Binh Pho, College Student: I was a student. Bill Laurie But the idea of talking about an evacuation and of planning for an evacuation of Americans, let alone an evacuation of Vietnamese, was still an anathema in the embassy. Our mission was to help the ships into international waters. And she didn't like that. And the first thing in my sight, was, I didn't see that soldier there anymore, on that wall. People were hoping to get in, and we were hoping to get people out and down to the airbase. Juan Valdez, Marine Embassy Guard: My sense was that we were gonna be there, you know, pretty much for a long time to come. By the 5th of April, the North Vietnamese had 15, even 16 divisions heading in the direction of Saigon. He came down finally and in a very loud voice said, "You don't have military people on here or people of military age." ciananpetigara89yah53. I actually scared. Lauren Prestileo. We counted them and the total number was about 2,800. Gerald Berry, Marine Pilot: You're very tired, and you're not seeing an end to this thing. Stuart Herrington, Army Captain: The ambassador was extremely skittish, and I guess understandably so, about talking about evacuation, about sending signals that an evacuation was being planned or even executed. Our plan was that my deputy would bring up the rear and he would go through the consulate buildings and make sure that we had destroyed all of the sensitive material. Frank Snepp, CIA Analyst: He came back to Saigon and my boss, the CIA station chief said, "Go down and tell the old man what's happening." Katharine Duffy, Contracts & Rights Manager Rob Fiks Because it was too dangerous, and I should only restrict myself to evacuating Americans using my three helicopters. But, it indicated to what extent chaos had descended on this entire operation. Juan Valdez, Marine Embassy Guard: When that chopper landed, I told the marines, "Go, get in." Rep. Millicent Fenwick, (R) New Jersey (archival): We've sent, so to speak, battleship after battleship and bomber after bomber and 500,000 and more men and billions and billions of dollars. They should get out, they had business with Americans. Hugh Doyle, Chief Engineer, USS Kirk (archival audio): Apparently one of the Vietnamese men pushed a girl. So I assigned a few Marines to get rid of the money. Nonton Last Days in Vietnam Pahe Nonton Last Days in Vietnam Samehadaku Nonton Last Days in Vietnam Sub Indo. And Madison said, "The hell you say. I saluted in uniform as a captain of the United States Army. Like I said, we had 75 Marine Corps helicopters. It underlines how confused and ineffective U.S. policy was toward Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. And they were all totally crammed with people. ITN Source Hugh Doyle, Chief Engineer, USS Kirk (archival audio): So, we got his attention. Jim Laurie, NBC News Correspondent: People were coming in and out of the buildings. A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country. That was defeatism. I was part of the Four Party Joint Military Team, which was stationed out at Tan Son Nhut. Some reviewers here have missed the point: in no way, shape, or form does Last Days in Vietnam purport to be a documentary covering the whole of the Vietnam War and the rights and wrongs behind it. Saigon was clearly threatened. We received an order from Washington that the lift was over other than the extraction of the remaining Americans. PremiereFR. Jared Ames I know you've been out there, we've been talking. I did have a responsibility, I thought, for the people who worked for us, and who had given their loyal service to us over many years. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront the same moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate U.S. citizens only--or to risk treason and save the lives of as many South Vietnamese citizens as they can. She says "Last Days in Vietnam," which will air Tuesday night at 9 on PBS, "is not a political film.. . Ron Nessen, White House Press Secretary: In April of '75, I was with President Gerald Ford, and we were flying across the country on Air Force One when one of the airplane's crew comes and hands me a note and it says, "Da Nang has fallen." We set sail with two landing craft, packed with 18 Americans and 300 and something Vietnamese. I knew my dad was coming. He didn't own a thing but his underwear when he finally came aboard the ship. Binh Pho In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was closing in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance was crumbling. Give me this kind of money. (Speaks Vietnamese). And as I was putting my foot on the ramp, I fell down, and I'm just hanging on, and the ramps going up…. Slate: Of those left behind, hundreds of thousands were sent to re-education camps. They believed that Nixon, if necessary, would bring back American air power. I says, "We got everybody?" You and your wingman would fly into the embassy, get your passengers loaded and fly back out to the ships. We have 7,000, 6,000, 5,000," or what have you left to evacuate. Binh Pho, College Student: It's like the whole of Saigon wants to get inside the American embassy. They were bringing SA-2 missiles down to provide anti-aircraft cover for their forces. Of course, the Americans we worked with had a plan in place for us. But there were other independent efforts to get people out. Talking head footage is cut in to humanise the story, and the documentary as a whole turns out to be thoroughly engrossing: it's gripping stuff, moving with it, in which the best and worst of human nature is brought to life.Every talking head character here has an interesting story to tell. The U.S. government already had a refugee problem with the U.S. naval ships. Dan Rather, CBS News (archival): What may be the final battle of Saigon has begun. Richard Armitage, Paul Jacobs and the U.S. Navy escorted the vessels of the Vietnamese Navy— filled with thousands of refugees—to the Philippines. Ken Kashiwahara Miki Nguyen: We were happy. Naja and David Lockwood That was just a taste of what's coming. Written by And he said, "Can't do it. