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K A N 2 A 3 S TA TE U N IV E R S IT Y

H E A R IN G J BEFORE TH E

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS 

UNITE D STATES SENATE

NINETY -SECON D CONGRESS

>□

SE CO ND SE SS IO N

ON

S . 24 97

TO A UTHORIZ E T H E PR ESID E N T, THROUGH T H E TEM PO RARY 

VI ET NA M C H IL D R EN ’S CA RE AGENCY , TO EN T E R IN TO AR ­

RA NGE MEN TS W IT H T H E GOV ER NM EN T OF SO UT H VIE TN AM 

TO PR O V ID E ASS IS TANCE IN IM PR OVIN G T H E W E LFA R E OF 

CH IL D R EN IN SO UT H VIE TN AM AN D TO FA C IL IT A TE T H E 

ADOPT IO N OF ORPH AN ED OR AB AN DO NE D VIE TN AM ES E 

CHIL D REN , PA RTIC ULA RLY C H IL D R EN OF U N IT ED ST ATE S 

FA TH ERS

A PR IL 5, 1972

P ri n te d f or t he us e of th e C om mitt ee on F or ei gn R el at io ns

80-619 O

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRIN TING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON : 1972
*

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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

J. W. FULBRIGHT. Arkansas. Cha irman

JOHN SPARKMAN, Alabama

MIKE MANSFIELD, Montana

FRANK CHURCH, Idaho

STUART SYMINGTON, Missouri

CLAIBORNE PELL, Rhode Island

GALE W. McGEE, Wyoming

EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Maine

WILLIAM B. SPONG, J r., Virginia

GEORGE D. AIKEN, Vermont

CLIFFORD P. CASE, New Jersey

JOHN SHERMAN COOPER, Kentucky

JACOB K. JAVITS, New York

HUGH SCOTT, Pennsylvania

JAMES B. PEARSON, Kansas

CHARLES H. PERCY, Illinois

Carl Marcy, Chi ef o f Sta ff

Arth ur M. Kuh l, Chi ef C ler k

(II)

t
C O N T E N T S

Statements by: PaKe

Depp, Dr. Frederick, Council on Adoptable Children (COAC) ; accompanied by Janies F. Seeley_________________________________ 100

Kiser, Joseph C., M.D., Metropolitan Medical Center, Minneapolis,

Minn. _________ ________________________________________ 71

Klein, Wells C., General Director, International Social Service, American Branch, Inc_________________________________________ 43

Kubicka, Louis P., Friends Committee on National Legislation ; accompanied by Edward F. Snyder____________________________ 91

Luce, Don, Indo-China Mobile Education Project------------------------- 77

Nooter, Robert H., Deputy Coordinator, Bureau for Supporting Assistance, Agency for International Development, accompanied by John

E. Arthur, AID, and Laurin Askew, Department of State______ 28

Schauer, John W., director, immigration and refugee program, Church

World Service___________________________________________ 65

Swanstrom, Most Reverend Edward E., executive director, Catholic

Relief Services, USCC, New York, N.Y.; accompanied by the Reverend Robert L. Charlebois, Assistant to Bishop Swanstrom______ 65

Williams, Harrison A., J r., U.S. Senator from New Jersey_________ 12

Insertions for the reco rd:

Text of S. 2497_____________________________________________ 2

Answers to questions submitted to AID by Senator Harrison A. Williams, J r________________________________________________ 19

Statement by Senator Harold E. Hughes_________________________ 23

“Pa rt Vietnamese, Par t Black—And Orphans,” article by Gloria

Emerson, the New York Times, February 7, 1972______________ 25

Statement by Senator Mark O. Hatfield_______________________ 26

U.S. share of local support costs, supplied by AID_______________ 33

War orphans support allowances, supplied by AID_______________ 34

Free world assistance, supplied by AID_______________________ 36

“The Special Needs of Vietnamese Children—A Critique,” by Wells

Klein, General Director, International Social Service, American

Branch, Inc_____________________________________________ 44

Prepared statement of John W. Schauer_______________________ 55

Prepared statement of Most Reverend Edward E. Swanstrom_____ 69

Prepared statement of Don Luce_____________________________ 82

Prepared statement of Louis P. Kubicka____________________ ___ 95

Case History of Philip and Gayle Rush________________________ 101

Appendix:

Statement by Congressman Charles W. Whalen, Jr______________ 105

Deposition of testimony for S. 2497, by Mrs. Florence A. Woods____ 106

Statement by Gaynor I. Jacobson, chairman. Committee on Migration

and Refugee Affairs, American Council of Voluntary Agencies for

Foreign Service, Inc______________________________________ 107

Letter to Senator J. W. Fulbright from Mr. Hyung Bok Kim, ACSW,

associate director, Holt Adoption Program Inc., Creswell, Oreg.,

Mar. 31, 1972, and enclosures: Statement in support of S. 2497; 

report to the board of directors of the Holt Adoption Program_____ 108

Statement by Mrs. Nancy Krivit of Edison, N .J__________________ 113

Letter to Senator J. W. Fulbright from the Reverend Kenneth G.

Moreland, United Church of Faulkton, Faulkton, S. Dak., Mar. 27.

1972 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 116

Letters to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from Jerold M.

and Joyce Reis, Columbus Ohio, March 31, 1972_______________ 117

Descriptive material concerning activities of Foster Parents Plan, Inc.,

Biographical data on Don Luce, Indochina Mobile Education Project— 124 

Statement of James R. Dumpson, dean, Graduate School of Social

Service, Fordham University, New York, N.Y_________________ 124

(in)

VIETNAM CH ILD REN’S CARE AGENCY

W EDNESD AY, A PR IL 5, 19 72

U nit ed S tates S en a te,

Com m it te e on F oreig n R el ati ons,

Waching ton, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in Room 4221, 

New Senate Office Building, Senator J. W. Fulbrig ht (chairman), 

presiding.

Present: Senators Fulb right, Symington, Pell, Aiken, Cooper, 

Javits, Pearson and Percy.

The Chairman. The committee will come to order.

OPEN ING STATEMENT

The Committee on Foreign Relations today is holding a public 

hearing on S. 2497, a bill to create a Vietnam C hildren’s Care Agency 

as a temporary, independent entity of the U.S. Government in order 

to provide assistance in improving the welfare of children in South 

Vietnam. This proposal was introduced in the Senate on September 8, 

1971, by Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey on behalf of 

himself, Senator Hatfield, and Senator Hughes.

(Text of S. 2497 follows:)

(1)
2

92d CONGRESS 

1st Session S. 2497

. IN TH E SENA TE OF TH E UN ITED STA TES 

September 8,1971

Mr. Williams (for himself, Mr. Hatfield, and Mr. Huohes) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations

A BILL

To authorize the President, through the temporary Vietnam 

Children’s Care Agency, to enter into arrangements with 

the Government of South Vietnam to provide assistance in 

improving the welfare of children in South Vietnam and to 

facilitate th e adoption of orphaned or abandoned Vietnamese 

children, particularly children of United States fathers.

1 Be it enacted by the Sen ate and House of Bepresenta2k

tives of the United States o f Am erica in Congress assembled,

3 That the Congress declares that—

4 (1) the United States has a moral responsibility to

5 assist the Government of South Vietnam in the care and

6 protection of all South Vietnamese children, particularly

7 those orphaned or abandoned, and

VII—O
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(2) the United States has a special responsibility to 

assist in facilitating the care or adoption of children in 

Vietnam whose fathers are United States citizens and 

who are not living with their Vietnamese families.

CHILD CARE PROGRAM

Sec. 2. (a) The President, through the Vietnam 

Children’s Care Agency established under section 4 of this 

Act (hereinafte r referred to as the “Agency” ) , shall establish and administer a program for all children living in South 

Vietnam who are, as determined by the Agency, (1) sixteen years of age or younger, and (2) orphaned, abandoned, or living in poverty as a direct result of the hostilities 

in Vietnam or conditions related to such hostilities. The 

program shall be administered only with the consent of the 

Government of South Vietnam and in accordance with such 

arrangements as may be mutually agreed upon by the 

Agency and tha t Government.

(b) In carry ing out the program established under this 

section, the Agency may provide—

(1) assistance to aid such children described in 

subsection (a) of this section in growing up ,in their 

own or foster families through the establishment, expansion, and improvement of day care centers and the 

improvement of school feeding p ro g ra m s;
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(2) assistance to orphanages in which children 

described in subsection (a) of this section are living, 

including food and clothing assistance and assistance 

for the improvement of the physical facilities of such 

orphanages;

(3) for the training of persons employed in day 

care centers and orphanages in Vietnam;

(4) for the training of persons on matters relating 

to child health care and prenatal and postnatal care; 

and

(5) assistance for the improvement and expansion 

of the existing hostel program which provides housing 

for children described in subsection (a) of this section 

who do not live with their families.

(c) The Agency is authorized to provide, on such terms 

and conditions as it considers appropriate, direct assistance 

to public or private nonprofit organizations which provide 

any of the types of assistance referred to in subsection (b) 

of this section, and to assist in coordinating the activities, 

services, and programs of such organizations.

fd) Not less than 60 per centum of the funds appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be used 

for the purposes specified in clause (1) of subsection (b) 

of this section.
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ADOPTION OF SOUTH VIETNAMESE CHILDREN

Sec. 3. (a) The President, through the Agency, shall 

enter into negotiations with the Government of South Vietnam to facilitate the adoption by United States citizens of 

children in South Vietnam who are ten years of age or 

younger. Adoption procedure shall be carried out strictly on 

a case-by-case basis, but the President shall attempt through 

such negotiations with the Government of South Vietnam 

to obtain a standardization of forms and procedures in South 

Vietnam and the United States which would significantly 

improve and hasten the entire adoption process and shall 

seek to obtain an easing of the South Vietnamese requirements for the issuance of exit permits for adopted children.

(b) The Agency is authorized to enter into agreements 

and to make grants, on such terms and conditions as it considers appropriate, to State and local governmental agencies 

and private nonprofit organizations to assist in arranging for 

the adoption by United States citizens of Children in South 

Vietnam who are ten years of age or yoimger.

(c) In conducting the negotiations referred to in subsection (b) of this section, the Agency shall be primarily 

concerned with, and shall facilitate, to the maximum extent 

practicable, the adoption of children in South Vietnam—

(1) whose fathers are determined by the Agency 

and the Government of South Vietnam to be United
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1 States citizens, such determination to be made on the

2 basis of a statement by the father, mother, or relative, or

3 on the appearance of the child, and

4 (2) (A) whose mothers are deceased, (B) whose

5 mothers have irrevocably relinquished all parental

G rights, or (C) who have been abandoned and are liv7 ing in orphanages or in the streets, or under other cir8 cumstances in which no family ha* assumed responsi9 bility for their upbringing, and the whereabouts of the

10 mothers are unknown.

11 (d) Not more than 10 per centum of the funds ap12 propriated to carry out the provisions of this Act may

13 be expended in carrying out this section.

14 VIETNA M CHILD REN ’S CARE AGENCY

15 Sec. 4. (a) There is established in the executive branch 

1G of the Government a temporary independent establishment

17 to he known as the Vietnam Children’s Care Agency. The

18 Agency shall be responsible, under the direction of the

19 President, for ea rn ing out the provisions of this Act.

20 (b) The Agency shall be headed bv a Director who

21 shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice

22 and consent of the Senate. There shall also be in the Agency

23 a Deputy Direclor appointed by the President, by and with

24 the advice and consent of the Senate. The Deputy Director
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shall act as, and exercise the powers of, the Director during 

his absence or disability. The Director shall prescribe the 

regular duties to be performed by the Deputy Director.

(c) (1) The Director is authorized to appoint and fix 

the compensation of such officers and employees, and prescribe their functions and duties, as may he necessary to 

carry out the provisions of this Act.

(2) The Director may obtain the services of experts 

and consultants in accordance with the provisions of section 

3109 of title 5, United States Code.

(3) Section 5314 of title 5, United States Code, is 

amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

“ (58) Director, Vietnam Children’s Care Agency.”

(4) Section 5315 of such title is amended by adding 

at the end thereof the following:

“ (9 5) Deputy Director, Vietnam Children’s Care

Agency.”

