The South was officially aided by six Free World nations that sent men, money
and material to support the government and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). In
addition, a number of other nations sent along small contingents of medical,
transportation, construction and other experts. I will leave it to a Russian to write the
story of the Communist support. In this article we will discuss and depict the
psychological Warfare leaflets and operations used to convince the people of the Republic
of Vietnam that with the help of their many allies, victory was guaranteed.
Psychological warfare makes use of various themes to destroy the enemy’s
confidence in ultimate victory. One of the major themes of the American and Vietnamese
PSYOP specialists during the Vietnam War was the overwhelming strength and power of the Republic
of Vietnam and its allies. These leaflets enforce that theme, showing the enemy that a
host of nations all around the world is on the side of the Republic of Vietnam.
It is difficult to know if the numbers of peak troop strength and deaths are
accurate, and they do vary according to source, but according to official statistics, the
numbers for peak Allied forces during the Vietnam War are: the United States - 543,400
troops deployed and 57,702 deaths; South Korea - 48,869 troops deployed and 4,407 deaths; Thailand
- 11,568 troops deployed and 350 deaths; Australia - 7,672 troops deployed and 520 deaths
and New Zealand – 550 troops deployed and 35 deaths. Taiwan quietly deployed 31
troops and Spain deployed another 13, neither nation losing any of its members.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos requested Congressional approval to send a
combat engineer battalion to South Vietnam in February 1966 after the government of South
Vietnam asked the Philippine government for aid. This force eventually totaled more than
2,000 men. Marcos said that the Philippines had a long-standing commitment to SEATO, which
could no longer be ignored. The Philippines were traditionally anti-Communist and faced an
immediate threat at that time from the Hukbalahap (pro-Communist) guerrillas within
the Philippines itself. This may have contributed to Marcos’ rationale for commitment
to South Vietnam.
John R. Campbell, a civilian psychological warfare advisor in Vietnam from 1965 to
1967 says about the Filipinos in Are we Winning?
Are they Winning: A Civilian Advisor’s Reflections on Wartime Vietnam, Author
House, 2004:
…A number of Filipinos who, among other things, manned much of our
communication network and were a mysterious source of excellent imported Filipino beer,
reportedly in exchange for a few stray American military trucks now and then.
The Republic of Vietnam had a peak force of 1,048,000 and lost 185,528 troops.
Leaflet 2429
This leaflet depicts a map of the world with all of the nations helping the Republic
of Vietnam. The text on the front is in part:
WE DO NOT FIGHT ALONE
In the struggle against Communist aggressors, the South Vietnamese people
have been wholeheartedly helped by 31 countries of the free World in various aspects such
as economic, military, agriculture, medicine, education, etc.
The back is all text and lists the countries aiding the Vietnamese:
Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador,
Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Laos, Liberia,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia,
Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, United States.
Having the wholehearted support of the peace-loving countries in the world,
we will surely win. The Communists will surely be defeated.
Australia
Leaflet 2725 Front
This leaflet depicts an Australian nurse caring for a Vietnamese patient and
crates of milk shipped from Australia. The text says in part:
An Australian nurse is inquiring about the health conditions of a child
patient.
Thousands of cases of sweetened-condensed milk for the newly-born babies.
Leaflet 2725 Back
The text says in part:
Well-drilling machines are sent by the Australian people to improve the
living conditions of the people of the Republic of Vietnam.
This leaflet was later reprinted as 2725T and dropped over North Vietnamese
troops coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Leaflet 246-273
This 246th PSYOP Company leaflet explains the Australian presence in Vietnam. 10,000
copies were printed to be disseminated by aircraft and hand. The text says in part:
We Australian soldiers, along with other Allied and Vietnamese Army forces, are
working together to destroy the Viet Cong and their bases. We are here in a mutual effort
with you to defeat the Viet Cong and to help build up your country. We are your
Australian friends, who have parted from our homes and families in order to come here and
fight and die beside you to stop Communist aggression. While some of our units are
fighting the Viet Cong, others will assist you in your villages and hamlets. We are glad
to be able to help you…
Private Wally Koscielecki
adjusts a loudspeaker
mounted on top of a Land Rover. June 1970.
Photo courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.
Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was to help stem the
spread of communism in Europe and Asia. In 1961 and 1962 the Government of South Vietnam,
repeatedly requested security assistance from the US and its allies. Australia eventually
responded with 30 military advisers, dispatched as the Australian Army Training Team
Vietnam (AATTV), also known as "the team". Their arrival in South Vietnam during
July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. In
August 1964 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also sent a flight of Caribou transports
to the port town of Vung Tau. By early 1965, it was clear that South Vietnam could not
stave off the communist insurgents and their North Vietnamese comrades. The US government
requested further support from friendly countries in the region, including Australia. The
Australian government dispatched the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in
June 1965 to serve alongside the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province. In March
1966 the government announced the dispatch of a taskforce to replace 1RAR, consisting of
two battalions and support services (including a RAAF squadron of Iroquois helicopters).
All the RAAF aircraft (fixed wing and rotary wing) were based at Vung Tau, at the US
airbase. Army aircraft were based at Nui Dat – to include the U-17A Cessna Dragonfly,
PC-6 Pilatus Porter and OH-13S Sioux helicopters.
Private Ian Botham,1st
Psyops Unit, prints the unit's first poster to be distributed in a area north of Nui Dat.
The poster urged people to stay indoors at night, and to warn children about the dangers
of handling old ammunition they may find. Photo courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.