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). There are tens of thousands of South Vietnamese employees of the United States government, of news agencies, of contractors and businesses for many years whose lives, with their dependents, are in very grave peril. Kiem Do, Captain, South Vietnamese Navy (in Vietnamese, subtitled): Mr. Armitage called and said, "Captain Kiem! Hugh Doyle, Chief Engineer, USS Kirk: As most navy operations are, it was very carefully planned. So, I didn't like the idea of being up there. And he had the general with him; it was a two star general. Gerald Ford (archival) Around 150-175,000 well trained North Vietnamese regular forces in violation of the Paris peace accords moved into South Vietnam. The seas were rolling and it was a somewhat precarious passage. We weren't sure who the dip-wad was that was opening up on us, but we continued blazing away as we got past the ambush site. It was already getting well into twilight. Stuart Herrington, Army Captain: The South Vietnamese population had ample reason to fear the Vietnamese Communists. It was a grand party. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Terry McNamara, Consul General: That April I was in Can Tho, which was about 100 miles from Saigon. Last Days in Vietnam (2014) Plot. We could see that the South Vietnamese army was eroding. I had no idea. CBC TV Archive Sales Everybody was looking for ways to get out as soon as possible. In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was closing in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance was crumbling. ", Mike Sullivan, Marine Embassy Guard: We were going up the stairs. And sure enough, about 10 o’clock in the morning, there was Bing Crosby on the airwaves." You've got to get the ambassador out." Garrick Utley, Reporter, NBC News (archival): The President also asked Congress for authorization to use American troops here to evacuate Americans and Vietnamese who worked for Americans. My reaction is "How the hell are we gonna do this?" It's a presidential order. The U.S. had only a skeleton crew of diplomats and military operatives still in the country. L. Craig Johnstone Where's Plan B? Mike Sullivan, Marine Embassy Guard: The ramp is closing and I did what I was trained in my first tour. The entire film is made up of old news footage of crowds fleeing and the unfolding situation at the US embassy in Saigon. Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars. We thought that the helicopter would just fly away. And I remember very distinctly that every time a helicopter coming down, it just blew us away. The key word would be connection. Just hadn't left. One day we would get orders to defend Da Nang. And uh, we pushed his airplane over the side. The first option was you would take commercial ships right up the Saigon River to couple blocks from the embassy. Engaging in unsanctioned and often makeshift operations, they waged a desperate effort to save as many South Vietnamese lives as possible. We're pulling them on as fast as we can. But finally he succumbed, you know, to just common sense and gave up his-- I guess you could call it a dream, and we cut it down. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library By that time, it was definitely dark. And he just shook my hand and said, "Thanks for trying." But they had to be allowed to bring their families on board with them. There's a lot of people, they try to get their money. As the North Vietnamese came closer and closer to Saigon, these people were dead men walking. They have a courtyard and a swimming pool and we mostly gather around the swimming pool. Hugh Doyle, Chief Engineer, USS Kirk: It was way too big to land. Frank Snepp, CIA Analyst: The prearranged signal for the evacuation was broadcast on American radio in Saigon. A group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience. I had had gotten Commodore Thang's wife and children out of Saigon. Finally, as the sun was going down, we're running out of light. Any souvenirs from the ambassador's office were taken away. In many minds, this is how it is remembered, and this is what is reflected in the film. All with sidearms, some with M-16 rifles. And Kean said, "Sir, not gonna happen. He was just flying blind. I had lost my beloved country. So we made for it. Zions Bank The North Vietnamese had overrun some South Vietnamese artillery batteries and managed to turn those around and shell the center of Can Tho. Frank Snepp, CIA Analyst: He had also, for the past few days, prevented us from burning classified documents for fear that it would panic the South Vietnamese. And I looked up because there were five, six, seven stacked up, ready to land. As North