(5) The Director may delegate any of his functions 

to such officers and employees of the Agency as he may 

designate, and may make such rules and regulations as may 

be necessary to carry out his functions.

(6) The Director is authorized to appoint, without 

regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, such advisory committees as may he appropriate for the purpose of 25
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consultation with and advice to the Agency in the performance of its functions. Members of such committees, other 

than those regularly employed by the United States Government, while attending meetings of such committees or 

otherwise serving at the request of the Director, may be 

paid compensation at rates not exceeding those authorized 

to be paid experts and consultants under section 3109 of 

such title, and while so serving away from their homes or 

regular places of business, may be allowed travel expenses, 

including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by 

section 5703 of such title, for persons in the Government 

service employed intermittently.

(d) In order to carry out the provisions of this Act, 

the Agency is authorized—

(1) to adopt, alter, and use a seal;

(2) to adopt, amend, and repeal rules and regulations governing the manner of its operations, organization, and personnel, and the performance of the powers 

and duties granted to or imposed upon it by law;

(3) to acquire by purchase, lease, condemnation, 

or in any other lawful manner, any real or personal property, tangible or intangible, or any interest therein; to 

hold, maintain, use, and operate the same; to provide 

services in connection therewith, and to charge therefor; and to sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of the same

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at such time, in such manner, and to the extent deemed 

necessary or appropriate;

(4) to construct, operate, lease, and maintain buildings, facilities, and other improvements as may he 

necessary;

(5) to accept gifts or donations of services, money, 

or property, real, personal, or mixed, tangible or intan ­

gible;

(6) to enter into contracts or other arrangements 

or modifications thereof, with any government, any 

agency or department of the United States, or with any 

person, firm, association, or corporation, and such contracts or other arrangements, or modifications thereof, 

may he entered into without legal consideration, without 

performance or other bonds, and without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (41 

U.S.C. 5) ;

(7) to make advance, progress, and other payments 

which the Director deems necessary under this Act without regard to the provisions of section 3648 of the 

Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U.S.C. 529) ; and

(8) to take such other action as may he necessary 

to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(e) The Director shall, as soon as practicable after the 

end of each fiscal year, make a report in writing to the Presi-
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dent for submission to the Congress on the activities of the 

Agency during the preceding fiscal year.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS ACT 

Sec. 5. Within ninety days after the date of enactment 

of this Act, the President shall take such steps as may be 

necessary to carry out the provisions of section 4 of this Act 

and to initiate the programs under sections 2 and 3 of this 

Act.

Sec. 6. (a) As soon as practicable, the President is 

requested to undertake negotiations with the United Nations, or such other multilateral organizations as the President considers appropriate, to have such organization agree 

to perform the functions described in section 2 of this Act. 

Any funds made available for the purposes of section 2 of 

this Act may be made available, as the President deems 

appropriate, to such organization to carry out such purposes.

(b) At such time as the President determines that the 

functions described in section 2 of this Act are being satisfactorily performed by the United Nations, other multilateral organization, or nonprofit organization, the authority 

and responsibility of the Agency with respect to such functions shall cease to exist.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

Sec. 7. There are authorized to be appropriated such 

sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this
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1 Act. In addition there are authorized to be appropriated

2 such sums as may be necessary to assist the United Nations

3 or any other multilateral or nonprofit organization to per4 form functions which would otherwise be performed by the

5 Agency under this Act.

6 LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXP ENSES

7 Sec. 8. Not more than 10 per centum of the funds

8 appropriated to carry out this Act may be used by the 

8 Agency for administrative expenses.

*
12

Th e Chairm an. The com mittee has received a su bstan tia l am ount of 

mail in su pp or t o f th is leg islative proposal. From all qu arters we ha ve 

had com pla ints th at the Governments of both South Vietn am and the 

Un ited States have given too lit tle atte nti on to the welfare of or phaned 

or aband oned Vietnam ese ch ildren . To da y’s he adlines assure us—as if 

we needed an y rem ind er—that a war is very defin itely still going on in 

South Vie tna m. But the com municatio ns received by th is com mittee 

show a cle ar consensus t hat the pro sec ution of th e wa r does no t serve 

as an excuse for ina deq uat e care for its victims and especially the 

children .

Th e fi rst sectio ns of the bill we are conside rin g dec lare th a t:

The United States has a moral responsibility to assist the Government of South 

Vietnam in the care and protection of all South Vietnamese children, 

and t h a t:

The United States has a special responsibility to assist . . . children in Vietnam whose fathe rs are United States citizens and who a re not living with their 

Vietnamese families.

I t is difficult to believe th at any one would atte mpt to contr ad ict 

tho se views.

Be fore he aring testim ony fro m a ra th er lon g lis t of witnesses, let 

me note th at the com mittee ha s received several requests to testi fy 

which could not be met for a va rie ty of reasons, and pa rticul arly the 

short peri od of time available fo r th is purpose.

A numb er of org aniza tio ns and individu als have ask ed to sub mit 

wr itten statem ents fo r the rec ord and I k now t hat the comm ittee will 

be glad to try to comp ly with all such requests. One p oi nt in pa rtic ula r sho uld be stressed , nam ely, the su pp ort show n fo r the ado ption 

features o f th e bil l by a numb er of grou ps and i nd ividua ls who could 

no t a pp ea r tod ay b ut will be presenting w rit ten s tat em ents f or the rec ­

ord. We are thinking , fo r exa mple, of t he H ol t adoptio n prog ram of 

Cre swe ll, Oreg., and such in dividu als as Mrs. N anc y K ri vit of Edison, 

N.J., an d Mrs. Flore nce Wo ods of M iam i, Fl a.

Th e h ea rin g record will be k ep t open a week in ord er to receive these 

writ ten statements.

Th e firs t witness th is morning was int ended to be Se nator W illia ms; in his absence, w ho is the next one scheduled ? I saw Mr. Nooter. 

I wonder if Mr. R obert H. No ote r is here?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.

Th e Chairm an. Mr. Nooter, would you star t, please?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, M r. C ha irm an , with yo ur permissio n------

Th e Chairm an. I am sorry , h ere is the Senato r. I guess we will pr oceed in order. S en ato r Williams ?

Se na tor Williams. I apologize. I am s orry.

Th e Chairman. W e st art on tim e if we can. Se na tor William s?

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, JR., 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY

Se na tor W illiams. M r. Ch airma n, I am most pleased to have this 

op po rtun ity to testify tod ay in behalf of S. 2497, on the problems 

of chil dren in Vietnam .
13

NO EN D IN SIG H T TO V IE TN A M WA R

I think we all recognize th at the toll which the war in Vietnam has 

taken among the civilian population of t hat country has been a huge 

and tragic one; and it is painfully clear tha t this toll is going to continue growing for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, and despite, 

the repeated promises of the Nixon adm inistration, there is no end in 

sight to the war in Vietnam.

Even as we meet today, new battles are raging in the towns and 

countryside of Vietnam and American planes are reescalating the number of air raids in both North and South Vietnam. It is tragic irony 

that at the time we convene to examine the serious problems this war 

has created for hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese children, those 

problems are being multiplied.

FU TU R E BLE AK FO R CH IL D REN

At this moment the bombs, the artillery and the infantry fighting 

are creating a new flood of refugees and a new flood of children who 

are abandoned or orphaned. The future is indeed bleak for the children who are homeless, impoverished, or permanently disabled. Nor 

is it bright for those who are half-American and are frequently subjected to bitter racial discrimination.

I hope these hearings will begin to establish the extent of this 

problem and document the need for a more active American involvement in the solutions.

N U M B ER OF C H IL D REN AF FE CT ED

We have a basic idea of the number of children who are affected 

from governmental statistics. More than 400,000 Vietnamese children 

are given small monthly stipends as war orphans or wards of the Nation under the War Veterans Act of 1970; another 300,000 children 

are either receiving benefits as orphans or are otherwise known to be 

orphans. These figures alone indicate there are at least 700,000 children in Vietnam whose parents have been killed or seriously disabled.

Too frequently, however, statistics from Vietnam do not reflect the 

entire picture. For example, thousands of civilian casualties and deaths 

go unreported because only admissions to U.S. military and Vietnamese Government hospitals are recorded. Certainly many thousands 

of uncounted children have experienced losses in their families because of the war.

RA PID UR BAN GRO W TH , IN F L A T IO N , AN D U N E M PL O Y M E N T

To have a better idea of the extent of the problem we are discussing 

today, I think we must realize th at nearly half the Vietnamese population is 14 years old or younger and that the war has contributed to a 

marked increase in the urban population. For example, the refugee 

influx into Quang Tri City this week exemplifies the growth problems 

of Saigon, which has grown from 1 million to 3 million people, and 

Danang which has grown from 100,000 to 500,000.

Compounding the problems of rapid growth in the cities has been 

80 -6 19 0 — 72------ 2
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serious inflation and, more recently, unemployment caused by the 

loss of jobs in support of American military forces. And it has been 

the children who have suffered most as a result of these social and 

economic upheavals.

U.S. EFFORTS CAN ASSIST VIETNAM ESE WITH CHILD CARE PROBLEMS

After conducting 7 years of warfare at unprecedented levels, the 

ITnited States must now make efforts to aid the Vietnamese in eliminating the resulting social problems which are crippling the country. Senator Hughes, Hatfield and I have introduced S. 2497 in 

order to begin this reconstruction process by establishing a Vietnam 

Child Care Agency. This organization would work exclusively on 

helping the Vietnamese improve the lives of many thousands of 

their children.

In writing this bill, we realized tha t the problems of child care 

in Vietnam must be solved by the Vietnamese themselves; however, 

their efforts can be greatly assisted by the United States if we commit ourselves to the task.

The Vietnam Child Care Agency, a new approach proposed to 

meet an enormous problem, would make such a commitment.

FIRST MAJOR FUNCTIO N OF VIETNAM CHILD CARE AGENCY

The first major function of the agency is to work through private or public nonprofit organizations and the Vietnamese Ministry 

of Social Welfare to improve the care and protection of children 

orphaned, abandoned or left in poverty as a result of the war.

The highest prior ity would be improving and expanding day-care 

facilities. These centers provide an environment conducive to healthier family development. Hopefully, they will help avoid the growing 

incidence of abandonment which has accompanied the withdrawal 

of American troops.

The advantages of day care are particularly relevant in Vietnam because of the burden of raising children in that difficult environment. Well run day-care centers would provide these young 

people with preschool education and two meals a day. It would also 

give the mother the opportunity to work so tha t she can support 

her children. The few day-care programs in effect have met with 

considerable success.

Since the major purpose of this agency is to improve the home 

atmosphere so tha t fewer children are left to institutions, there is 

an emphasis on improving existing orphanages instead of building new ones. Along similar lines, there is an existing but currently inadequate hostel program which provides housing for children 

who support themselves. This program would be expanded and improved so th at the thousands of independent children who presently 

live on the streets can have a roof over their heads at night.

Finally, the program necessarily involves train ing of Vietnamese 

to work in dav-care centers, orphanages, and in the area of child health 

care, especially prenatal and postnatal care. In the early stages of 

this program when considerable expansion will occur, training of 

Vietnamese to staff and sustain these programs will be essential.
15

SECOND APPROACH OF LEGISLATION AND AGENCY

The second approach of this legislation and the agency is directed 

toward children who have no family or guardians. These youngsters 

are eligible for adoption and for many of them an acceptable home can 

be found here in the United States.

In our bill the emphasis is on facilitating adoption of orphaned or 

abandoned children who have American fath ers: however, by no 

means does this exclude adoption of other Vietnamese children who 

are homeless.

At present, American couples wishing to adopt Vietnamese children 

experience average delays of 18 months and costs of about $2,000. In 

many cases, would-be American parents simply are unsuccessful in 

their attempts to give these children a home.

The new agency’s function in this area would be to negotiate with 

Vietnamese and U.S. Government officials in order to standardize 

the forms and procedures used in intercountry adoption. Since the 

agency is charged with aiding the Vietnamese with the ir child-care 

problems, it might be in the position to encourage the Vietnamese 

Government to ease its requirements for the issuance of exit permits. 

Should this occur, adoption would be simplified bu t they would continue to be handled on a strict case-by-case basis.