All nine RAR battalions served in the taskforce at one time or another, before
it was withdrawn in 1971. At the height of Australian involvement it numbered some 8,500
troops. A third RAAF squadron (of Canberra jet bombers) was also committed in 1967 and
destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy joined US patrols off the North Vietnamese coast.
The year 1968 began with a major offensive by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army,
launched during the Vietnamese lunar new year holiday period, known as “Tet.”
For Australian troops, the effects of the offensive were felt around their base at Nui
Dat, where a Viet Cong attack on targets around Baria, the provincial capital, was
repulsed with few casualties.
By late 1970 Australia had begun to wind down its military effort in Vietnam.
The 8th Battalion departed in November but, to make up for the decrease in troop numbers,
the Team's strength was increased and its efforts, like those of the taskforce, became
concentrated in Phuoc Tuy province. The withdrawal of troops and all air units continued
throughout 1971. The last battalion left Nui Dat on 7 November, while a handful of
advisers belonging to the Team remained in Vietnam the following year. In December 1972
they became the last Australian troops to come home, with their unit having seen
continuous service in South Vietnam for ten and a half years. Australia's participation in
the war was formally declared at an end on 11 January 1973.
From the time of the arrival of the first members of the Team in 1962 some
50,000 Australians, including ground troops and air force and navy personnel, served in
Vietnam; 520 died as a result of the war and almost 2,400 were wounded. Wikipedia puts the
number of Australian troops who served in Vietnam at 60,220.
New Zealand
Leaflet 2731
We discuss leaflet 2731 in two other places in this article. At the right side of
this leaflet a doctor treats a Vietnamese patient. We assume the doctor is a Kiwi because
the text to the right of the photo in a leaflet that mentions medical aid from Great
Britain, Korea and Japan is:
New Zealand, one of 31 countries that have provided assistance for the Republic
of Vietnam.
According to the New Zealand Government's Vietnam page:
New Zealand combat troops entered what would become their country's longest and
most controversial war in July 1965.
New Zealand sent two infantry companies (V and W Companies, RNZIR), an SAS
detachment (4 Troop, NZSAS), and a tri-service medical team (1st New Zealand Services
Medical Team). About 60 personnel were made available for service in 1st Australian
Logistic Support Group, including two nurses who served in 1st Australian Field Hospital.
The peak strength of V Force was 543 men and women. From 1966 New Zealand units were
integrated within the 1st Australian Task Force, the gunners joining an Australian field
regiment, the infantrymen forming part of an Anzac battalion and the SAS serving in an
Australian SAS squadron. Most were based at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy province. A small number
of RNZAF personnel also served as helicopter pilots or forward air controllers.
By the time New Zealand withdrew its combat troops in 1971, around 3500 had
served there; 187 were wounded and 37 died. Two civilians serving with the surgical or Red
Cross teams also lost their lives.
A second reference states that a total of 3,890 New Zealand military personnel
(volunteers) had served in Vietnam between June 1964 and December 1972.
Former Sergeant William James Kazlausky says in Vietnam Unclassified that
59,000 Australian served in Vietnam with 554 killed and 2,400 wounded. In regard to New
Zealand he says that 4,000 served with 37 killed and 187 wounded.
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
New Zealand forces in Vietnam (in 1969) are composed of two combat
companies, one artillery battery, and a medical logistics group.
Korea
Leaflet 2845
Leaflets 2843 to 2845 are a series labeled “The Vietnamese-Korean
Friendship.” Each leaflet depicts the Koreans helping the Vietnamese in either
farming or construction.
Some of the text on leaflet 2843 is:
These Korean soldiers are helping our peasants reap their paddy crop during
harvest time. This beautiful gesture indicates the strengthening solidarity between the
Korean and Vietnamese people…
The Lai Thieu hospital in Binh Duong Province was constructed by the Korean
Army.
Some of the text on leaflet 2844 is:
When not engaged in operations to destroy the Communists to insure the
safety and welfare of the Vietnamese people, Korean soldiers help peasants reap paddy
rice, so that a timely harvest of the crop can be made…
This Korean soldier is giving a haircut to a Vietnamese child. This is only
a very small act, but it embodies the feeling of a kind heart.
The text on leaflet 2845 is:
The last two waves of Communist attacks on the capital city of Saigon and
other cities and town in South Vietnam resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands
of civilians who became homeless and have crowded into temporary refugee camps for
shelter. For the sake of humanity, Korean soldiers expedite construction of houses to
promote more comfortable shelters to our people.
School children who walk on the A-Ri-Rang bridge to school every day can
never forget the service of the Korean soldiers. Besides fighting the enemy to insure the
safety of these children, Korean soldiers develop communication means, making it
convenient for the children to go to school.
Leaflet SP-1715
This JUSPAO folded leaflet depicts Korean soldiers on the front defending Vietnamese
villagers at the left and medically caring for them at the right. On the inside there is a
cartoon and text showing a Korean soldier in a jeep hitting a Vietnamese civilian riding a
bike. The leaflet explains in pictures that the Vietnamese victim can request payment for
the accident and the last picture depicts a shiny new bicycle. The text on the front is:
We Korean soldiers respect and protect the lives, assets, and
cultural Institutions that you have been forever preserving.
