My Lai photographer gives account

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32459, 20 November 1970, Page 13

My Lai photographer gives account

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) FORT BENNING (Georgia), Nov. 19. A former Army combat photogr pher testified yesterday that he watched ■an American soldier pump automaticweapon fire intb a large group of Vietnamese civilians, including a woman with a baby in her arms.

The witness, Ronald Haeberle, of Los Angeles, now a freelance photographer, was the fourth called by the Government in its attempt to convict William Calley, a first lieutenant, of the premeditated murder of 102 civilians at My Lai village on March 16, 1968.

Mr Haeberle was called in the second day of testimony in Calley’s court martial before a board of six officers,.

five of them Vietnam veterans. Mr Haeberle said that he and an Army writer, Jay Roberts, had been assigned by brigade headquarters to accompany C Company of Task Force B on a sweep of the hamlet. Calley commanded the first platoon of that company. Mr Haeberle said he saw near the village “quite a large group of people—so to 75 sitting in a squat, the Vietnamese position.” There were five soldiers facing them, and three of these walked away “into the distance.” “I heard firing and looked over to my right and saw some people trying to get up and run, and they just fell down,” Mr Haeberle told the prosecuting counsel, Captain Aubrey Daniel. “The soldiers were in front i of them,’ facing south. It wasj rapid fire, I’d say machinegun fire,” he said. Answering a question, Mr I

I Haeberle said that he could | not tell the difference between the sound of machine[gun fire and that of a rifle on (automatic fire. He said that 'the group was about 100 jyards from him. i Asked if he could tell the sex of the Vietnamese, Mr Haeberle answered: “I distinctly remember one of them standing up and going away was a woman. She appeared to have a small baby in her arms.” “Did any of these people have arms (weapons)?” Captain Daniel asked. “I did not see any arms,” Mr Haeberle replied. The automatic fire, Mr Haeberle said,'was “coming from one of the two soldiers remaining—he was firing south towards the people." “Some of the people were falling and this woman stood j up and tried to make it—she appeared to have a baby in her arms they didn’t make it,” Mr Haeberle said. “Make it?” Colonel Reid Kennedy, the military judge, questioned. j “Trying to run, stood up,”i 'Mr Haeberle replied. I

j “Did you see any people (standing up when the firing I was over?" Captain Daniel asked. I “No, I didn’t see anyone.” Later Mr Haeberle told of (leaving the village along a [trail on the south side of the [hamlet. “There was a group of Vietnamese lying on the Itrail,” he said. “They looked like they had been shot up. There were men, women, children, small babies.” “How close did you get to them?” Captain Daniel asked. “One or two feet.” “Did you take a picture of them?” “Yes, sir.” Mr Haeberle identified a photograph as his; and a score of other photographs he had taken during the sweep. Mr Haeberle’s testimony followed that of Roger Alaux a former artillery observer, who told the Court that he (saw bodies of a group of Vietnamese civilians “eight or 12, male or female, and possibly children”—B7 yards from artillery-damaged terIrain. ~