It is our hope that eventually the United Nations or another m ultilateral organization will be able to assume the child-care and protection role of the agency. To date, UN ICEF has spent more than $2.3 

million on training programs and maternal and child health care 

centers. Although their limited budget has prevented larger expenditures, UN ICEF has taken the vital step of committing itself to the 

solution of these problems. W ith U.S. funding, UNICE F could probably direct the programs to be established and run by the agency.

APPROPRIATION OF $ 5 MILLION SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH AGENCY

We intend to seek an appro priation of $5 million to establish the 

agency. It appears that this modest amount, a fraction of what is 

spent each day to continue our military efforts in Vietnam, will be 

sufficient, at least initially. Then, as the most effective programs 

emerge, the funding can be increased to employ them on a wider scale.

I understand tha t the Vietnamese M inistry of Social Welfare has 

developed a program which is similar to the functions of the Vietnam 

Child Care Agency. I am reassured to see tha t the Vietnamese are 

looking closely at these problems and developing sound means of 

resolving them.

However, as has always been the case, a shortage of money is blocking progress. For several years the ministry has received less than 1 

percent of the national budget, and most of this money has been directed toward refugees. Since the children have not had a spokesman, 

their plight has been neglected for years, and top priority has been 

given to the massive refugee problem.

Now that the ministry is prepared to direct its limited staff to confront these problems, it is absolutely essential that the United States 

make a clear commitment to assist them.
16

ACTIONS OF AID

The argument has been made tha t S. 2497 duplicates recent actions 

taken by the Agency for International Development. I understand that 

AID has approved a tran sfer of approximately 316 million piasters— 

about $770,000—in counterpart funds to the Ministry of Social Welfare to implement their program. I am personally encouraged tha t 

this action has been tak en; however, I have serious reservations about 

the ongoing nature of this tran sfer of funds.

In looking at AID’s past performance with children in Vietnam, 

I notice that as 700,000 orphans were thrown out into the world, AID 

supplied, at best, a few staff workers on a part-time basis to cope with 

the needs of these children. Now, as AID is withdrawing most of 

its workers from Vietnam, I seriously doubt whether it will develop 

the capability to provide assistance to the Vietnamese in this area.

Furthermore, an administrative decision like the extension of 

counterpart funds does not represent a long-range commitment to the 

solution of the problems at han d; it merely indicates tha t an equivalent 

of $770,000 will be spent by the end of this year. Most significantly, 

there is no guarantee of funds for the continuation of the ministry’s 

program after December 31, 1972. Legislative action, such as the creation of the Vietnam Child Care Agency, would commit us to tha t 

course.

CONGRESS M US T REDIRECT EM PH AS IS IN VI ET NA M

Mr. Chairman, it is sad but true that up to now the United States 

has concentrated its efforts in Vietnam on prosecuting the war. We 

must realize that Vietnam will not be rebuilt by leveling it with bombs 

or killing people with different attitudes, but by nourishing and protecting and educating the inhabitants. Even as this tragic war drags 

on, I think Congress must redirect our emphasis in Vietnam away from 

military actions and toward alleviating the social problems there.

Certainly, the creation of an agency to ease the plight of hundreds 

of thousands of beleagured children would be a significant beginning. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to testify. We are 

certainly gratefu l for the commitee’s hearings on this very important 

legislation.

The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Williams.

COST OF ADOPTIN G VI ET NA ME SE OR PH AN

I would like to ask you one th ing: Why is it tha t it costs $2,000 

to adopt an orphan in Vietnam ?

Senator Williams. The clearances, the paperwork, the transportation, everything, are as complex as anything in life. I have worked-----

The Chairman. Who makes it complex ? I t isn’t inherently complex. 

Senator Williams. It starts off there with the local laws dealing 

with adoption. They have requirements that stagger any reasonable 

thinking on this. As I understand it, the individuals who are cleared 

to adopt children have to be married a decade, 10 years; they have 

to be childless and have to be over a certain age. Clearances—the 

agencies you have to go to—and I will say the professional assistance 

in certain circumstances.
17

The Chairman. You mean you have to pay a fee at each level, is 

tha t what you are trying to say ?

Senator Williams. I don't know whether you have to. There are 

a lot of agencies th at don’t charge fees, but I know a lot of people 

who don’t find those agencies or don’t get to go with them and do 

pay fees.

WH Y cou ldn’t AID SERVICE TH IS ACTIVITY?

The Chairman. One last question. You brought it up. Why couldn’t 

AID, if it was disposed to do so, service this kind of activity ?

Senator Williams. AID?

Right now, this would be just one of its activities. There wouldn’t 

be a focus and no assurance of continuity. These problems certainly 

require at the beginning assistance in training people and this is sort 

of a rath er long-range program. The AID program is an ad hoc 

response to the need, not a commitment tha t gives an ongoing promise 

of continuity in training and in then serving in the health area, in 

the day-care area. These are the two critical areas tha t require more 

than an agency picking it up on an ad hoc basis for a few months 

with no promise of continuity.

STATUS OF LEGISLATION FOR DAY-CARE CENTERS IN UNIT ED STATES

The Chairman. You emphasize day-care centers. I believe you had 

much to do with the legislation on day-care centers in the United 

States, didn’t you?

Senator Williams. Yes.

The Chairman. What is the status of legislation fo r day-care assistance in the United States ?

Senator Williams. The major program has been bogged down, as 

the Senator knows. There has been lack of acceptance of a commitment to day care here in th is country, and we are fully familiar with 

them.

The Chairman. If we can’t give it to them here, you think we ought 

to give it to them in Vietnam ?

Senator Williams. Sometimes it is easier to get things done abroad:

The Chairman. I am not quarreling; I am just commenting on it. I 

only know th at it is much easier to get grants for certain countries 

through the Congress without hearings th an it is to get one for your 

own State. I am very much in sympathy with the Senator’s position 

on day-care centers here at home, as the Senator knows, and I have 

supported that.

Senator Symington, do you wish to ask questions?

Senator Symington. I ju st came.

The Chairman. Senator Pearson ?

Senator Pearson. I have no questions.

The Chairman. All right. Senator Cooper?

SECURING GOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE SUPPORT

Senator Cooper. I want to commend Senator Williams for his h umanitarian approach to this problem. I assume tha t you believe that 

if an agency was established tha t attention would be focused upon
it and it would be much easier to get support. It might be a better 

way to secure not only governmental support but also the support 

of private organizations throughout our country, such as church organizations and other charitable organizations; is that correct ?

Senator Williams. I certainly feel th at this is the way it should go, 

Senator Cooper. There are so many agencies and so many people who 

have their own commitment in this area and are working in it with 

limited resources. I understand several groups will be represented 

here at the hearings today and tha t would be the ideal. Rather than 

to have a Government program operating without reference to them, 

they should certainly be considered and woven in and helpful in 

this program.

OR PH ANA GE S AN D DA Y-CA RE CE NT ER S SPO NSORED BY VIE TNAM ESE 

GO VE RN M EN T

Senator Cooper. It is correct, though, isn’t it, that there are agencies 

now in Vietnam—the Vietnamese Government itself—supported by 

our funds, which do provide some assistance to the orphans?

Senator Williams. Yes.

Senator Cooper. Is it correct that the Government of Vietnam maintains a number of day-care centers ?

Senator Williams. There are orphanages, of course. I am not too 

sure about Government-sponsored day-care centers.

Senator Cooper. I believe that there are orphanages and day-care 

centers which have been established to take care of these orphans.

PU BLIC LA W 4 8 0 PRO GRAM

Is it also correct that through our Public Law 480 program that we 

are providing—we are giving—assistance to provide food for these 

orphans as well as other refugees ?

Senator Williams. I am not fully familiar with it. I would hope so.

BRIN GIN G ORPH ANS HERE IS MATT ER OF VIE TNAM ESE LA W

Senator Cooper. I must say on this question of adoption—I understand your comments on that—I have had inquiries from mothers who 

were Vietnamese who married American soldiers and have come to 

the United States. It is very difficult to even get their children here, so 

I assume it is much more difficult to be able to bring orphans here. 

It is all a matter of the Vietnamese law, isn’t it ?

Senator Williams. Most of it, yes.

Senator Cooper. I just want to say, your approach is humanitarian 

and I think deserves great attention and consideration.

Senator Williams. Thank you very much.

These are some questions, Mr. Chairman, tha t I would like to leave 

with you. I think it has been worked out with the staff. These questions 

if they could be submitted, for submission in writing to the committee.

The C hairman. Fine.

(The information referred to follows:)
19

Answers to Questions Submitted to AID by Senator Harrison A.

Willia ms, J r.

Question 1. To what ext ent in term s of gran ts extended and manpower committed has the Agency for Internation al Development in Vietnam been involved

in the problems of child care prior to October 1911?

Why has the Mission of AI D/V N not played a more activ e role in working to

resolve these problems?

Answer. 1. In response to the first pa rt of this question, AID assistance in the 

are a of child welfare in fiscal ye ar 1971 consisted of the following:

(a) Under PL 480, Title II, approximate ly 1.9 million children received, in 

fiscal year 1971, surp lus food commodities valued at $11.5 million.

(b) Since 1909, AID has been providing a modest amount of local currency 

assistance to the Ministry of Social Welfare for supp ort of orphanages and daycare centers. A significant number of child ren benefited from local currency assistance for support of o ther aspects of the social welfare program, as well as the 

refugee, education, war vete rans and hea lth programs. It is impossible to estimate the number of children benefited or the d ollar value of the assistance they 

received from these more comprehensive programs. Moreover, over 70 percent of 

the Ministry of Social Welfare’s budget derives direc tly or indirectly from AID 

assistance.

(c) The assistance provided direc tly by AID to the Ministry of Social Welfare 

has been augumented by technical and material support provided through contra cts with a number of American volu ntary agencies, some of which date back 

to 1967. In fiscal y ear 1971, the programs carried out under AID contrac ts with 

the following agencies each included a child welfare comp onent: Catholic Relief 

Service, Intern ational Rescue Committee, Salvation Army and World Reh abilita ­

tion Fund.

(d) AID also provided training in social welfare for 20 Vietnamese pa rticip ant 

trainee s who studied in seve ral Asian countries. Eig ht of these concentrated on 

child care programs.

(e) There were five American social welfare advisors on the Mission staff in 

1971, four in Saigon and one assigned to the field. A p ortion of the time of all 

five of these advisers was devoted to child care activities carried out by both the 

Ministry of Social Welfare and volu ntary agencies. This represente d an incre ase 

from one social welfare adviser first assigned in 1967.

2. As regards the second pa rt of this question, the priorities of the U.S. Mission 

and the Government of Vietnam in the field of hum anitarian assistance have necessarily been focused upon provision of emergency relie f to refugees, and ass istance to enable them to ret urn to their own villages. The urgency of meeting the 

imme diate needs of the refugees, approxim ately 50% of which are under fifteen 

yea rs of age, has placed an overwhelming demand upon the personnel and m ateria l resources of the Ministry of Social Welfare. This Ministry was estab lished 

for the first time in 1964, and the refugee program was star ted from scratch early 

in 1966. Although the refugee situ ation had vastly improved by the end of fiscal 

yea r 1971, it was recognized even before the curr ent NVA offensive t ha t priority 

must contin ue to be concentrated for the n ext y ear or two on reestablishment of 

the refugees. However, by 1971, relative security and stability in many are as had 

allowed a beginning to be made in defining and initiati ng on a limited scale 

longer rang e social reh abilita tion programs including special child care services.

Other major factors in the low p riority given by the GVN to date to expansion 

of child welfare activities have been insufficient traine d personnel, the freeze on 

establish ment of new positions imposed on all GVN m inistries, and uncertainty 

of futur e budgetary resources ava ilab le to the Ministry of Social Welfare.

Question 2. What caused the delay from last October to April 1st for AID

to approve and transfer counterpart fun ds for the Min istry of Social Welfare's

child care proposals? How much money does this contract involve and when

does it expire?