Leaflet 3301
This leaflet depicts a hospital and medical personnel donated by South Korea. The
text on the front is:
RETURN IN FRIENDSHIP
The back is all text and says in part:
FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND THE RIGHT CAUSE
The South Korean troops in Vietnam do more than just fight against the Communist
invaders. They also suffer due to the Northern Communists. Here is a hospital built in
Phuoc Tuy by the Korean troops whose purpose it is to give medical treatment to the people
of the Republic of Vietnam, Allied and even wounded Communist soldiers left behind on the
battlefield by their comrades…
When I saw this leaflet I thought of the Australians who were also in Phuoc Tuy. I
asked one of their veterans if he recalled this Korean hospital. He did:
In Vung Tau there was an Australian Field Hospital (1 Australian Field Hospital)
and a Korean (ROK) hospital. If an enemy soldier was wounded and ‘dusted off’ to
an Australian hospital they (South Vietnamese military) tried to as quickly as possible to
allow some of the treatment in the Australian hospital, then discharge them to the ROK
Hospital. The Vietnamese complaint was that the Australian looked after them too
well. The Koreans were tougher. In Vung Tau there were two South Vietnamese prisons
where ongoing wounded had very little medical treatment. I went there a few times to
interview prisoners and convicted Viet Cong suppliers and others involved in the Viet Cong
Infrastructure. Their conditions were quite bad.
I worked a couple of times with the Korean and Thai forces in village
‘cordon and searches.’ The Korean soldiers were very tough with the civil
population. It was just a reflection of their own society at home.
South Korean soldiers from the "Tiger" Division in Qui Nhon
Campbell adds:
The largest contingent was some 49,000 South Koreans as a “pay back”
for our help to them during the Korean War a decade earlier...Our Korean allies’
fighting prowess was greatly respected . A local gibe in Saigon where many Korean soldiers
could always be found enthusiastically partaking of the Post Exchange “goodies”
was, “This war would soon be over if we just temporarily closed the Saigon PX and
told the Koreans that it had been transferred to Hanoi. They would be up there in a week
trampling any North Vietnamese that got in their way.”
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
Korea ranks second among the Allies in troops fighting in Vietnam. In 1965, elite
divisions such as Blue Dragon, Tiger, White Horse, etc., were sent to Vietnam. Korean
forces, reaching 50,000 men were responsible for an area covering 68,000 square kilometers
in the 2nd Corps Tactical Zone. In the 3rd Corps Tactical Zone, the Korean Combat Engineer
Support Group opened roads and built bridges Each Korean unit sponsors a hamlet and visits
daily to fix roads, bridges and houses for the people.
The Asian Institute for Policy Studies sees in a bit different in the 2013 article: A
Perspective on Korea’s Participation in the Vietnam War:
ROK forces made up the second largest foreign military contingent after the
United States, lost more than 5,000 lives, and played a significant role in averting
communist dominance of the central coastal area…ROK participation in Vietnam was made
possible because the United States was willing to underwrite the entire Korean military
and civilian operations in the country…Korea is believed to have earned US $5 billion
during eight years of deployment from various sources, including increased American
military assistance to modernize ROK armed forces, special allowances paid to ROK soldiers
in Vietnam, multi-million-dollar civilian contracts, and expanded trade with Vietnam.
Leaflet .214
This strange code with a decimal point in front of the number is unknown to me. The
U.S. did code such leaflets in the Lao language for Laos, but I have not seen any leaflets
with such a code for Vietnam. Since this leaflet mentions the Korean Army, it may be that
the code was for leaflets requested from the U.S. PSYOP printers by the Korean Army. It is
a mystery. The front of this leaflet depicts a Korean soldier giving a young Vietnamese
child a haircut. The text is:
Vietnamese-Korean Friendship
The Korean Army did not come to the Republic of Vietnam just to kill communists;
it also is concerned about the lives of our people, and especially of our children.
The action of the Korean soldier who is giving a child a haircut is only a little
thing, but it displays a heart of pure gold.
The back depicts Korean soldiers helping the Vietnamese farmers pick rice. The text
is:
Vietnamese-Korean Friendship
When they stop to rest while conducting operations aimed at killing communists in
order to protect the peace and tranquility of the people of the Republic of Vietnam,
Korean soldiers without hesitation willingly go to work helping the people to harvest
their crops quickly, before the harvest season ends.
Korean soldiers view working in the country of their Vietnam friends as being
just like working in their own native land.
Kazlausky says in Vietnam Unclassified that 320,000 South Koreans served in
Vietnam with 5,000 killed and 11,000 wounded.
Thailand
Leaflet 246-215-68
75,000 copies of this 4 x 5-inch leaflet were prepared in 1968 by the 246th
PSYOP Company. They were distributed by aircraft and by hand. The leaflet depicts a Thai
soldier and a Vietnamese civilian. The text is in part:
Your neighboring country is coming to work with you. We, the Royal Thai
Volunteer Regiment, representing the people of Thailand, which is your close neighbor and
a member of the Free World, is now here to give you a hand and collaborate with you.
You need not worry; you can count on us. We are ready to devote every bit of
effort, even our lives to cooperate with you in order that the Vietnamese people, who love
freedom, will live in happiness. This is the reason we volunteered to come here.
The 246th PSYOP Company prepared another leaflet coded 246-259-68. It depicted the
insignia of the Thailand Queen’s Cobra Regiment and the flags of Thailand and
Vietnam. The text was:
The Royal Thai Army volunteer regiment, the Queen’s Cobras, has brought with
them the sincere best wishes from the people of Thailand to the people of Vietnam. May you
people of Vietnam forever have a very happy life.
A Third 246th PSYOP Company leaflet coded 246-289-68 depicted Thais and Vietnamese
hand in hand and had the text:
We must cooperate with each other to protect you from the enemy and make your
country prosperous – The Queen’s Cobra.
Leaflet 2733
This leaflet depicts generators being unloaded from a ship. The text is:
HERE, THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN FREE MEN
People all over the world have been aware of the destruction inflicted on the
South Vietnamese people by the so-call Communist general offensive on cities and towns.
