours the student should call the housini recording will give the number to call in case of an emergei repairs will be delayed until the regular work schedule rasum. Funds for repairs normally come from rent only. A few yeai received a state grant of $2.8 million to restore the 1 Longstreet Theater and Caroliniana Library because of the value. The amount has not been enough and USC is asking funds. To cut costs housing will install double roll dispensers for The rollers for toilet paper will be locked to discourage anyon carry off a supply for their home, for decorating during the v for any other use it was not designed for. Although many services and supplies, including cleaning se rvanor tAiunlc tirn??n ",,A iv/yy^io, WUI c VUl, IIU UllltC JUM3 WtJl C tUl. / i r - %** muj** *? b * ?? V ena let after fall Quinn-Judge said some injuries to the citizens of Saigon resulted as they swept up and burned garbage which contained grenades and other explosives. The NLF soldiers painted red crosses on abandonded vehicles to signify they had been neutralized. When the surrender came, Quinn-Judge said, the "Saigon army members were just taking off their clothes and going home." Many had civilian clothes in their knapsacks. The in Lit1 soiaiers ioia members ol the Saigon force to go home and earn a peaceful living. The Saigon soldiers were given six weeks to turn in their weapons. This time limit was later extended. Weapons were dropped at British University, which became a veritable ammunition dump, according to Quinn-Judge. He estimated there was about $4 billion worth of equipment left. As the NLF took the city, underground liberation forces surfaced and local revolutionary committees were set up to administer aaigon. inese committees organized cultural events^ and set up adult education classes, Quinn-Judge said. He said as he went outside during and after the fall of the city he and his friends "could see the world as we knew it under Thieu was disintegrated." Quinn-Judge described the people as curious and said they were milling around to see what was going on. He also said there was a definite sense vi i V,IIV,I oniuii^ uic Many people living in the city who had fled the north in 1954 craved news of their old homes and friends. QuinnJudge described the NLF men as naive because they would buy broken articles, such as watches and radios, for outrageous prices from Saigon hustlers. A major event, Quinn-Judge said, after the war was the return of masses of people to the countryside. Many people had come to the city on the advice of the government. The theory, according to Quinn-Judge, was to have the people congregate in the city so that the NLF would have no one to fight in the provinces. This caused immense overcrowding in the city. Saigon's population increased threefold in 10 years. The Provisional Liberation Government (PLG) is trying to return to the 1965 population of Saigon, one million persons, Quinn-Judge said. He doubts this goal will be achieved. He said the people left the city quickly for their old homes, but they face massive problems in rebuilding the countryside. The people must contend with unexploded mines, craterization, defoliation, lack of farming tools and animals and J 4 I L utisiruyeu nouses. Quinn-Judge said the PLG has no ill-feelings toward the American people but does toward the United States government. They view the United States government as the unit which started the war and the American people, Renay I MHHi nicht. Th Bp- w?gnwBgwMssaMBiii?mM ? 0^ gS^wgi Fulwood / IMEM V V > *or more nl B education I college de e trying to ttaj American /eekend or Rionntohn IJIVVIIIVIIII Also, at rvices and named Be omoanied f \ Peace goal _ r i oi yuaKers The USC Friends Fellowship is a Quaker affiliated organization whose purpose is to disseminate in- | formation and bring issues to the public's knowledge. I Tim Beall, former clerk of the fellowship, said the organization used to be confined to campus, but is now area wide. The fellowship has not been active recently, ; but is trying now to become more active, Beall said. It works with organizations such as the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker | organization which has received a Nobel Peace Prize. Paul Quinn-Judge has worked for AFSC in Vietnam j and he was presented at the University the USC | Friends Fellowship. Basically pacifist, Beall said, the fellowship is I currently working with the campaign against the B-l Knm hot* | The fellowship consists of about 10 members, 4 of which are professors. Bruce L. Pearson of the An- ! I thropology department is the faculty representative I and Walter Miller is the current clerk. V. ? ^ 41 ? 11 ? * * " .... - uuuugii men ami-war acivny, as me unu wnicn Drougnt the war to an end. Many discussion meetings were held after the war to get people together and organized. According to Quinn-Judge, the first art and books published after the war were revolutionary in nature. A massive innoculation program was instituted to fight cholera and the plague. Quinn-Judge said American money was sufficient, and the Thieu regime had the funds to provide disease prevention programs, but these funds were improperly used. Quinn-Judge said the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization for which he and his wife were the Saigon representatives, applied to the United States government for licenses after the war to send relief materials to Vietnam but were refused. Many members in many cities protested this policy, and the licenses were eventually granted. Before getting the licenses, the organization naa sent relief materials illegally under the Trading with the Enemy Act. No one was actually prosecuted for these actions. Quinn-Judge said he and his wife remained in Vietnam until July, because they were curious and did not expect to be endangered. He and his wife had once been captured by the NLF for wandering into NLF territory. He said they had been treated well by the North Vietnamese. Quinn-Judge said he is excited about the fact that the people in Vietnam will be able to begin to experience the ouprurlni/ IhinOc (lint iUn>. ... li _ i .?? ? ^j ?j v..?v mcy were uiiduit' 10 uy me war, ne said he would like to return to Vietnam to visit friends. 'ulwood was chosen Best Performer at a talent show Monday e constest was was one activity planned during Black Week, was accompanied by Michael Knox, mm by wn munw cturer views ick resistance Louise Young learn a "passive resistance to authority" which results in I withdrawal, according to Dr. Alvin Poussaint, associate of psychiatry at Harvard University. it said the psychological effects of such passivity have caused be constantly "on the defensive." American democracy has people "invisible, off-guard and subdued," he said. ioned blacks to be aware of becoming apathetic toward their nd the rest of society. He suggested this bicentennial year be camining the nature, thecountry and black struggle during the ears. O in law ppnfpr nurlitr?riiim TuocHotf ninhf ic Jkn 3 WMMHW* 1V4I11 A MVUUU J infill U O LI iva i Ul LU >r Black Week, Poussaint said blacks must view themselves i continuing struggle and organize in a group effort to prevent other pthnip ffrnun in Amprina is nroani7oW arAimrl itc ' he said. Poussaint encouraged blacks to take advantage of ies to organize for political purposes, to get a thorough and to get higher paying jobs which do not necessarily require grees. on to sponsoring Poussaint's lecture, the Association of AfroStudents held a seminar on "Do Blacks Have a Role in the ial?" Tuesday. a talent show sponsored Monday night, Twana Tolbert was 'St Entertainer. Best Performer was Renay Fulwood. accby Susan Jenkins.