Answer. The delay in action on the proposals for assisting an expanded child 

welfare program is due primarily to delays on the pa rt of the Vietnam government rather tha n the U.S. Mission. The proposed program for which AID was 

prep ared to make available an additional 547 million pia ste rs for the cale nda r 

yea r 1972 was an initial proposal only and detailed plans for implementation
had not been prepared or approved by all the responsible GVN officials and 

volunt ary agencies involved. Only af ter pro tracted negotiations, the Ministry 

of Social Welfare developed a supplementary budget proposal that was finally 

approved by the GVN Dire ctor General of the Budget and Foreign Assistance 

on March 21, 1972, and subsequently subm itted to the U.S. Mission in a join t 

meeting on March 24. The program agree me nt' between the U.S. Mission and 

the GVN approving an initial adoption of 316 million pia sters as the first increment of the expanded program was signed on April 1. Plans for additional 

projects are in preparatio n for use of the balance of the local curre ncy we are 

prep ared to provide this year.

A number of factors account for the GVN delay in making out detailed plans 

for implementation. As already mentioned, the first priority of the MSW must 

remain the reestablishing of ref ugees; the Government of Vietnam has only 

recently begun to develop an awarene ss of the need to give more attention to 

the social needs and problems th at are surfacing as the inte nsity of emergency 

requirem ents les sen s; GVN concern about the possibility of sustain ing an expanded child welfare program when foreign resources are no longer av ailable; 

and the shortage of trained personnel to implement an expanded program.

Question 3. What are AID /V N’s long-range plans for contin uing support to

child care programs beyond the end of this calendar year?

Answer. AID plans to continue to support child care programs as one of its 

priorities.

Question 4- What staff projections are being made for A ID /V N in fiscal years

1973 and 197 i?

Will that sta ff be responsible for overseeing the Ministry of Social Welfare’s

child care program, and as the AI D/V N staff is reduced, will the Mission have

the manpower capability to oversee the program and assist the Vietnamese in

implementing it?

Answer. The current staff includes five American social welfare advisers, all 

of whom devote pa rt of their time to child welfare services. Two of these positions will be phased out by the end of fiscal yea r 1973. The personnel level for 

fiscal year 1974 is now under review by the U.S. Mission.

USAID advisers do not oversee or manage Vietn am’s Social Welfare program. 

They do work closely with the Vietnamese and, of course, monitor the use of 

U.S. resources that go into the program. Given the increased capa bility of the 

Vietnamese to conduct the program, we believe the U.S. Mission will have adequate manpower.

Question 3. Wha t is the relatio nship between AI D/V N authorizations and the

counterpart fu nds which are to support the M inistry ’s program?

Wh at assurance do we in Congress have tha t AI D/V N has the capacity or the

contin uing comm itmen t to support the Ministry’s child care program beyond the

end of th is calendar year?

Answer. Cou nterpart funds in piasters are generated by AID ’S Commercial 

Import Program. Their use is determ ined jointly by the U.S. and the Government 

of Vietnam. Approximately 80 percent of the Ministry of Social Welfare budget 

now comes from counterpar t funds. In 1972, this support is expected to be 5.2 

billion piasters, equivalent to about 13 million dollars.

The continued availab ility of cou nterpa rt funds for the futur e does depend, 

of course, upon Congressional auth oriz atio n and appropriation of Supporting 

Assistance funds for Vietnam.

AID plans to continue to support child care programs in Vietnam, with co unt erpa rt funds and dollars, as one of its priorities. There has been no intention to 

lessen, o r termin ate, this support at the end of this calendar year.

Question 6. Intercountry adoptions in Vietn am arc difficult and protracted

because of the required proxy process, the freq uen t need for Presidential dispensation, the required two Court appearances two months apart, and the procedure followed in preparing an abandoned child ’s birth certificate. What problems are faced in easing these requirements? Wha t can AI D/V N do to reduce

them? And why has more not been done already?

Answer. The m ajor problems in expediting interc oun try adoptions are . first, the 

desire of the Vietnamese people and the GVN to retain their child ren in Vietnam ; and second, the tradition al Vietnamese concept of adoption as a legal 

arra nge ment to provide an heir for families withou t children of their own, 

rather tha n the prevailing American concept of adoption as a way of providing 

a family for a child.
21

The traditional Vietnamese concept of adoption is slowly changing and some 

of the responsible GVN officials recognize tha t revision of the present adoption 

law and procedures is needed. With the encouragement of the U.S. Mission, an 

Interm inisterial Committee to study the problems of adoption was formed in 

April 1971. AID assistance includes support for a study of child welfare legislation that includes preparation of a new adoption law.

Enactment of a new, modernized adoption law, if and when it should occur, 

will not necessarily result in acceleration of the adoption process for intercountry adoptions. The major constraint on increased numbers of intercountry 

adoptions has been and still is Vietnamese determination to prevent a major 

exodus of Vietnamese children to other countries and their insistence upon release only on a case-by-case basis when it is determined tha t the best interest 

of the child will be served thereby.

A D M IN IS TR A TIO N OF LA W IN V IE T N A M

Th e Chairm an. W he n you say it is th e law in Vietn am , i t is really 

th e ad minist ratio n of the law th at bothe rs mo re th an an yt hi ng else, 

isn ’t it ? Th ere is no law comp elling these k inds o f expenditures . I t is 

in or de r to move a lon g, to ge t any mo vem ent th ere ; it is an expense, 

isn ’t it ?

Se na tor W illiam s. Well , the m ajor hurdles th at are p ut in are sup ­

pli ed by law, bu t to ge t over th e hu rd les tak es tim e an d expenditure.

Th e C hairm an. Th at is w hat I mean. All rig ht.

Se na tor C ooper. May I co mm ent th ere? I th in k j us t as in t his countr y, th e rules fo r adop tio n are b ased on our law. I know, as a form er 

judge, th at ou r co un try has com plicat ed pro ced ure s fo r ado ptio n. 

Th ere are cases all th e tim e de ali ng wi th th e difficulty of adoption. 

Ad op tio n cases a re dete rm ine d by Vietnamese law. Th is wou ld be true 

thro ug ho ut th e wo rld in eve ry co untry th at a determ ination of this 

kind would be mad e by its own law.

Se na tor William s. Well, c ertainly adop tio n should be—certainly i t 

should be s up ervi se d; bu t so m any of th e pro vision s seem to b e un reason able to me.

Se na tor Cooper. Th at is all I have.

Th e Chairm an. Anyone else ?

Tha nk you, Se na tor W illi am s.

Se na tor Pe rcy, did you wa nt to ask questio ns? Th ey are all 

throug h.

RE SP ONSE OF V IE TN A M ESE GOVER NM EN T TO H U M A N IT A R IA N PR OB LE M

Se na tor P ercy. Y es ; I do have a few questions.

W hil e we do kno w th at Saigo n reco gnizes its res ponsibi lity to 

or ph an s of vet era ns, does Saigo n feel a res ponsibi lity fo r othe r or ­

ph ans or a ban doned ch ild ren ? In othe r w ords, wh at has been th e pat ­

tern of r esponsiven ess of the Go vernm ent its elf to the whole hu man ita ri an prob lem th at you a re raising her e ?

Se na tor W illiams. I t seems to me, fro m w ha t I kn ow of it, the Governm en t’s response over there is, to the need s of orphaned or aba ndoned 

child ren , is pr et ty much relat ed to the w ar a nd t he v eteran ’s stat us o f 

the fa th er of the child. I th in k th at is whe re the emphasis is pu t in 

ter ms of car e and the mon ey th at is spe nt. I t is th e war v eteran s’ law 

leg islati on th at basically direc ts the m to the youngsters who ge t the 

he lp in orphanages.
22

Se na tor P ercy. I have been imp ress ed wi th th e tens o f th ou sand s of 

ch ild ren who are str eet urchins who live ind ependently the re. Th ere 

seems to have been no rea l Government res ponsibility or c oncern evi ­

denced on be ha lf of those c hild ren.

Se na tor W illiam s. Well, th at was my lim ite d observation , too, when 

I was over there . The se are t he youngsters of the streets who are not 

ge tti ng any attention by the Government, th at sh ift fo r themselves.

We know, an d you pro bably know, of th e wor k o f Dick H ug he s who 

was a news paperm an over there and star ted a prog ram of hostels fo r 

thes e youngsters o f the streets. He c alls them th e “shoeshine boy s” a nd 

he has started his own priva te activ ity to give them sh el te r; bu t they 

are on the str eet by day and sh ift in g fo r them selves and wo rking as 

they can. Th ey are not ge tting any Gover nm ent su pp ort th at I 

know of.

Se nator P ercy. W ha t I am concern ed about is ou r ta ki ng one segment of a pro blem and imp osing w ha t migh t be called A me rican solutions to it, an d not relatin g it so m uch to the total na ture of the relatio nship of society to th at common problem. I ju st wonde red, fo r in ­

stance, if day -care fac ilities were available, is it possible th at street 

urc hin s could be brou gh t back into society and provide d be tte r care?

Has there been any consider ation given to t hat by the Saigo n gov ­

ern me nt ; do you know ?

Se nator W illiams. I believe they are b eginn ing to focus on this as 

one of th ei r social and huma n problem s. I do n’t know how fa r the y 

hav e gott en in im ple me nting it.

C H A N N E L IN G $5 M IL LIO N TH R O U G H SATGON GOVER NM EN T QUES TI ONED

Se nator P ercy. I am wo rried a lit tle abo ut the sip ho ning o f fun ds. 

Th ere are abo ut $5 million a y ear pro vid ed by th e b il l; in o ther words, 

it goes th ro ug h the Saigo n governm ent which has no rea l pa tter n of 

concern o r demo nstrated i nterest in the ove rall na ture of t he problem. 

Would tho se same fund s be be tte r cha nne led and fun neled to, say, 

vo luntary org aniza tio ns ra th er t ha n the Saigo n gov ern me nt, th at are 

bette r equ ipped throug h inc lination, natur e, and everything else to 

handle th e problem s?

Se na tor Williams. W ell, th is age ncy ’s whole focus an d reason for 

bei ng would be t he care of children . We wou ld create the agency. It s 

latit ud e and its flexibility in op erati on would include pr ivate agencies 

as well as the go ver nm ent over the re, a nd we hope i t wou ld ult im ate ly 

dir ect its contr ibu tio n to mult ina tio na l efforts such as U N IC EF.

Se an tor P ercy. I wou ld ju st say, offh and, if someone asks me to 

whom would you wa nt to contr ibu te if I ha d $1,000 available at the 

end of the ye ar to contrib ute to someone, would you wa nt to make 

th at contr ibu tio n fo r the benefit of orph aned children to the Saigo n 

Go vernm ent or to th e Pe arl Ruck Fo un da tio n or to the Shoeshine 

Bovs Fo un da tio n—I wo uld n’t hesitate to give it to the la tter two 

ra th er tha n t he form er.

Now, I am sitting here t al ki ng about g iving $5 million o f tax pa ye rs’ 

mon ey a nd it is no t money we hav e, we w ould have to borrow it because 

we do n’t hav e it. Now, we are going to give $5 millio n of money to 

who m? An d I am sayin g in th e bill—th e purpo se I do n’t qu arrel
23

with at all. I think i t is—the concept is absolutely r igh t and we have 

a moral responsibility to take a look at this problem.

I am just a little worried whether the recipient is the right recipient 

and whether or not the efficiency and effectiveness and humanity with 

which it would be dealt would be the same a t the Saigon Government 

level as to a group which is used to voluntary work who has reached 

out on its own and is matching it with private funds and for $5 

million might get $50 million worth of benefit out of it, where, by 

going to the Saigon Government you might get, if you are lucky, 

a quarter or a half million dollars of real benefit ?

Senator Williams. Well, I certainly agree with you, Senator Percy, 

and tha t agency would have tha t latitude and it is not in a stra it jacket, 

a legal straitjacket or pipeline of American money to the Saigon 

treasury. That is not the mandated route here. I certainly agree with 

your statement.

RESISTANCE OF SAIGON GOVERNMENT TO ADOPTIONS BY AMERICANS

Senator P ercy. Ju st one other a rea: What evidence do we have that 

the Saigon Government actually wishes to hasten the adoption of 

Vietnamese children by Americans? And if there is any evidence they 

have been concerned about this problem, what is holding things up?