To help heal the destruction caused by the Communists; the people of Thailand
donated three generators for use in the rehabilitation of the stricken people of South
Vietnam.
Thailand, one of 31 countries that have provided assistance for the Republic of
Vietnam
Leaflet 2781
Leaflet 2781 reassures the people of Vietnam that they are not fighting alone. It
depicts members of Thailand’s Black Panther Division deploying to Vietnam. The text
on the front is:
You Have no Hope if You Expect to Win
The text on the back is in part:
…The first elements of the “Black Panther” Division of Thailand
have arrived in Vietnam. By the end of this year their strength will reach 12,000 men. You
have no hope if you expect to win in South Vietnam…
Thai Soldier showing his patch
The Organizational Chart for the Royal Thai Army Black Panther Division, operating
from Bearcat base in Bien Hoa Province, Vietnam, dated 9 May 1968, shows that the Division
normally consisted of 10,730 men but was reinforced about 5% for the Vietnam mission and
actually consisted at that time of 11,266 men. Bearcat was originally a French airfield,
later used by the Japanese during World War II.
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
The Royal Thai government sent an elite regiment of “The Queen’s
Cobras” to Vietnam. By late 1968, this regiment was replaced by the Black Panthers
Regiment operating in Long Thanh, 60 miles from Saigon. The Royal Thai government also
sent special Naval and Air Force units raising the total strength to 12,000 men.
The Thai Black Panther Division lands in Vietnam from the USS
Okinagon
The use of psychological operations in battles fought by the Thai is mentioned in
the Department of the Army booklet: Allied Participation in Vietnam.
In conjunction with the tactical operations, the U.S.-Thai team conducted
psychological operations. All returnees under the Chieu Hoi (open arms) amnesty program
were fully interviewed and in 60 percent of the cases tapes of these interviews were made.
These tapes were normally played back to the Viet Cong within four hours. The themes were
basically a plea to the Viet Cong to return to the fold of the government while it was
still possible, to eliminate their leaders and rally, to receive medical care, and to
bring their weapons. When Viet Cong rallied without their weapons, a weapons leaflet was
dropped and the next returnees brought in weapons. Once all means of drawing the enemy out
had been used and continued efforts were unsuccessful, a C-47 aircraft with miniguns was
employed to saturate totally the sealed square kilometer area.
Spain
Leaflet 2724
This leaflet depicts Spanish doctors treating Vietnamese patients. The text is:
Spain, which is thousands of miles away from Vietnam, also provides
assistance to South Vietnam in genuine friendship.
The photos show medical team members sent by the Spanish government
examining Vietnamese patients in South Vietnam.
It is believed that there were 12 or 13 Spanish medical volunteers sent to Vietnam.
They arrived in Saigon 8 September 1966. They were issued American uniforms and papers to
use at the PX, commissary, etc. Their hospital had 150 beds. They treated land mine and
gunshot victims, tuberculosis, dysentery, hepatitis and malaria patients. During the Tet
uprising of 1968, eight Vietnam workers were killed and two Spaniards were wounded in
grenade attacks. The Government of Vietnam decorated them on three occasions. The medical
unit quietly returned to Spain in 1971. They received no official recognition in their own
country.
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
To share a part of the heavy load created by the war in the Republic of Vietnam,
Spain sent a medical team to the province of Go Cong in September 1966.
In 2012, a Spanish documentary entitled Españoles en la guerra de Vietnam
commented:
The first group of medical soldiers, including four doctors, seven nurses and one
officer in charge of military supplies, arrived in Vietnam in 1966 and worked at Truong
Cong Dinh hospital in the Go Gong district, about 45 kilometers from the capital, Saigon.
From 1966 to 1971 three other groups, totaling nearly 100 Spaniards, worked at the
hospital.
…The hospital they worked in was in poor shape. It was an old colonial
building, falling apart, and the hygiene was terrible. There were 150 beds, and at times,
up to 400 injured and wounded. We had no medical supplies; we had to scrounge them from
either the Americans or the guerrillas…
This leaflet was later reprinted as 2724T and dropped over North Vietnamese troops
coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Leaflet 2727
Leaflet 2727 also depicts Spanish doctors treating patients with the text:
The European people understand the suffering of the people of South Vietnam. The
Government of Spain, by love of humanity, has helped the victims of this war created by
the Communists by sending medical teams.
Leaflet 2727 Back
The back of leaflet 2727 also shows Spanish doctors treating patients, lists the
names of all the Nations helping South Vietnam, and the text:
Thirty-one Nations of the world have supported the fighting of the people of the
Free South by every means.
The patch worn by the Spanish contingent
In 2013, a Spaniard wrote to me to tell me about parachutist and Master Sergeant
Ramon Gutiérrez de Teran who was a surgical assistant in the Spanish Army. De Teran was
interviewed and told about his experience as a Spanish medic in Vietnam in an article
entitled “Spanish Medical Aide in the Vietnam War” in the October 2009
Spanish-language magazine Military. He said in part:
The U.S. invited Spain to send military aid to Vietnam in early 1966. President
Johnson wanted combat troops but Franco thought that the Vietnamese would be victorious
and agreed only to send a Military Health team to South Vietnam. On 26 April 1966, a
letter was sent requesting doctors and volunteers to deploy to Vietnam. The mission,
limited to twelve people, began immediately and was done very quietly and in almost
complete secrecy.
In late August 1966, four military doctors agreed to deploy for one year along
with seven medical staff and a Quartermaster-officer who served as liaison with the U.S.
