JANE FONDA’S ROLE IN THE WAR & THE USS MADDOX INCIDENT

FIONA THAI & GE SHINOVEMBER 20, 12

ELA 30—1

I: Jane Fonda• American actress, writer, political activist, former

fashion model, fitness guru.• Activist for many political causes (Vietnam war).

Fonda in Barbarella

II: Jane Fonda“…Joint Chiefs of Staff were there, and a couple of popes, and a first

lieutenant named Jimmy Cross, and the last surviving veteran of the American Civil War, and Jane Fonda dressed up as Barbarella, and an old man sprawled beside a pigpen,

and my grandfather…” (p.185)

• When O’Brien is standing at this decision point, to flee to Canada steps away, or turn back to go to war, he hears voices that are either urging him to war or away.

Barbarella is a movie Fonda rose to fame in (1960s). In it, she is the protagonist and heroic.

Fonda, Fred Gardner, Donald Sutherland formed “Free The Army”. Road show that toured & visited towns along West Coast of United States in the 1970. Goal: establish dialogue with

soldiers about their upcoming deployments to Vietnam

Dialogue was made into movie(F.T.A, released 1972) & contained strong criticism of war by service men & women

I: FONDA’S ROLE IN THE WAR

Fonda holds up a sign during anti-war road show (F.T.A)

performance

Supportive of Communist North Vietnam. In radio broadcast (Aug 22, 1972):

Says peasants who had been interviewed talked about when “ their parents had to sel l themselves to landlords as virtual ly slaves, when there were very few schools and much i l l i teracy,

inadequate medical care, when they were not masters of their own l ives”, before the communist revolution.After the revolution, despite crimes against them by

Nixon, people have their own land, education, & prostitution was wiped out.

She had been going in and out of North Vietnam frequently, visiting American prisoners of war and delivering their letters and saying encouraging words.

II: FONDA’S ROLE IN THE WAR

Anti-war demonstrations were interpreted by the N.V as a weakening of the American resolve to win war. Encouraged participation in war even more after military defeat of N.V in the Tet offensiveof 1968.

>20,000 lives were lost.

I: Controversy

Tet Offensive in 1968

Fonda tried to portray herself as a peace protestor against all wars & heldimage as woman trying to stop war by showing theN.V communists were treating their prisoners well. Had interviews with someprisoners in which they talked about humane treatments in these prisons.

Unknown to many, these were staged. When prisoners returned home after war in 1973, they revealed true inhumane treatment during their time in N.V.

II: Controversy

Prisoner of War (POW) being carried

A POW, Michael Benge said that he “spent three days on [his] knees with outstretched arms with a piece of steel placed on [his] hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time [his]

arms dipped” when he told the officers that he agreed to meet Fonda to tell her about terrible conditions in the prison camps.

Senator McCain also revealed that he had been tortured by his guards when he refused to meet with Fonda’s group

Fonda dismissed these accusations and said that POWs were “hypocrites and liars”

Many considered Fonda as treasonous and got her the nickname of “Hanoi Jane”. Hanoi being in North Vietnam and the capital of Vietnam.

III: Controversy

Fonda was photographed seated on a anti-aircraft gun during her trip to Hanoi, North Vietnam in 1972. Looked like she was trying to shoot down U.S air planes. Years later, in 2011 Fonda apologized about the incident but people had little care for her words.

Many Americans held onto the fact that she named her and Tom Hayden’s, a pro-communist radical leader, son Troy, after Communist hero Nguyen Van Troi.

IV: Controversy

Jane Fonda seated on anti-aircraft gun

Jane Fonda & O’Brien• Neither of them supported war. O’Brien: drafted in 1968.

Would have know about Fonda’s F.T.A road shows & anti-war activities.

• Fonda was dressed as Barbarella on shore, cheering to run to Canada, to desert.

USS Maddox Incident Preview

“Tonkin Gulf incident”. August 2 & 4, 1964 After death of Kennedy, Johnson worried

about South Vietnam’s ability to fend off Communist Viet Cong guerrillas in country.

Began increasing military aid (patrol boats) to South Vietnam to increase pressure on North Vietnam.

“What really happened to the USS Maddox on that dark night in the Gulf of

Tonkin?” (first pg, p.71)

I:FIRST ATTACK August 2, 1964

USS Maddox (destroyer boat) patrolled international waters around N.V in the Gulf of Tonkin, conducting DESOTO patrol

Series of coastal attacks on N.V were made for information collection

In afternoon 3 torpedo boats from N.V attacked the USS Maddox

USS Ticonderoga

II: FIRST ATTACK August 2, 1964

When Cpt. Herrick was alerted of attack, requested assistance from USS Ticonderoga: F-8 Crusaders & USS Turner Joy.

Herrick ordered 3 warning shots if Vietnamese came within 10,000 yards of USS Maddox.

When fired N.V torpedo boats launched torpedo

US defeated boats. Johnson feltUS needed to continueinvolvement even more.

I: SECOND ATTACK August 4, 1960• Many unsure if attack truly happened (“What really happened to the

USS Maddox on that dark night…?”). Allegedly occurred Aug 4, 2 days later, in middle of night.

• Maddox received radio, radar, & sonar reports of another attack by N.A.

• A few radar targets were fired at. Later , 1:27AM Washington, Herrick reported:

“Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonar men may have accounted for many reports. No actual

sightings by Maddox.”Page 1/3 of Cable regarding the

attack on the USS Maddox

II: SECOND ATTACK August 4, 1960• Herrick requested further investigation by air in daylight

before further action. When aircrafts flew over, there were no sightings of any North Vietnamese boats.

• People abroad Maddox and Turner Joy believed attack occurred & with flawed signals intelligence from NSA, Johnson ordered attacks onNorth Vietnam, targeting oil facilities in Vihn and 30 ships.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

CONTROVERSY• Although crew on both destroyers insisted that the attack

took place, research from documents show that the second attack did not happen

• The North Vietnamese Defense Minister, Vo Nguyen Giap also denied second attack while admitting the first.

After involvements, Pres. Johnson went on television and requested that a resolution that would not “seek a wider war” but help by “expressing unity and determination of the United States in

supporting freedom and in protecting peace in Southeast Asia.”

Southeast Asia (Gulf of Tonkin) Resolution was approved on August 10, 1964, giving Johnson the ability to use military power in that area without a declaration of war. This allowed greater American involvement in the Vietnam War.

On the Rainy River USS Maddox Incidence

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