Senator Williams. I don’t know. I have a very, very impressive 

group of witnesses following me who have worked so intimately in 

this area, from what I know—and my knowledge is limited—from 

what I know, there is a resistance over there, governmental resistance 

to this and tha t resistance, I think, will have to be broken down 

through negotiation and discussion.

Senator P ercy. I will reserve those questions for them. I just want 

to commend you, Senator Williams, for bringing the question up, raising the issue, and Senator Hughes and Senator Hatfield for joining 

on it. It is a very important question. I am not questioning at all the 

need for assistance and help. I only question how it should be given.

Senator Williams. I certainly appreciate that. Thank you very 

much.

Senator Symington (presid ing). Thank you, Senator.

Senator Williams. Thank you very much.

Senator Symington. We have statements from Senators Hughes 

and Hatfield which I will insert in the record at this point.

(The statements referred to follow :)

Stateme nt by Senator H arold E. H ug he s, on S. 2497, Vietn am Chi ld re n’s

Care Agency

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, it is an honor and a pleasure 

to join with my distinguished colleagues from New Jersey and Oregon, Senator 

Williams and Senator Hatfield, in urging favorable action on S. 2497.

Senator Williams has already outlined the way in which we propose that the 

Vietnam Children’s Care Agency should function, so I shall not repeat his 

explanation. The other witnesses you will hear have recent, firsthand information on the current problems facing Vietnamese children, so I shall defer to them 

on those details.

I want only to say, briefly, why I believe we have a special responsibility to 

the children of Vietnam and why we need a separate agency and program to 

meet that responsibility.
The American military presence inside Vietnam is being drastically reduced, 

though not tota lly and not as quickly as most of us would prefer. As U.S. forces 

are being with draw n, they leave behind many reminders of their involvement— bombed villages and rebuilt villages, dev asta ted farm lands and a few agricultural programs, and perhaps as many as 200,000 children of American fathers. 

The few small programs we already have in being fo r recon struction and rehabilitati on bear witness to our determination to alleviate some of the tragic consequences of th is long and deadly war.

Too often, I fear, we pay atte ntion only to the weekly death tolls, and then 

usua lly only to American deaths, while ignoring the oth er suffering which the 

war has brou ght to Vietnam and which the continued ai r wa r still brings. We 

tend to forget th at thre e times as many people as die are seriously wounded 

and requ ire hospital care, and tliat many of these people are perm anen tly 

maimed or crippled.

We tend also to forget about the women who have lost the ir homes and husbands and the children who are orphans, or rejected by their relativ es because 

of their mixed racial parentage, and thu s must live out a hand-to-mouth existence 

in the streets. We have no exact figures, b ut there can be no doubt t ha t thousands 

of Vietnamese women and children have been physically wounded or emotionally 

scarred by this war. About 90% of the patients receiving plastic and reconstru ctiv e surgery are children.

To neglect these people now in the ir time of need would be cruel and inhumane. It would also be con trary to the best instinc ts and the past history of 

the American people. Until, and afte r, the fighting ends, the United States m ust 

work to alle viate the consequences of our involvement in that small, war-torn 

country. We must see to it t ha t peace is not merely the continua tion of suffering 

by other means.

Children deserve our special care and attention not simply because thousands 

of them have been abandoned by their American fathers, but more basically 

l>ecause they are helpless. Without our aid now, they may never reach adulthood. T ha t this is a major problem in Vietnam is clear from the fac t th at over 

40% of th e population is un der the age of 14.

The news in the months since this legislation was first introduced points up 

the continuing problem. We have seen stories in the newspapers and on television about the street urch ins in Saigon, about the orphanag es which have 

been closed by the Vietnamese government, and about the difficulties facing 

Americans who want to adopt some of these children. A recent s tory in the New York Times discussed some of these problems and cited the case of an American 

couple which wanted to adopt a young girl named Lanh. The story sa ys: “The 

couple saw her in the An Lac orph anag e in Saigon, but, due to the complicated 

adoption procedures, they could not take her with them when they le ft Lanh 

died September 16 from malnutrition and inadequate care. Not even the American doctors in an Army hospital in Saigon could save her.”

For your furth er information about thi s tragic, deeply touching case history, 

I am appending at the conclusion of my testimony the news story by Gloria 

Emerson in the New York Times of February 7.

Since the time that Lanh died, the United States has cut the number of beds 

alloc ated to civilian war casualties by two-thirds, despite a contin ued high rat e 

of civilian casualties. The US AID budget fo r civilian medical programs has also 

been cut by about one-third and health personnel have been cut by more than 

half. Thus, we can do even less to help the people who continue to suffer.

Unless we create a sep arate agency to give these problems the atte ntio n that 

they deserve, we may find the programs for children sacrificed in o rder to finance 

police training or luxu ry imports or the other much larg er segments of our aid 

to Vietnam.

And since we all recognize the dang ers of creatin g a bureaucracy which 

becomes self-perpetuating on its own red tape, this legislation specifically provides th at the Vietnam Children’s C are Agency will be tem porary, until its functions are taken over by internatio nal or private organizations.

The program we propose is modest—an initial .$5 million this year. This is less than the average price of one A-7 aircra ft, which have now been grounded 

af ter three were lost in a single week. When we have been so free with our 

resources to buy the weapons of war, this seems a small price to pay to help deal 

with the consequences of this war.

I earnestly hope th at you will give favorable consideration to this measure.
[From th e New York Times, Feb. 7,19 72]

P art Vie t n a m e s e, P ar t B la ck— A nd Or ph a n s

(By Gloria Emerson)

Sai go n.—Angela will be 3 years old in April, but she walks like a tiny old 

woman who fal ter s because she is a fra id of falling.

Angela cann ot feed herself and only recently did she learn to chew, not ju st 

to swallow food. She is not toilet trained. Angela does not pay any attention to 

the Vietnamese nuns o r to the other 1,245 children in the Go Vap Orphanage in 

Gia Dinh, a suburb of Saigon.

Other people do not exist for her until she is picked up and hugged. When 

Angela is let go, she weeps.

Angela is the child of a black American G.I. and a Vietnamese woman. The 

nuns who run the orph anag e know nothing else abo ut her except th at she was 

abandoned four days a fter she was born.

She is the blackest of all the children in the orphanage. There are h alf a dozen 

others who also had black American father s, and many more who had white 

fathers. The res t had Vietnamese pa rents. Angela plays with no one.

“When we first saw her, standing up in her crib, with th at face and her little 

Afro hairdo, our hearts stopped,” Mrs. Jam es Giggins said. She is the wife of 

a black television correspondent for the American Broa dcasting Company network. The couple live in Saigon and first visite d the orphanage last October 

looking for a baby to adopt.

They chose a 3-month-old girl from the orphanage, whose name in Vietnamese 

means velvet. She has now been christened Alex andra Nguyen Giggins. Her 

middle name is a typically Vietnamese family name.

But no one has come for Angela, altho ugh Ihe Gigginses do come once a week, 

if possible, to take her out for th e day, or a weekend. They feel this is perm itted 

by the nuns only because they have alre ady adopted a baby from the same 

orphanage. This was possible because Mrs. Giggins, the former Patricia Occhinzzo 

of New York whose family is of Ita lia n descent, is a Catholic. Mr. Giggins, a 

non-Catholic received permission from the Archbishop of Saigon to adopt the 

baby.

“Angela is a little b etter now,” Mrs. Giggins said. “She is still a fra id of almost 

everything, but sometimes, when she spends the day with us, she smiles once. 

Not more. But a t le ast once.”

“ if s h e h a s a c h a n c e”

When Angela visits, she follows Mrs. Giggins from room to room. Mrs. Giggins 

tau ght her to chew when giving her cookies. Angela is fea rfu l of the Giggins’s 

adopted baby, although she is much bigger.

“She doesn’t really respond, but I thin k—if we can find her a good family, 

and it must be a couple who has like us, one black—the damage will not be 

irre par able,” Mrs. Giggins said. “She will respond if she has a chance.”

But since they cannot adopt Angela—for they have one baby and now hope to 

raise a family of t heir own—the Gigginses can only help her a little bit a nd hope 

somehow to find a couple who will take her. Adoption in Vietnam is a long and 

tortuous affair.

The trage dy of Angela is not an unusual one, according to some observers 

who are partic ularly concerned about the futures of children of black fathers.

The Vietnamese are usually prejudiced aga inst dark-skinned races, and they 

do not like foreigners. Any child who grows up without a family which is the 

focus of Vietnamese life, and is also black, confronts obstacles th at a Westerner 

cannot easily imagine. Black women in Vietnam, it is felt, will find it hard to be 

educated, har d to find a job and e arn money, and very difficult to find a husband.

The main hope now for Angela, and the othe rs born of Black Americans, is 

The Martin Luther King Home for Children, which may open in Gia Dinh next 

month. The sponsor is the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The idea of helping children of black fat hers came to the Rev. Hosea Williams 

and his wife when they visited Vietnam las t year. Mr. Williams, who worked foi 

many y ears with Dr. King, is the program director of the S.C.L.C.

The represen tative here for the Martin Luther King Home for Children is 

Victor Srinivasen, who has been in this country for two yea rs working with a 

welfare agency, and who has wide knowledge of the cou ntry’s orphanages.
26

He is waiting now for the approval of Dr. Tran Nguon Phieu, the Minister 

of Social Welfare, who must authorize all such projects. A Vietnamese philanthropist—who wishes to remain anonym ous—has pledged to donate a building 

and some Vietnamese personnel. There will be no more tha n 50 children in the 

home, Mr. Srinivasen said, when it first opens.

“I would guess that there are anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 black children 

in this country ,” he said. ‘‘It is a serious social problem. But of course the home 

will not ju st be for these child ren—we will take others who need comfort and 

care as well.”

There are an estim ated 500 orph anag es in Vietnam, but it is believed th at 

only 290 of them are registered with the Government and exis t legally. Mr. 

Williams, during his visit here, was so upset by th e conditions of th e orph anag es 

th at he wanted to hire two j et planes to t ake all the black children to the United 

States to place them in homes. This was impossible for an immense amount of 

pape rwork is required both in Vietnam and in the United States.

If Mr. Srinivasen does not win the approval of the Vietnamese authorities, 

and also the blessings of the United States Embassy here, which will greatly 

expedite his task, there will be no home for black children. But he is hopeful.

He and his wife now live in a small two-room house lent to them by a Vietnamese colonel who wants to help. Another Vietnamese couple wa nt to send 

over one of their serv ants to cook and clean for this couple, who are Indian.

PRO BLE MS OP FI NANCES

Mr. Srinivasen does not yet know wh at his salary will be—or even if he will 

get one. W hat worries him is the amount of money he will need every month for 

the Martin Luther King Home for Children. It is between $1,500 and $2,000, a 

tiny sum compared with war expenditures. He wan ts the child ren to have a 

ped iatr icia n and a child care nurse. The re is a sad illu stration of why this is 

necessary, and he does not tell the story without emotion.

The inf ant that Mr. and Mrs. Williams wanted to adopt—whose father was 

black—was named Lanh. The couple saw her in the An Lac orphange in Saigon, 

but, due to the complicated adoption procedures, they could not take her with 

them when they left.

Lanh died Sept 16 from malnutrition and inadequate care. Not even the American doctors in an Army hosp ital in Saigon could save her.

Statement by Senator Mark O. Hatfield on S. 2497, Vietnam Children’s

Care Agency

I am deeply grateful to you, Senator Fulb right, for holding a hearing on 

S. 2497, the Vietnam Children’s Care Agency, which co-authors Senators Harrison Williams, Harold Hughes and I propose to set up to provide many self-help 

care programs for the moth ers and families with children who have been aba ndoned by the ir American fathers, been orphaned or otherwise physically or 

emotionally wounded by the war in Vietnam.

The prim ary thrust of the legislation is to aid the children themselves by 

providing and number of special services for them—for instance, day-care center s to help the ir mothers or foster family to hold down a job and care for them 

as well, or hostels for the homeless children and food-feeding program s, to name 

ju st a few of the possibilities for use of federal money which could be used by 

priv ate, non-profit organizations in Vietnam. There are many such organizations 

now at work in Vietnam who are trying to provide for an overwhelming need 

with too meager funds.