Army. They arrived in Saigon on 8 September 1966. The U.S. Army medical system in Vietnam
was perfectly organized; an impressive network of ambulances and evacuation helicopters.
We heard that from 1966 to 1973 about 372,947 wounded were evacuated by helicopter, with a
total of 406,022 patients receiving medical assistance.
The Spanish team worked in a civilian-military hospital known as Truong Cong-Dinn
in Go Kong province in the Mekong Delta. About 200 beds were crammed with patients and
their families who spent the night lying at the foot of each bed. The real need was for
surgeons, and although the Spanish team was mostly made up of other medical specialties
they soon adapted to the needs of the hospital: Operating, women’s needs,
postoperative care, laboratory, radiology, pediatrics and general practice.
The civilians and military patients were women, children, and the elderly, many
of them affected with tropical diseases such as dysentery, amebiasis, typhoid,
tuberculosis and leprosy, among others. We saw about 23,000 patients in the first six
months. We also did outpatient work in the district villages and isolated houses in the
Delta. On these outings we took care of the disabled, pregnant, and newly born. The
Spanish medics were very dear to those people, and that affection is one on my fondest
memories of that part of the mission. We sometimes found out later that the drugs we gave
these people ended up with the Viet Cong but we could not control that.
We enjoyed full freedom to treat patients. I suspect at night many of them were
Viet Cong, but we made no distinction among the ill or injured.
In September 1968, I ended the mission, and we all returned to Spain. I decided
to return to Vietnam and found myself in the middle of the Viet Cong uprising known as Tet
1968. We worked day and night with almost no supplies. The medical residence was mortared
one night. During the attack an American sergeant was injured and a Spanish doctor went to
his aid through enemy fire. He returned to the hospital and never said a word to anyone,
but later he was awarded a U.S. medal for his bravery.
I stayed until 1971, the maximum time a Spanish soldier was allowed to stay. Our
people were always extraordinary; they always delivered no matter the conditions. Many
times we had to walk to a patient to donate blood for surgical operations. I was very
proud to receive the Vietnam paratrooper badge, several foreign decorations, and a cross
of Military Merit. We did the job under terrible conditions and we did it well. More than
one hundred Spanish soldiers including physicians, medical specialists, and other staff
participated in this operation. Twelve troops were sent every six months for five years.
On our return, we were not received as heroes, but urged to silence.
Today, Ramon Gutiérrez de Teran is a Captain in the Spanish Army.
The Philippines
Leaflet 2714
The back side of leaflet 2724 depicts Philippine politicians and medical
personal. The text is:
HERE THE SUPPORT OF THE WORLD FOR THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Here is a moving sight – a Philippine Congressman is visiting an
elderly patient on sick bed.
The Government and peoples of the Philippines deeply sympathize with the
tragic war in the Republic of Vietnam, and have sent many medical teams to alleviate the
agonies and sufferings of the South Vietnamese people.
This leaflet was later reprinted as 2724T and dropped over North Vietnamese troops
coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Poster 1317
This 17 x 22-inch poster is entitled MEDICAL AID FOR THE VIETNAMESE. I have
placed it here in the Philippine section, but the five photographs depict medical aid
being given by Vietnamese, Australian, Iranian, American and Philippine doctors. The text
for the Philippine doctor at the lower right is:
A Philippine doctor checks an elderly man who has never had modern medicine or
treatment before.
Kazlausky says in Vietnam Unclassified that 14,450 Filipinos in Vietnam
primarily for support.Another report says that during the period from 1966 to 1968 there
were 2,068 Filipino officers and enlisted personnel who served in Vietnam. This force was
known as the PHILCAG-V (Philippine Civic Action Group -Vietnam) based in Tay Ninh under
the US 196th Light Infantry Brigade. The prime mission of the PHILCAG is to win the hearts
and minds of the Vietnamese people through Civic Action. In spite of their humanitarian
mission they would take casualties throughout their stay through sniper attacks, land
mines, and booby traps. The Philippine involvement in Vietnam War ended on December 12,
1969.
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
In August 1964, the Philippines sent a medical team, followed by a Civic Action
Group to the Republic of Vietnam. The Filipino units also have engineer teams to help the
people develop and repair roads, bridges and schools in the hamlets.
TO THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE
The Philippine deployment contained some PSYOP members and there is a mention of a
leaflet that they produced. The Department of the Army booklet Allied Participation in
Vietnam Mentions says that the Philippine Civic Action Group produced and distributed
more than 83,000 leaflets in the Vietnam language containing the text of Republic Act 4664
(aid-to-Vietnam bill) and explaining the Philippine presence in Vietnam and the
humanitarian missions to be accomplished. The text is very long so I will just select some
paragraphs to quote:
The Filipino people, in response to the request of the Vietnamese people for
civic action assistance as expressed by the Government of Vietnam, have sent the 1st
Philippine Civic Action Group, to extend that assistance in all sincerity though humble it
may be. We, the members of 1st Philippine Civic Action Group therefore, are
pledged to carry out the mandate of our people to the best of our ability and to the
fullest extent of our capacity. We ask the Vietnamese people to understand that we are
here to help build and not to destroy, to bring the Vietnamese people happiness and not
sorrow, to develop good will and not hatred. We further ask the Vietnamese people
cooperation in whatever manner they think best so that we can accomplish our civic action
projects with the least obstacle and interference by some individuals or groups of
individuals who are against the idea of the Vietnamese people being able to enjoy
happiness and a better way of life.