Vietnamese forces swept into Saigon in April of 1975, one family risked everything to escape. And about five minutes later, another one came in and landed. But on the other hand, sometimes there are moments when good people have to rise to the occasion and do the things that need to be done. They told us to get to the meeting place, which was a safe house near the American Embassy and to wait for buses to come to pick us up. Ron Nessen, White House Press Secretary: Congress wouldn't pass it. But now they had all these people. April, 1975. They were terrified of him. During the chaotic final days of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon, South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. Stuart Herrington, Army Captain: As the sun came up General Smith, who was our defense attaché out at Tan Son Nhut, contacted the ambassador and said, "The plan to use the fixed-wing to get a few thousand people out today isn't going to work. Everybody in Saigon that day seemed to want to leave, and by the time I got to my pickup point, it was chaos. Kiem Do, Captain, South Vietnamese Navy (in Vietnamese, subtitled): We tried to do our best without thinking about the future. City after city and village after village fell to the North while the U.S. diplomats and military operatives still in the country contemplated withdrawal. 2:15. Last Days in Vietnam is a 2014 American documentary film written, produced and directed by Rory Kennedy. You really think we have to do it? However, six thousand Americans stayed behind and served as advisors to the South Vietnamese. Terry McNamara, Consul General: The people on the boat were scared. Joel & Susan Hyatt Richard Armitage, Special Forces Advisor: Some of these ships had been hit by enemy fire coming down the Saigon River. Dan Rather, CBS News (archival): As the enemy approaches, the panic has swept from the coastal cities crowded backstreets and pagodas onto runways at the airport. And this full colonel had like eight kids and a wife. Meaning, we had to be gone. My mom was holding my, my sister. Marcie Vu Assistant Editors And I said "Oh by the way, we're going to lock you in there." Landi Rees, Archival Materials Courtesy of Another dozen of them, running along grabbing at the air stair. They had given us a warning, you know, "get out.". Steve Hasty, Marine Consulate Guard: We knew that the situation was bad. Hugh Doyle, Chief Engineer, USS Kirk (archival audio): We went out and picked him up -- he was none the worse for wear, he was a little bit wet, only one unfortunate thing is he had some small bars of gold which was all his worldly possessions that were in his shirt pocket and it sank. Sound Recordists We were watching them fly over top over and over and over again. Garrick Utley, Reporter, NBC News (archival): Do you have plans for that? We had a wave of humanity. This was not a popular plan. It was long enough to get us through the most dangerous part of the trip. Kissinger Associates So that starts the lift. Graham Martin looked very tired. Richard Armitage, Special Forces Advisor: I knew this, but I didn't know how many civilians were gonna be on board. If it hits the building, you're gone. David Schwab And then of course, fear a little bit set in because now we knew that it really meant business, you know? An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands. The 30 year war in South Vietnam is at last over. And I told them, (speaks Vietnamese) "Big helicopters about to come." I flew 18.3 hours straight through. In my case, that meant friends of mine who were senior officers in the South Vietnamese military. In reality, when the evacuation began, the Americans running ARS were unable to find Bing Crosby's version in their music library so they broadcast the Tennessee Ernie's version of "White Christmas" instead. I was six and a half years old. But I wasn't going to go back to Can Tho. Joe McBride Well, I'd been there for almost five years at this point and I was committed to the Vietnamese. Some say the helicopter was shot out of the sky. Land here.". So there was a standoff in the middle of the river. Robert Leal embassy." The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period to the formal reunification of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.. We don't need helicopters. Was this review helpful to you? Sporadic. So, we asked, we in the White House, asked the Defense Department, how many South Vietnamese were left? The director, Rory Kennedy, is the daughter of none other than Robert Kennedy and although I wasn't familiar with her work previously I'll be looking out for her in future. I realized that I had become the quintessential American in Vietnam. Aide to Graham Martin (archival): He has no statement to make. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. So, what if the master plan to take people out by air from Tan Son Nhut doesn't work? Paul Jacobs, Commanding Officer, USS Kirk: When it landed, we got everything off. Everybody was alerted, including all the Vietnamese that I had informed. And then we saw a faint light on the horizon, and as we got a little bit closer, we could see that they were the lights of a ship's rigging. And piles and piles of paper began coming out, and we began shredding. So you saw the World Airways flights being mobbed by South Vietnamese soldiers. 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