As our American soldiers leave Vietnam, we are leaving behind thousand s of 

Amer-Asian Children. Our Government has a moral resi>onsibilit.v to help care 

for these children and for the other abandoned children who have been wounded, 

orphaned or made homeless because of the war. The Vietnamese Government 

simply does not have the financial resources to hand le the task alone, nor the 

trained personnel to cope with the numbers of children. We could, under our 

bill, help tra in Vietnamese for the work, as well, because of the flexibility of 

the legislation.

It has been es tima ted by the Agency for Intern ational Development that there 

ar e 700,000 orphaned children in Vietnam—400.000 orphaned or half-orphaned 

as a dire ct result of the war, and ano ther 300.000 who have been orphaned as 

an indirect consequence. The Vietnamese Government makes supp ort payments 

to the children of 400.000 servicemen who were killed in action.

I was pleased to note th at several months ago, AID. in conjunction with the 

Government of South Vietnam, has belatedly underta ken a program which is
similar in scope to the one proposed by S. 2497. They propose to provide a multifaceted program to aid the children.

It is expected that AID will spend $1.2 million this year to aid these children, however, there is no assurance whatever tha t the work will continue 

once all our troops have been withdrawn from tha t country. We are told tha t 

AID personnel are leaving at the rate of 15 to 20% of their total personnel 

each year. They have also reduced their medical aid program from a total of 

$10 million spent in 1967 to $2.7 million in 1971.

There are at least sixty non-profit, private relief agencies at work in Vietnam, but I am told by those returning from there who have worked in these 

agencies—Don Luce, who was with the International Volunteer Services and 

who now heads the Indochina Mobile Education Project, and Louis Kubicka, 

who was with the American Friends Service Committee as a volunteer worker, 

heading their Quang Ngai refugee center for four years—that the private agencies cannot begin to meet the need of the suffering children who have been 

abandoned or made orphans by the war.

Most of those with whom I have talked have given tentative approval to 

S. 2497 because they see within the bill the beginning of a moral commitment 

of our Government to begin to rebuild what we have torn apart. It is most 

unfortunate tha t the Administration has chosen not to endorse this work, for 

the job now being done in Vietnam to aid the children just is not being done.

The Vietnam Children’s Care Agency could provide the vehicle to channel 

public monies through some of these private groups. I might suggest a few, and 

one such is the Holt Children’s Agency. This Oregon-based group is presently 

negotiating with the South Vietnamese government to provide emergency rescue 

service to help save the lives of many children who are being placed in the orphanages of Vietnam. The mortality rate is very high—estimates are tha t 50 

to 80% of those who are admitted later die. The conditions of these orphanages 

beggar description, according to eye witnesses. The Holt Agency is proposing to 

help save these children before they are admitted to the orphanages and later 

they will work on providing adoption services for some.

The late Mr. Harry Holt of Cresswell, Oregon, organized the Holt Adoption 

Program, Inc. after the Korean war, and he set up orphanages and the group 

has since placed over 8000 children in American homes through adoption. His 

work continues, but the new directors wish to broaden the service, learning 

from the mistakes of the past work in Korea. Many children, they found, were 

deliberately abandoned by their mothers because of the availability of the orphanages and also because they themselves (and their babies) were outcasts 

in their society because of the birth of a mixed-blood child. This is a major 

reason why in S. 2497 we de-emphasize orphanages and stress other services 

which will keep children with their mothers if possible, and with foster parents 

or in hostels if this is not possible.

Our bill could also prove helpful to such organizations as: Foster Parents, 

Inc., which presently cares for over 5000 abandoned Vietnamese children and 

those living at home; the Christian Children’s Fu nd ; the American Friends 

Service Committee; Church World Service; Catholic Relief Services; the Committee of Responsibility, or even the Shoe Shine Boys of Richard Hughes.

Dick Hughes, whom I met last year when he returned briefly to this country 

from Vietnam to raise money, is a young newspaperman who, because of his 

shock at seeing the homeless boys adrift on the streets of Saigon, left his profession to help care for over 200 boys in five youth hostels he started, one at a 

time. He did this with the help and cooperation of the Vietnamese who contribute their time, equipment, money and, most important, their services, such 

as tutoring, doctoring, nursing, etc. Most important, the abandoned boys who 

were roaming the streets of Saigon and other cities (200 of them at least) are 

now being given a home and care. But much more is needed.

We expect tha t there will be a certain fear on the par t of those who will 

oppose spending the $5 million which we propose in this bill because they will 

sa y: “Why send more money into Vietnam because of the corruption of the 

present government?” There will be opposition, as well, to setting up yet another agency, which they fear will prolong our involvement in tha t country This 

is why the co-authors have sought to focus on eventual turn-over to the United 

Nations, so tha t we may receive the support of other governments of the world.

All of our sources from Vietnam tell us tha t there is desperate need for 

more dollars for the private relief agencies—much more—to relieve the human
28

mise ry caused by thi s war, especially now as the daily news reports are coming 

in of the refugees fleeing from the attacks of the North Vietnamese across 

the DMZ.

We need to begin now and not wait until all our troops are withdrawn from 

Vietnam. We cann ot wait, although I agree with Don Luce and Louis Kubicka 

tha t, as Luce said :

“I believe, however, th at it is only a pa rtial solution (S. 2497) and may ease 

the conscience of some towards the continued destruction of Vietnam. The real 

problem is the continuation of the war which creates more orphans and economically and cultura lly weakens the Vietnamese family structur e and its 

ability to cope with th e problem.”

Senator Symington. The next witness is Mr. Robert H. Nooter, dep- *

uty coordinator, Bureau for Supporting Assistance, Agency for In ­

ternational Development program. Mr. Nooter, it is very pleasant to 

see you.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT H. NOOTER, DEPUTY COORDINATOR,

BUREAU FOR SUPPORTING ASSISTANCE, AGENCY FOR INT ER ­

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; ACCOMPANIED BY JOHN E. ARTHUR,

AID; AND LAURIN ASKEW, DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Mr. Nooter. Good morning. I am accompanied this morning by Mr.

Arth ur, also from AID, and Mr. Askew from the Department of State.

Senator Symington. Have you a prepared statement ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.

With your permission, I would like to read it.

Senator Symington. All right. Please go ahead.

Mr. Nooter. Mr. Chairman and members of this committee, I appreciate the privilege of appearing before this committee today to testify on behalf of the executive branch in connection with your examination of S. 2497, a bill to provide assistance in improving the welfare 

of children in South Vietnam.

CONCURRENCE W IT H DECLARED PUR POS E OF BILL

We concur with the declared purpose of the bill, “to enter into a rrangements with the Government of Vietnam to provide assistance in 

improving the welfare of children in South Vietnam and to facilitate *

the adoption of orphaned or abandoned Vietnamese children, particularly children of U.S. fathers.” However, before proceeding with legislation to create a new administrative mechanism for this purpose, I 

believe th at you should consider what is already being done in this *

field.

W HA T IS BE ING DONE

The Government of Vietnam, through its Ministry of Social Welfare, already provides financial support to some 120 orphanages and 

136 day-care centers. Approximately 33,000 children receive assistance 

throu gh these institutions. In addition, the Ministry of Veterans Af ­

fairs provides financial support payments to over 400,000 orphans of 

deceased war veterans under the provisions of the Vietnamese disabled 

veterans, dependents, and war veterans law.

The U.S. Government assists in these efforts in a number of ways. 

Specifically, the Agency for International Development administers a 

program of providing surplus food under the provisions of Public Law
29

480, title II, to 922,000 Vietnamese children through school lunch programs, orphanages, and day-care centers. Dried milk, wheat flour, corn 

soya milk, bulgur wheat, and vegetable oil valued at $6.7 million are 

being provided this fiscal year. A somewhat large r amount will be 

made available next year to an estimated 1,186,000 children.

Since 1969, AID has been providing a modest amount of local currency assistance to the Ministry of Social Welfare for support of 

orphanages and day-care centers. Approximately 6 months ago A ID 

advised the Government of Vietnam that it was prepared to make 

available an additional 547 million piasters—equivalent to $1.3 million at the prevailing rate of exchange—for the expansion of existing 

and the initiation of new child welfare programs. Since that time 

the Ministry of Social Welfare has been working out the details of 

, this expanded program and I understand that the first portion of it

has now been signed in a formal agreement. This program covers assistance to and supervision of orphanages, expansion of assistance to 

day-care centers, improvement of facilities for juvenile offenders, additional training of child welfare workers, and social services in matern ity hospitals to prevent the abandonment of newborn babies. This 

will greatly expand the ministry’s budget for these purposes and will 

make this assistance available to a larger number of children.

Furthermore, while payments made to orphans through the disabled veterans law are financed through the Government of Vietnam 

budget, overall U.S. economic assistance has indirectly made this 

possible.

AID is also funding training in the social welfare field, largely in 

Korea and the Philippines, for 14 Vietnamese this fiscal year. Most 

of these Vietnamese will teach in the School of Social Work which 

graduated 98 social workers last year. By helping to train the staff 

•of the school, we hope to improve both the quality and number of its 

graduates.

D IF FIC U LT IE S IN AD OP TION OF VIE TNAM ESE C H IL D R EN BY U .S . C IT IZ EN S

Section 3 of S. 2497 contains proposals pertaining to the adoption 

of Vietnamese children by U.S. citizens. We recognize and appreciate

• the humanita rian concern that motivates many Americans in seeking to adopt Vietnamese children, particu larly those fathered by 

Americans. The difficulties, delays, frustrations, and disappointment 

encountered by Americans seeking such adoptions are well known.

* What is not always understood are the basic reasons for these 

difficulties.

Fir st, of the 10,000 to 15,000 racially mixed children which the 

Government of Vietnam estimates, mostly fathered by Americans, almost all of them are being taken care of by the ir Vietnamese mothers 

and the ir extended families. A recent estimate by the Government of 

Vietnam indicated th at among 18,000 children presently in orphanages 

there were only 300 racially mixed children.

Another difficulty lies in the Vietnamese adoption law and procedures which are based upon a concept of adoption and rooted in a 

legal system different from those prevailing in most of our States.

80-61 9—72------3
30

Another factor is the reluctance of Vietnamese to release Vietnamese children for adoption by foreigners in another country, which 

reflects the strong attachment which Vietnamese have for their children and the sense of responsibility of the extended family for its 

members.

The Vietnam Government considers that children born in Vietnam 

to Vietnamese mothers are Vietnamese children regardless of paternity or legitimacy. It provides social welfare benefits to them when 

needed, without racial discrimination, and insists th at foreign assistance be provided on the same basis. It opposes large-scale overseas 

adoption and approves such adoption only on a case-by-case basis when *

it determines that the best interests of the child will be served thereby.

In practice, this policy has sometimes been circumvented by foreigners 

working throu gh private Vietnamese lawyers who have not always 

followed the procedures set up to protect the interests of the children.

This has resulted in the Government of Vietnam taking a more rigid 

position toward observance of its regulations for intercountry adoptions, with consequent delays and frustrations on the part of Americans interested in adoption.

AID GRA NT OF $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 TO IN TE RN AT IO NA L SOCIAL SERVICES

In order to help alleviate this situation, AID has made a $100,000 

grant to a private U.S. organization, International Social Services—

ISS—so tha t it can expand its adoption counseling and referral services in Vietnam, with emphasis on American-fathered children. At 

present, ISS is the only voluntary agency officially recognized by the 

Vietnam Government for such service.

We hope th at this will facilitate the adoption process in the future.

We are also encouraging the Vietnamese to modernize the present 

adoption law and procedures, and a series of recommendations for 

such revision is now under consideration by the three ministries—Social Welfare, Justice, and Interior—with responsibilities for adoption.

RE LA TION SH IP OF SOCIAL WELFA RE PROGRAMS TO CO UNTRY’S ECONOM IC 

PROSPECTS

It is a truism tha t the social welfare needs of any country always •

exceed availabilities, and Vietnam is no exception. I n spite of what 

has already been accomplished there, the needs of Vietnamese children are substantial, in part because of the war and in part because 

Vietnam is a country with an average annual per capita income of $175. *

However, it would be of no benefit to the Vietnamese to encourage them 

to adopt programs which they will not be able to support themselves 

a few years from now.