Within the pages of this leaflet is the Vietnamese translation of the law passed
by the representatives of our people, The Congress of the Philippines, and approved by the
Chief Executive, President Ferdinand E. Marcos. This law reflects the sentiments of the
people of the Philippines and provides the basis for our being here with you today. As our
late President Magsaysay, the father of civic action in the Philippines said “What
sir, would you want me to do for you?” Like our late President Magsaysay, we ask the
Vietnamese the same question. Please do not hesitate to tell us where we can be most
useful to you, and where you think we are not doing well as you expected. Undoubtedly, you
and we can attain greater achievements if we do them together.
Iran
Leaflet 2732
This leaflet depicts Iranian Medical aid given to the Vietnamese people. Some
of the text is:
Iran is a country in the Middle East which is also actively helping
the victims of Communism in South Vietnam. An Iranian surgical team is working in a
hospital in the Republic of Vietnam. Iran, one of the 31 countries which have provided
assistance for the Republic of Vietnam.
West Germany
Leaflet 138
This leaflet was dropped over North Vietnam to show the people that many nations were
helping the Republic of Vietnam. The front depicts a West German nurse treating youngsters
and a German Doctor meeting a local village chief. The text is:
A German nurse treats injured youngsters at Hoi An.
A German doctor talks to the village chief of An Hoa.
27 men and women from West Germany continue their humanitarian work among the
Vietnamese people despite Communist threats to their lives. Tens of thousands of South
Vietnamese villagers near An Hoa, Danang and Hoi An have profited from the German Medical
Team’s presence.
Leaflet 2732
The front of leaflet 2732 depicts a technical school donated to the Republic of Vietnam
by West Germany. The text is:
Technical assistance of West German for the Republic of Vietnam is a very precious
thing because the South Vietnamese people have to rebuild the destruction caused by the
Communists.
Here, the German-Vietnam technical school donated by the people of West Germany.
South Vietnamese youth who graduate from this school will be the nation-builders of the
future…
Leaflet 2726
A second leaflet depicts buses donated by West Germany to Vietnam. The text is:
To provide facilities in emergency treatment of patients in South Vietnam,
the people of West Germany donated a number of specially equipped ambulances to the Republic
of Vietnam which symbolizes the strengthened friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and
Germany.
Nationalist China
Leaflet 2726
This leaflet depicts plows and machinery donated by Nationalist China. The text
is:
To assist in the improvement and development of agriculture in South Vietnam,
the people of Nationalist China donated a number of improved plows to raise higher the
national economy of the people of South Vietnam.
The 1969 Vietnamese propaganda publication: The Free World in Vietnam adds:
A combatant of peace and freedom must be armed with strong thought. In early
1960, the Republic of Vietnam requested a Political Warfare delegation from the Republic
of China to assist Vietnam. In 1964, the Republic of China sent a POLWAR group to Vietnam.
The mission of the group is to assist the Vietnamese armed forces to develop and improve
their political warfare organizations in political indoctrination, psychological warfare,
social welfare, etc.
Japan
Leaflet 139
Leaflet 139 was dropped over North Vietnam during the period when the United States
bombed the North. It depicts Japanese doctors and nurses caring for Vietnamese citizens
that have been injured by Viet Cong attacks. Some of the text on the leaflet is:
43 NATIONS ARE GIVING AID TO SOUTH VIETNAM
The Communist regime in Hanoi attempts to hide its aggression
against South Vietnam by talking loudly of a war of “Liberation” against
Americans. Actually, the United States is only one of 43 nations giving various forms of
aid to the people of South Vietnam in their struggle against Communist aggression.
A Japanese surgical team helps to ease the suffering of civilians wounded by the
Communists in their attacks.
Montagnard victims of the Communists receive gifts from a British organization.
Leaflet 2731
Leaflet 2731 mentions the Japanese very briefly. The text is:
Japan, one of 31 countries that have provided assistance for the Republic of
Vietnam. The Japanese surgery team.
The whole world deeply sympathizes with the raging hostilities against the people
of South Vietnam caused by the Communists. To alleviate in some part the agony and
suffering of innocent civilians caused by Viet Cong attacks on cities and towns, friendly
countries have sent medical teams to provide assistance.
We should note
that this leaflet also mentions medical aid from the Republic of Korea, Great Britain, and
New Zealand.
Canada
Although Canada did not officially sent troops to Vietnam, many of its citizens
came south to the United States to join in the fight against international communism.
There are no official records of their number, but we have unofficial estimates. Roderick
Engert, chief of the reference branch of the Center of Military History of the Pentagon,
said the number might be 2,500 to 3,000. Christopher S. Wren said in a 24 January 1985 New
York Times article that he doubted that more than 5,000 Canadians had served in Vietnam.
Marci McDonald said in a 29 April 1985 article for Maclean’s, “The war
also lured an estimated 5,000 Canadians to enlist in its jungle hells.” Fred Gaffen,
Chief Historian at the Canadian War Museum said in an August 1991 Vietnam Magazine,
“I estimate that of the many thousands who served in the U. S. Vietnam-era military,
some 12,000 Canadians actually served in Vietnam itself.” Kazlausky says in Vietnam
Unclassified that 12,000 Canadians served in Vietnam with 103 killed and 7 missing in
action. In a later comment he changes the numbers and says 30,000 loyal Americans came
down to the U.S. to enlist in the U.S. military and had to lie about their citizenship to
be accepted. They received no benefits from the Canadian government upon their return.
John R. Campbell’s numbers are much greater. He says:
Another ironic statistic also touching on motivation is that while about 30,000
young Americans sought refuge in Canada to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, 40,000
Canadians came south to join the U.S. forces and were statistically absorbed as
“Americans.” Of these, 30,000 actually served in Vietnam.
