Per David Hume Kennerly, TIME White House Photographer, the high-fived high-power Cabinet were heading toward the ” Old Executive Office Building where Kissinger will give a press conference announcing the successful conclusion of the helicopter evacuation of the last Americans from Saigon. Unfortunately he was a bit hasty in his proclamation, because after his press conference it was discovered that 11Marines were left stranded on the roof of the U.S. Embassy. They were ultimately rescued less than three hours later, but the war ended as untidily as it started. Washington, D.C., April 29, 1975.”
Apparently there was a black-tie event at the Kennedy Center that evening, Washington EST, hence our “James Bond” Dr. “Strangelove” was hastily called in the situation room ( much like the take down of Bin Laden). At first he was credited to have said, in context, that if we (Nixon and staff) were to take out Thieu, just like Diem was before, then the world would say “to be America’s enemy is dangerous, but to be its Ally proves fatal”. Hence covention wisdom in Washington “ if you want a friend might as well get a dog “. before the Watergate story broke , Nixon was to bomb Cambodia and the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and turning “Hondaville” into Nukeville.
Asked if any regrets, our Doctor in Philosophy formerly named Heinz ( who dated Barbara Walters) ” we thought we could turn South Vietnam into another South Korea”. H-Mart to V-Mart.
But, Mark Felt of the FBI “deep-throated” and derailed this “ mission “ (of going dark behind the Paris Accord back directly) to deal directly with Moscow, Hanoi and Zhou Enlai.
Even Kurt Russel , in a fictional Ph. D. Consultant in Executive Decision , couldn’t keep up. Not without Halle Berry’s aid ( brave air stewardess).
In “When Allies cut and run”, our own Doctor of Philosophy Hung Tien Nguyen , a close confidant to President Thieu, pleads “one day, when future Viet-American get to position of power (again, per Kissinger – “ power is the ultimate aphrodisiac -“) remember NOT to put allies and high-risk entourage in similar position”. The book came out in 2005, before Kabul. Oh well.
At least, to be fair and lenient, we know that President Ford inherited a situation, a bad one, not of his own making. When Operation Baby lift crashed one of its only two planes out of Saigon, President Ford flew to San Francisco to greet and hold one of the babies (photo courtesy again of David Hume Kennerly), babies that per one Navy man’s account written home to his wife, “tossed from the air, like basketballs”. President Ford used to play ball in Michigan, then in the Navy ( the tip-off).
He tumbled often (SNL Chevy Chase) but caught one this time (been busy with Operation Eagle Pull, Talon Vise, Frequent Wind etc..).
Time to heal.
Write this when I am gone.
Been almost 49 years to be exact. As Kissinger’s extolled : “as historian, we need to acknowledge the inevitability of tragedy”.
That tragedy was also mine. It cut off oxygen of my youth, choked my aspiration and derailed my dreams.
Time to heal. But don’t hastily celebrate Mission Accomplished. It could back-bite. Whoops! There are more on the roof.
It could haunt you (Ford had two assassination attempts on him while Carter aborted his hostage rescue.)
Saigon lost its name, and downtown soldiers statue . The gate to the Independence Palace however got fixed and Dr Hung’s Palace Files printed (way after the Pentagon Papers, but nevertheless, made public those Nixon promises but never honored). To his credit, he had to borrow money for a Press Conference room rental that same fateful day.
Both Ambassador Martin, and President Ford were known to be pet lovers. The former wouldn’t leave on Saigon Last Day without his daughter’s dog, the latter took his to work (in the Oval Office photos).
I sure hope if not honor, then compassion for one species will lead to the other; Not un-eloquent as “I wish they just gone to hell, that which we want to put behind, always lingers on”.
Words wounded, and hard to heal even when it’s time to heal.
Thang Nguyen 555 