The United States has been and continues to be extremely generous 

in su pporting humanitarian and refugees needs around the world, but 

our assistance will not be able to be continued forever. Therefore, 

it is necessary tha t social welfare programs, as with all programs 

which will add to the Vietnamese budget in future years, must be closely related to the overall economic prospects for tha t country, and U.S. 

assistance for welfare programs should be administered closely in 

conjunction with our economic aid.
31

LEG IS LA TIO N U N N ECESSA RY TO ACCOM PL IS H OBJE CTI VES OF S. 2 4 9 7

In view of the present Vietnamese-United States efforts in the child 

welfare field, it would appear to us to be unnecessary to enact legislation to accomplish the objectives stated in S. 2497. Specifically, the 

creation of a new agency for this purpose would only duplicate the 

present efforts of AID in this field. While much remains to be done, 

the principal restraints at this time are the administrative limitations 

of a government embarking on a social welfare program which is new 

to it. However, the Government has shown its capacity to take on new 

and complex tasks and carry them out effectively and I believe t ha t 

with some encouragement and financial support it will do so in this 

field as well.

With regard to the internationalization or multilateralization of 

child welfare services in South Vietnam, proposed in section 6 of the 

bill, the United Nations, with special funding by the United States 

and the Netherlands, has helped to establish a National School of 

Social Work and UN ICEF has provided material and financial assistance on a limited scale to the Ministry of Social Welfare's program 

of child care as well as its work in the child health field.

However, none of the U.N. agencies, including UN ICE F, have found 

it possible in the past to provide substantial assistance to South Vietnam in this or other fields for budgetary and security reasons.

Basically, we favor the internationalization of multilateralization of 

huma nitarian assistance to South Vietnam as soon as this is a feasible 

alternative to bilateral assistance, but it does not appear to be so now.

I hope th at this information is of assistance to the committee in consideration of this bill. I will, of course, be glad to respond to any 

questions which you may have.

Senator Symington. Thank you, Mr. Nooter.

IN FO R M A TIO N RE QU ES TE D ON U SE OF AID M O N EY IN LAOS

On the 21st of March I wrote Dr. Hannah, asking him about information we had obtained with respect to money going to the AID 

program in Laos which actually went to the Central Intelligence 

Agency to further our m ilitary activities in Laos. I have not received 

any answer yet. What assurance would you have, if we add money to 

the AID program, th at it wouldn’t be used for another purpose ?

Air. Nooter. Well, Senator Symington, in response to the first pa rt of 

your question, there will be a letter coming to you within the next day 

or so, and I understand there will be a hearing on th at question within 

a week or so and that will be dealt with fully. I trus t at that time we 

will satisfy you as to the questions th at were raised in your letter.

Senator Symington. You don’t dispute the fact this money was 

turned over for other use, do you ?

Mr. Nooter. Well, that is a rather complicated and involved subject 

which is not under my direct operating responsibility and I would 

prefer that the witness who will come up and testify deal with that, 

problem.

Senator Symington. T ask because you say you know an answer is 

coming up.

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.
32

Senator Symington. Thank you.

Mr. Nooter. We would, in this case, follow the procedure which we 

normally set up within AID for the use of funds. Those funding arrangements are subject to audits and reviews and those reviews provide the assurances th at you are seeking.

BU RNED CH IL D REN ON E RE AS ON FO R T U R N IN G AG AIN ST WA R

Senator Symington. I turned against this Vietnam war in the fall of 

1967, and said so on the Senate floor. One of many reasons was the 

burned children seen in the civilian hospital at Danang.

FIN A N C IA L TR OU BL ES IN T II E U N IT E D STAT ES

As you know, we are having our own financial troubles in this country. Our debt is already up from an estimated $11.6 billion, estimated 

to $38.8 billion, this year. Next year tha t debt is already estimated to be 

$25.5 billion for next year. There are many of us who for years have felt 

tha t the South Vietnamese Government could not exist—the present 

people who run the Saigon government could not control that country —without American support. Those who believed in and originated 

the concept of Vietnamization did not agree but it is becoming apparent, from what T read in the press, th at the South Vietnamese Government cannot continue without a ir support from the United States.

Now we are asking for millions of dollars to help these unfortunate 

children who have been hurt or have been created orphans, due to 

U.S. activities. Now we are destroying more of their land and their 

people. Is there any coordination of policy in this regard. If not. how 

long do you think the economy of the United States can underwrite 

both problems at one time, based on the recent devaluation of the dollar plus the general reaction in this country to what is currently going 

on in the Fa r E ast ?

Mr. Nooter. That is a far reaching question. Senator.

Senator Symington. Yes.

Mr. Nooter. Certainly the situation in the north ern part of South 

Vietnam that is going on right, now is creating new refugees and is aggravating the problems of the children in th at part of the country. We 

deplore the North Vietnamese m ilitary action that has caused that. I 

don’t think that we can control that action—this is something initiated 

by the other side.

SO UTH VIE TNAM ESE DEPE NDENCE ON U .S . EC ON OM IC AND M IL IT A RY AI D

It is true tha t the South Vietnamese will be dependent on us for economic and military aid for some years to come. I am not qualified to 

speak on the military aspect of the war but it is certainly our objective 

on both the economic and the military side to reduce the costs to the 

United States as quickly and as ra pidly as possible. In the economic 

program, our presentation this year to the Congress for funds states 

tha t we expect th at the fiscal year 1973 request will be the maximum 

request that we expect; that after that we will be able to show reductions. assuming a reasonable degree of security continues in tha t country. We will be able to show reductions in our economic aid, which can
33

go down and eventually phase out. We will try to reduce th at aid as 

quickly as we possibly can.

NORTH VIETNAM ESE DEPENDENCE ON OUTSIDE AID

I might also say tha t the North Vietnamese are also dependent on 

outside aid. They receive over a half billion dollars worth of economic 

aid from the Soviet Union and China and this is, I would simply say, 

a problem for a less developed country attempting to wage war— 

outside economic aid becomes a necessity.

Senator Symington. The North Vietnamese believe that they are 

part of South Vietnam. Th at is their basic premise, which this Government. disagrees with. I don’t think two wrongs make a righ t as far as 

the problems being given civilians, do you ?

Mr. Nooter. Well, I am sure every effort possible is being taken to 

avoid the bombing of civilians. We all know, of course, tha t in war 

civilians do inevitably suffer. I think we all realize that eventually 

there must be some more permanent solution than a continuation of 

the fighting there. I don’t think anyone condones war.

Senator Symington. Senator Cooper ?

COMMENDATION OF WITNESS

Senator Cooper. Mr. Nooter, I would like to say I appreciate very 

much your statement. I think i t is very well balanced. You were informative and helpful in tellin g us what we are doing now in the way 

of assisting orphans and what South Vietnam is doing. I also like the 

responses of yours to the last questions of Senator Symington.

U .s. ASSISTANCE FOR ORPHANAGES, DAY-CARE CENTERS

But on this question of assistance to these children, you stated tha t 

the Government of Vietnam, throu gh its Ministry of Social Welfare, 

provides financial support to some 120 orphanages and 136 day-care 

centers to serve 33,000 children. Are we assisting them now in providing funds for those orphanages and day-care centers ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir; we provide piaster funds tha t are generated 

under the AID-financed commercial import program to help the ministry make payments to those institutions. Most of them are private 

institutions and the government supports them with auxiliary 

payments.

Senator Cooper. Do you know what percentage of the costs the 

United States now provides ?

Mr. Nooter. Well, it is a little complicated because piaster counterpart funds are local resources which we have control over, but they 

serve the same purposes as i f they were voted within the Vietnamese 

budget. But let me get for the record the precise percentage.

(The information referred to follow s:)

U.S. Sha re of Local Support Costs

The Ministry of Social W elfare supports orphanages at th e rate of 600 piasters 

per ch ild/month and day-care c ente rs at the rat e of 200 piasters per ehild/month.

Between 70% and 80% of th e GVN budget comes from U.S. ge nerated counterpa rt funds.
34

DOES U .S . PR OV IDE FU N D S FO R ORPH A N SU PP OR T PA Y M EN TS?

Senator Cooper. You said also tha t the Ministry of Veterans Affairs 

provides financial support payments to over 400,000 orphans. Does 

the United States provide the funds to assist in tha t program?

Mr. Nooter. Not directly; no, sir. Those funds come directly from 

the Vietnamese budget itself without any allocation of U.S. support.

As I said in my statement, of course, the Vietnamese budget is able 

to do that because of our general economic support to the country so, 

therefore, indirectly we make that possible. But it is a need t ha t they >

have felt very strongly and the funds are provided under a law which 

they voted to deal with their veterans and veterans’ dependents’ 

problems.

Senator Cooper. I think it is evident the fact that we provide so- *

called supporting assistance as well as other economic aid programs 

that we probably support to a large extent these payments; wouldn't 

you say so ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir; indirectly we do.

Senator Cooper. Do you know now or could you provide for the 

record the cost of this program and how much is provided monthly to 

an orphan?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, si r; let me get that for the record.

(The information referred to follow s:)

Wab Orph ans Support Allowances

The form ula for calcula ting allowances for wa r orph ans which is based pri ­

marily on the father’s las t milita ry rank is as follows :

Pop ular Forces____________________ VN$ 300 per child per month.

ARVN sold ier to r ank of Corporal_____ VN$ 900 pe r child per month.

ARVN sold ier over rank of C orporal___ VN$ 1,100 per child per month.

In CY 1971, the Ministry of Wa r Veteran s estimates th at a total of VN$

8,261,638,000 was paid in allowances for widows and their 386.348 child ren 

of deceased military personnel. All wives and all legitimate children of deceased milita ry personnel or militar y personnel disabled to 60% or more are 

eligible fo r these allowances.

In addition to the above allowance, the orphans of milita ry personnel killed 

in combat are eligible for a special education al benefit of VN$ 400 per child 

per month. In CY 1971, 252,644 children received these educ ational benefits, 

estimated at a total of VN$ 930,528,000. *

N U M BER OF O RPH A N S IN V IE TNAM

Senator Cooper. You have stated tha t the United States is provid- •

ing surplus food to 922,000 Vietnamese children. I suppose t hat includes all of them; they are not all orphans, all needy children?

Mr. Nooter. That’9 right. Many of those are through school lunch 

programs.

Senator Cooper. Do you have any idea of—an estimate of how many 

orphans there are in Vietnam because of the war ?

Air. N ooter. The best estimate is t hat there are some 400.000 who 

are orphans, tha t is, who have lost one or perhaps both parents, as 

the result of their father being in the military service, and perhaps 

some 300,000 others who are not connected with military service.

Senator Cooper. 400,000 you believe are directly connected with 

the military of Vietnam orphaned because of the war?
35

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.

Senator Cooper. And 300,000 additional orphans ?

Mr. Nooter. Th at is correct.

PRO VISIONS FOR SUPERVISIO N OF PROGRAMS

Senator Cooper. As to the provisions for the supervision of these 

programs, I think all of us on this committee know—I don’t know any 

country in the world that wants our country to come into their coun-

* try, and run its programs. They all want the aid to be given to the 

program run by the government. Is that true in Vietnam ?

Mr. Nooter. I am not certain I understood the question, but we 

do operate through the government there and also through private,

• voluntary agencies—for example, the Internationa l Social Services, 

where we have provided a gra nt—so tha t they can expand th eir operations in that country.

role of u.n. agencies in assisting children

Senator Cooper. Does the Government of South Vietnam permit 

private agencies to operate day-care centers or food centers to assist 

these children ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes: they do authorize private agencies to assist them.

Senator Cooper. T o what extent are U.N. agencies giving assistance 

to these agencies—UN ICEF and others?

Mr. Nooter. UN ICEF has a program of support there. The ir p rogram level for this year is some $486,000. They have worked in the 

Saigon Ho spi tal; they have worked with rural health centers and 

they have worked on the trainin g centers for social workers.

The largest program in this field was helping the government set 

up a School for Social Workers. We made a substantial, special contribution to that effort, some $750,000 from the Un ited States for that 

purpose. It was handled through UN ICE F. They were the administrative agency.

Senator Cooper. Would you favor this type of assistance being a dministered totally by a U.N. agency? Of course, it would mean we

♦ would have to provide the money, which we always do.