The North Wall Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Chris Corday of CBC News added on 11 November 2015 in an article entitled
“Lost to History: The Canadians who fought in Vietnam”:
The Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association estimates that about 20,000 Canadians
enlisted, although other historians think that number may have been as high as 40,000. The
association believes 12,000 Canadians actually served in combat roles in Vietnam. By the
end of the conflict, it’s believed at least 134 Canadians had died or been declared
missing in action. “The North Wall” Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial now lists
the names of 138 Canadians who died in the war, but the number still grows today. It
includes 134 Canadians who were killed in action for the U.S. military, and four other
Canadians who died in Vietnam while serving with the International Control Commission, the
three-country body charged with supervising the 1954 partition into South Vietnam and
North Vietnam.
The United States
The Pocket Guide to Vietnam
In theory, every American soldier was issued a copy of Department of the Army
pamphlet 360-411, The Pocket Guide to Vietnam upon being deployed to that country.
Of course, the distribution was very spotty and many troops never saw the guidebook. The
booklet was to help him understand the nation, the people and their customs. It was
printed by the United States Department of Defense. A second instructional pamphlet
entitled Handbook for US Forces in Vietnam was published by the Department of
Defense as Department of the Army Pamphlet 360-521. Again, dissemination seems spotty.
Leaflet 1528
The leader of the United States, President Lyndon B. Johnson, swears everlasting
support for the people of South Vietnam. 10 million leaflets were disseminated in South
Vietnam, another 3 million in North Vietnam. Unfortunately for the Vietnamese, his
successor, President Richard Nixon, did not feel the same support. The text on the back of
the Johnson leaflet is:
Speaking to U.S. troops at Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of Vietnam, on 26 October 1966,
President Johnson affirmed:
I GIVE YOU MY PLEDGE. I SHALL NEVER LET YOU DOWN, NOR YOUR FIGHTING COMRADES, NOR
THE 15 MILLION PEOPLE OF SOUTH VIETNAM, NOT THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF ASIANS WHO ARE
COUNTING ON US TO SHOW NOW IN VIETNAM THAT AGGRESSION DOES NOT PAY.
Leaflet P-08
There are thousands of leaflets that show U.S. power, troops, tanks and bombers. In
this article we are not going to spend a lot of time on the military aid to Vietnam.
Instead, we will talk about the general aid, the services to the people and how it was
explained. A good example is leaflet P-08 which depicts an American helping on a
Vietnamese construction site and explains in depth to the Vietnamese people why the
Americans are there and what they are doing. The text on the front is:
IS THIS IMPERIALISM?
The Back is all text:
The United States is the richest and most powerful country in the world. What
does it need from Vietnam? NOTHING. In fact, it is now giving Free Vietnam 40,000,000,000
piasters in food and economic assistance a year. Is this a new form of
“imperialism” as propagandized and distorted by the North Vietnam Communists?
Why is the United States helping Free Vietnam economically and militarily? It is
helping Free Vietnam resist Hanoi’s Lao Dong imperialist aggression. It is doing
this because history shows that such aggression can cause a large war which would threaten
all mankind. The Communist imperialists in Hanoi and Peking would not stop after taking
free Vietnam and Laos; they would try to conquer all of Asia. That would bring a large war
and tragedy to the whole world. This is why the Americans are in Vietnam…
Leaflet 2791
JUSPAO leaflet 2791 told the Vietnamese that American doctors and nurses cared about
their health. One side depicted a female American doctor and Vietnamese nurses and the
other a Vietnamese doctor and American nurse. The leaflet points out that the Americans
have such humanity that they will care for both the friendly and enemy Vietnamese. To be
free is to be humane. Some of the text is:
THE LOVE OF HUMANITY BY FREE MEN
Free men have always loved humanity regardless of friend or foe.
The Army woman doctor Nicora and the two Vietnamese nurses are dressing the wound
of a North Vietnamese Army soldier who has been left behind by his comrades.
A Vietnamese doctor and an American nurse are caring for an old woman who was the
victim of the Communist aggressors’ attack.
Poster 2198
This 17 x 22-inch poster was developed in October 1967 to explain the American
presence. It says in part:
WHAT DO THE AMERICANS WANT HERE?
DO THE AMERICANS WANT OUR RICE AND LAND?
America is rich and powerful, and every year grows more food than
her people can eat. She has surplus rice and other grain which she gives to other
countries around the world, including Vietnam. She has no need for our land or food.
DO THE AMERICANS WANT OUR MARKETS FOR THEIR GOODS?
The billions of dollars that America has spent to support our fight against
Communism and to provide things that the people of Vietnam need – schools, hospitals,
roads, bridges and the like – could not be repaid from Vietnam’s economy for
many decades…
DO THE AMERICANS WANT MILITARY BASES IN VIETNAM?
America has many times solemnly reiterated its pledge to remove its
troops from the bases they occupy in Vietnam as soon as our peace and freedom are assured.
America has plenty of bases throughout the Pacific, from Hawaii to the Philippines, to
assure its own security. America does not want or need bases on Vietnam’s land.
THEN WHAT DO THEY WANT HERE?
America’s help to Vietnam, like that of 30 other free nations comes at the
request of the Vietnamese government.They have asked for help to defend their country
against Communist aggression….
Leaflet 2738 mentions American military aid:
The United States Secretary of Defense stated “We intend to give preference
to the ARVN forces, all ARVN forces, even at the expense of our own forces. We will issue
every ARVN an M-16 rifle just as soon as we can.”
Kazlausky says in Vietnam Unclassified that 2,700,000 Americans served in
Vietnam with 58,425 killed and 304,000 wounded.
