THE VIETNAM SOLUTION—II THE MEN IN BLACK GUIDE THE NATION TO A FUTURE

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32194, 13 January 1970, Page 8

THE VIETNAM SOLUTION—II THE MEN IN BLACK GUIDE THE NATION TO A FUTURE

(SfffiaUU writion for "Tbt Bt***” b U

CEDRIC MENTIPLAY)

Though the headlines are still captured by political manoeuvres Ameriwi withdrawals, and the building up of the army of the Republic of Vietnam fa first-line fightipg strength, the most significant figure in gouth Vietpain today is someone quite different. Hib « a alert and whipcord-lean. Incongruously h(8 has a uniform of sorts—skin-tight black jeans, a black shirt, and a black eowboy,sty|e fiat. You will meet him everywhere the fighting has been, and ip a few places where the regular formations have yet to penetrate.

ap<| Revolutionary Development, which together mean tiie recwtiM of »e whole Vietnamese outlook in terms of the Manila Summit Confer•pee of October, J 966. New Zealanders should know more aboyt him. as qu* Prime Minister was one of tiie participants at that conference. the others were the late Mr Harold Helt (Australia), President Ehypg Hee Park (Korea). President F. E. Marco* (Philippine*), Thanon Kittikapbora (Thailand), Nguypn Gyp Ky (South Vietnam), and President Lyndon Johnson (U:BA-). Tfie chairman was tee precept Presidept of the Republic of Vietnam (Nfyyen Van Thieu). At teat conference, the South Vletpym Government pledged that it would make “accelerating efforts to forge » social revolution of hope and progress,” while at the same time it stated its intention tn "train and assign a substantial share of the armed forces to clear-anfi-hold action* in order to provide a shield behind which a new society can be built-’’ That was more than three years ago. Evan then the phrase "revolutionary development” had been in use for some eighteen months. Cadres had already been formed to provide power, water, schools, health apd medical facilities, •nd a whole range of agricultural reforms.

Visionary Leader This is where Vietnam’* black-clad symbol comes from today, H« is more than a symbol, for there are mere than 70,000 Of him- You will see him in the hills north of Hue, and in the high country along the Sihanouk Trail but rarely in Saigop. What hope there is for South Vietnam, he carries.

The drivingdaree behind Revolutionary Development comes from a remarkable man, Tuong-Van Nguyen-Be. He is short, small-boned and energetic—4 fluent and persuaaive talker in his own tongue, in English and in French. He ha* • dear and definite idea of what he wants to say, and he says it without confusion.

He js a soldier; but in Vietnam officer-training is part of the casta system, and it is not aurprising to diacover offieer>trained men In a wide sector of uMMUilitary activity. Nguyen-Be excels in Nanning a training course for the young volunteers, and he has shown considerable imagination in the way the course la conducted. More remarkable is his

power as a speaker and Writer. He has written massive work* op philosophy, *s well as many pamphlets directed at the Government ; and the people. In bis works there are almost Messianic overtones. His addresses to training cadres in Bin Din|» province have been produced in book form, entitled “Chung Thuy-T-a study of the New Pssenpe of Life ” In this book (Chung Thuy pieans literally “The beginning and the end”) he propound* his theory for the future direction of Vietnam’s economic advancement To Nguyen-Be the beginning lies in the “village of co-opera-. tion,” where the spirit of democracy and freedom will develop. He envisages the "village of co-operation” working as an economic area, exploiting natural resources and then going on to the manufacture of goods and the balancing of supply and demand. “With reasonable allotment of land, with the perspective of mechanising and industrialising tee country symbolised by the tractor, and with the light of the Chung-Thuy philosophy. Vietnam will be miraculously changed into a vital economic area of the wnrlfl” Simulated Villages In the VuHg Tau area, Nguyemße and his organisation have a whole complex of simulated Vietnam villages fitted into the large sandy and reeky area of Lam-Son Camp- Here tpe reeruits go through a thirtoen-week training period, in which a study of dialectic is interspersed with weapon-training and defence planning. The trainees take- the parts of villagers—old men and women, farmers and their wive*, and younger people. They are shown how each has his or her pert in normal life and in emergency, and they are shown how ciri] and area defence must be organised. Then they are sent put to the real villages to spread the modern gospel. When our group of journalists visited Vung Tau, Nguyen-Be was putting his whole training cadre through a simulated defence action. It was a gory business, complete with jusketty, “blood,” and picturesque casualties. At the end, the participants stood to attention to listen to a stirring harangue by their leader.

Afterward* in his austere quarters within the camp, Nguyen-Be was again the man of theory. He was scornful of all tee other theorists (he mentioned the Harvard ones)

who had arrived in Vietnam with their own programmes of rehabilitation for the villages. “We should be careful about organising the people into groups which are meaningless,” he said. “They must know and feel the force of their group. They must have a corporate entity. Only in this way can they fight these pressures from outside.” The Official Colour On the easy Viet Cong domination of the traditional village or hamlet, he was bitter. “In the past they have been so self-centred, it was so easy for the little man in a black suit to walk up the path, and to tell the headman: ‘You must do this thing, or you will suffer’.” “Is that why you adopted the black uniform?" he was asked. Nguyen - Be shrugged: “Black is the official colour—the business colour. All Viet Cong agents wear black. But now we organise. We stand. The little man in the black suit is finished.” “But supposing the next m*U in a black suit is a taxgatherer for the Saigon Government?”

Nguyen-Be took this seriously. “That will have to be considered when it happens." But Revolutionary Development is working. Nguyen-Be's bands, plus the dedicated people of other nations, including even some of those theorists despised by NguyenBe, are working, guiding and teaching among the villages.

Security patrols are being formed. Villagers are being given weapons, which they are learning to use. The isolation between village and village is giving way to area protection and mutual assistance. Irrigation, education, accessibility are improving. Village elections are being held. The trouble is that this is a never-ending process, and that tee time available is limited. Nobody knows how much time there is, or whether Vietnamese capacity will meet the Allied withdrawal. But at least, something constructive is being attempted.