Great Britain
Leaflet 2731
I did find two Allied propaganda leaflets that mention Great Britain. The first is
coded 2731. There is a photo of a British charity worker at the right and the short text:
Gifts from the British OXFAM charitable organization are given to highlanders who
are the victims of the communists. Britain, one of the 31 countries which have provided
assistance to the Republic of Vietnam.
At the left we see a doctor from the Republic of Korea and the text:
The Republic of Korea, one of 31 countries which have provided assistance to the
Republic of Vietnam. Communist propaganda claims that South Korean soldiers are very
vicious and brutal. No words are needed to describe the actions of the Korean doctor shown
in this photo.
Authors Note: The name “Oxfam” comes from the “Oxford Committee for
Famine Relief,” founded in Britain in 1942.
Leaflet 139 (see above under “Japan”) says about the same thing, though it
mentions the name of the highland tribe but leaves out the name of the British
organization.
Montagnard victims of the Communists receive gifts from a British organization.
Great Britain had some early post-war experience in Vietnam that might have made a
convincing argument to stay out of that nation’s internal affairs. In 1945, Lord
Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander Southeast Asia, was ordered to form an Allied
Control Commission to go to Vietnam to ensure civil order in the area surrounding Saigon,
to enforce the Japanese surrender, and render humanitarian assistance to Allied prisoners
of war and internees. By September, anarchy, rioting and murder were widespread, Saigon’s
administrative services had collapsed and a loosely-controlled Communist-led revolutionary
group had seized power.
In late September, parties of armed Viet Minh (later called “Viet Cong”)
clashed with British and Indian patrols. By October 1945, the roads into Saigon were
blocked by the Viet Minh who were attempting to strangle the city. On 13 October, the
Communists attacked Tan Son Nhut airbase. By mid-October, British and Indian troops had
killed about 307 of the Viet Minh. On 25 October, a Russian advisor was captured with the
Communist troops. Near the end of October, a British taskforce killed about 190 Viet Minh
in operations east of Saigon. In January 1946, the British happily handed over military
control of Vietnam to the French. Britain’s half-year Vietnam War casualty list was
40 British and Indian soldiers killed. It is believed that they killed about 600 communist
troops.
Great Britain is not considered a member of the Allies of the Republic of Vietnam
because they did not send fighting forces and quite often criticized the conduct of the
war in the world press. However, they did very quietly take part in some early training of
Vietnamese forces. Carolyn Page mentions this in U.S. Official Propaganda during the
Vietnam War, 1965-1973, Leicester University Press, London, 1996:
President Kennedy and President Diem both used British advice and expertise in
the form of the British Advisory Mission in Saigon. This mission existed from 1962 to
1965, advising the South Vietnamese Government on pacification…When the mission was
disbanded in 1965 Britain continued to help train the South Vietnamese police through the
British Embassy in Saigon. So from 1961 to 1965 there was a tangible British commitment to
South Vietnam and this continued in a small way even after the war escalated in 1965.
The British Advisory Mission to South Vietnam (BRIAM) was established in September 1961
at the request of South Vietnamese President Diem. Robert Thompson who had gained
tremendous experience in 12-year-long anti-guerrilla warfare in Malaya led the group in
Vietnam. Thompson soon became one of South Vietnamese President Diem’s leading
foreign advisors.
Kazlausky says in Vietnam Unclassified that British Special Air Service units
served from 1965 to 1967 attached to the Australians at Nui Dat near Saigon. The British
Government denies this.
Conclusion
There are dozens, if not hundreds more leaflets that show the various nations
that supported the Republic of Vietnam in its fight against Communism. This article will
never be complete. From time to time I will add new items that add to this PSYOP theme of
the brotherhood of free nations aligned against North Vietnam and its Communist
supporters.
People’s Republic of China aid to North Vietnam
Since we have mentioned the many nations that helped the Republic of Vietnam,
perhaps we should mention the aid given by the People’s Republic of China to North
Vietnam. The Chinese have gone on record in an article entitled “China's Involvement
in the Vietnam War, 1964-69” by Chen Jian in the June 1995 issue of The China
Quarterly.
China's support of Vietnam took three main forms: Engineer troops to construct and
maintain defense works, air fields, roads and especially railways in North Vietnam;
Chinese anti-aircraft troops to protect important strategic areas and targets in North
Vietnam; and the supply of large amounts of military equipment and military and civil aid.
To build the roads and maintain the railways, about June 1965 seven divisions of
Chinese engineers began quietly entering North Vietnam. Units came and went and about
160,000 engineers in all were probably working on roads, railways and airbases at one time
or another.
Two Chinese anti-aircraft divisions and one regiment were sent to protect Hanoi and
some major roads in 1965. On 9 August 1965 Chinese guns brought down their first U.S. F-4
fighter. From 1965 to 1969, 16 Chinese anti-aircraft Divisions totaling 150,000 troops got
to practice their skills in North Vietnam. They claimed to have shot down 1,707 U.S.
aircraft.
Chinese aid to North Vietnam was so great that we cannot list it all; looking at
just 1964 and 1965 we see the supply of guns increased from 80,500 to 220,767; bullets
increased from 25.2 million to 114 million; and artillery pieces increased from 1,205 to
4,439.
Since the Chinese were doing construction and maintenance and protecting the skies,
the North Vietnamese could use their army to attack the south rather than protect their
own country. It allowed them to be very aggressive.
The Russians also gave massive amounts of aid but so far they have not talked about
their support of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
The author invites
comments. Readers are encourages to contact him at sgmbert@hotmail.com.