Mr. Nooter. We have encouraged them to expand their program 

there and, as I said, did actually provide them with some supplemental funding. They do have some limitations on the amount of assist-

• ance they can provide, in part because of their lack of resources, and 

I suspect there are also some restraints within the U.N. against a 

large involvement in Vietnam.

Senator Cooper. You are familiar with the Bangladesh program: 

aren’t you ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.

ASS ISTANCE TO BAN GLA DES H HANDLED TH RO UG H U.N .

Senator Cooper. Isn’t it correct that with respect to assistance to 

the people of Bangladesh through food and otherwise tha t our aid, 

which was provided and which is provided to AID. is then sent to 

this special committee at the U.N ?

Mr. Nooter. I believe this was handled through the Un ited Nations.
Senator Cooper. This special committee then studies and determines 

what programs are necessary ?

Mr. Nooter. T hat is my understanding, although I am not familiar 

with the details of the program.

Senator Cooper. I think this is correct because I was told that by 

Mr. Maurice Williams of AID.

OTH ER COU NTR IES GIVING ASSISTANC E TO SOU TH VIE TNAMESE REF UGE ES, 

ORP HANS

Do you know of any other countries, other than through their contribution to the U.N., giving any assistance to the refugees or to the 

orphans in South Vietnam ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes. The Dutch have made a contribution in two cases, 

one through the U.N. and another through UN ICE F, for the School 

of Social Work.

The Germans and the United Kingdom have provided assistance in 

the child welfare field, but if you would permit me, I would rather 

provide something for the record in more detail on that.

(The information referred to follows:)

F ree W orld Assi sta n c e

In 1970, over $20 million in assistance was provided to Vietnam by over 20 

other countries. Of this amount, $3,080,143 was contributed for refugees, emergency relief and social welfare including orphans. The following countries contributed to programs in these areas through official and private channels:

Australia, Canada. Republic of China, Denmark. Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ita ly, Jap an, Cambodia. Republic of Korea, Malaysia, 

Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, 

and Vatican.

In addition to over thirty American voluntary agencies, more tha n 20 international voluntary organizatio ns and private agencies from other countries have 

been providing technical and material assistance for refugees and social welfare 

programs, most of which include assistance for child welfare.

REASONS FOR OPPO SING S. 24 97

Senator Cooper. You say you do not favor this approach provided 

by S. 2497. Can you give your reasons for opposing it?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir.

First, of course, nearly all of the things that are mentioned in the 

bill as programs -which could be carried out under it are areas in which 

we are already working. Furthermore, we think it is important that 

the work done in this field be integrated with what is going on in the 

rest of the country in the economic and social field. F or example, we 

have large programs of medical health which help children. Specifically, we have a project to deal with plastic and reconstructive surgery for children. We work with the school system. All of this relates 

to programs connected with children.

We think there is an advantage in having the particular programs 

which are visualized in this bill handled in the context of those other 

programs.

Also, in our AID program we have certain resources which can be 

directed to this purpose such as Public Law 480 and counterpart funds 

which, in that sense, are tied in with other governmental programs.
37

A separate agency working entirely by itself, while no doubt it would 

attem pt to coordinate, would raise certain problems of coordination.

Senator Cooper. That is all.

Senator Symington. Senator Aiken?

Senator Atkf.n . I have just a couple of questions, I would like to ask.

proposals for postwar reconstruction

Does AID have any active proposals for postwar reconstruction in 

Vietnam or the rest of Indoch ina ?

Mr. Nooter. We are working all the time, Mr. Aiken, on that very 

problem. We don’t have a single, set plan which we visualize as sta rting sometime in the fu tu re : but that economy has moved a long way 

already in spite of the military activities that are still going on there.

Senator Aiken. But you are expecting to have an active program in 

the postwar era, when that arrives?

Mr. Nooter. Well, we expect tha t our total economic aid will be 

able to decline but the shift will be from aid needed simply to carry 

on the war to aid for economic development purposes. Tha t shift is 

already taking place.

Senator Aiken. Technical and economic aid—and that is already 

taking place?

Mr. Nooter. Yes sir.

WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. AID PERSONNEL FROM VIETNAM

Senator Aiken. 1 notice Senator Williams, in his statement to the 

committee, says, and I quote:

Now, as AID is with dr aw in g most of its wo rkers fro m Vie tna m, * * *

Is AID now withdrawing most of its workers from Vietnam?

Mr. Nooter. We are reducing our American personnel there, but the 

total financial aid is not yet declining. We think t ha t we can car ry out 

the things tha t are importa nt to do at this point in time with less 

Americans in the country but we don’t think th at will reduce the effectiveness of the program.

Senator Aiken. Senator Williams is correct when he says AI D is 

now withdrawing most of its workers ?

Mr. Nooter. Well, we are reducing a t the rate of perhaps 15 or 20 

percent a year. I would say that is not exactly “most,” but we are reducing as quickly as we can.

Senator Aiken. Bu t not reducing the financial contribution-----

Mr. Nooter. Well, our total-----

Senator Aiken (con tinu ing). For this purpose?

Mr. Nooter. Our total economic request for AID this year is somewhat increased this year from last year. As I mentioned to Senator 

Symington, we believe tha t future requests will decline from that level.

CONSISTENCY OF AID WITHDRAWAL WITH POSTWAR PROGRAM QUESTIONED

Senator Aiken. I wonder if the statement that you are planning an 

active postwar program is consistent with withdrawal of most of the 

AID personnel at this time ?

Mr. Nooter. I think it has to do-----
38

Senator A iken. Consistency is not required, you know, on Capitol 

Hill, but we do expect it of governmental agencies. [Laughter.]

Mr. Nooter. Well, we will be sh ifting our programs; we will be reducing in some areas that the Vietnamese will be able to take over, such 

as they have been in the field of medical care and refugees. We will be 

reducing the AID funded component to the pacification programs, but 

we will be increasing our support in some other areas. Certainly in this 

area of child welfare we will continue to fund at the level we think is 

appropriate for the requirements.

Senator Aiken. Does your tentative program include Cambodia as 

well as South Vietnam ?

Mr. Nooter. Our program in Cambodia is structured on quite a different basis. There, of course, we have come in principally to provide 

them with the emergency, short tenn economic aid they need in view 

of the tremendous dislocations caused by the war in tha t country. We 

do not have technical assistance programs there of the same kind that 

we have in Vietnam and, as a m atter of policy, we have attempted not 

to become involved in the details of the internal operations of tha t 

country, any more than absolutely necessary.

Senator Aiken. Does the tentative AlD program include North 

Vietnam ?

Mr. Nooter. The only information I have on tha t is that, as you 

know, the President mentioned tha t there were some discussions, in 

global terms, of possible aid to North Vietnam in the event of a cessation of hostilities.

Senator Aiken. Well, T think it does anyway and has for the last 5 

years, but the war isn’t quite over yet. We hope that will be over very 

soon.

Th at is all.

Mr. Nooter. Thank you.

Senator Symington. Senator Javits? Senator Percy has been here 

for some time.

Senator Percy. Senator Javits ?

Senator J avits. No, Mr. Chairman. Than k you very much, but I 

just happen to be here for another purpose. I am orienting myself into 

the bill. I yield to Senator Percy.

refugees growing in crest of new offensive

Senator Percy. Mr. Nooter, taking into account the new offensive 

now in the north, and the shift of the war up in tha t area below the 

DMZ, can you give us any idea as to what planning is being done now 

for child care, for additional orphans th at will be caused by that, offensive, and the adequacy of the Vietnamese Government’s facilities in 

that area with the very large amount of refugees growing in the crest 

of that offensive ?

Mr. Nooter. As you know, tha t whole situation is very fluid now, 

but we do have reports th at both the Vietnamese refugee staff and our 

own refugee staff are on the spot. Refugee aid is going forward. We do 

have a report tha t the food supplies in the area are considered adequate. We have estimates that refugees are being generated at a fairly 

rapid rate and more are expected.
39

Senator P ercy. Can you give us any idea o f h ow heavy the flow is? 

Ar e they jus t moving 20, 25 miles ahe ad of the offensive or are they 

being ale rted and moved ou t in advance fa rt he r dow n the line?

Mr. Xooter. Th e only r ep orts we ha ve at th is tim e are that th e people from Qu ang Tri Provinc e are moving down into the Hue area. 

Some 18,000 were generated as of a few day s ago, bu t the y were estimating th at th at nu mb er might be as h igh as 100,000 wi thin the week. 

Generally , to my knowledg e, the y are staying up in th e n or thern area. 

There has not been a gen era l exodus fro m Hue on fa rt her south. Of 

course, th at might change dep endin g on the military situatio n.

NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE CHILD REN FATHERE D BY AM ERICAN SOLDIERS

Senat or P ercy. The estimates va ry a grea t deal as to how many 

Vietnamese children hav e been fat he red by Am erican sold iers, ra ng ­

ing from 10,000 to 200,000. Tha t is a pr et ty wide estimate. Ca n you 

narro w this down any ? Do you have any official estimate as to wha t the 

extent of the problem really has been ?

Mr. Xooter. Th e only estimate we have is th e Government estim ate 

th at there might be 10,000 o r 15,000. B ut, I mu st say I am sure t hat is 

an app rox imatio n and I don’t know any way to------

Sen ator P ercy. W ha t is your own pr ivate guess as to wh eth er it is 

a very conservative figure or a realistic figure ?

Mr. Xooter. 1 have no p ar tic ul ar basis to question it. I wou ld think 

th at with the lar ge Am erican presence there fo r so many years th at 

the num ber would be sub sta ntial, bu t I rea lly do n't have any basis 

lo r Blinking tha t that numb er is either h igh o r low.

INTEREST IN PROBLEM

Senat or J avits. W ould the Se nator allow me to just make one observation ? I have been to Vietnam many tim es, and because one of m y 

secretaries is the fa iry god mother of the An Loc orp hanage outside 

of Saigon, I have ha d quite a lot to do with th is p roblem. I mu st say 

th at I am very pleased th at Senator W illiam s has b ro ug ht our at te ntion to it. I certa inly wou ld like to tell the witnesses th at alt ho ug h I 

am in no position to question the m or pa rti cipa te effectively today— 

I just have not read into it—I will certa inly look at it wi th the gr ea test. sym pathy.

Thank you, Senato r, very much.

IS LEGISLA TION OPPOSED BECAUSE PRESENT PROGRAM IS ADEQ UATE?

Senat or P ercy. As 1 unders tan d, your testim ony and t he position o f 

the admi nis tra tio n is sym pat het ic with the objectives of the admi nis ­

trat io n; you conclude th at bas ically you favo r internationa liz ation 

or mu ltilat era liz ati on, bu t you do not see th at this is fea sible; and 

then yo u re ite rat e wh at is bein g done now.

Tn effect, are you say ing th at you oppose the leg islation because 

you feel th at the prog ram th at is now being offered is adequa te?

Mr. X ooter. Well, our position s ugges ting th at th is le gis lation need 

not be passed is based on the fact t hat we think the prese nt ar ra ng ements are ade qua te to achieve the purpo ses th at th e bill seeks to 

achieve. I would be relucta nt to say wh at is being done is fully ade-
40

quate for the reasons tha t I mentioned in my statement. Obviously, 

there is a lot that needs to be done but if I could pu t that in perspective: This Government was fighting for its survival in a very fund amental way from about 1965 to 1969. It then began to turn to the 

broader needs of its citizens at the time when the war appeared to be 

stabilized somewhat. They have made good progress in the refugee 

area where they have developed a staff tha t is quite competent and 

capable. They don’t always perform perfectly but on the whole they 

do a very good job. They have expanded their school system to where 

some 92 percent of their primary age children are now in school, in 

spite of the war. They have expanded medical care. The whole notion 

of social welfare is relatively new to them and is not a very well established concept in Asia, as you know, but they are now working on 

this. Their stall' is small and limited but they are working on it and 

they are expanding it; and we have indicated we are willing to provide the funds tha t will help them expand these programs as they 

expand th eir staff.

NO BEN EF IT IN ADOPTING PROGRAMS VIE TNAM ESE CA N’T SUPPO RT

Senator P ercy. I fully concur with the purpose and essence of your 

statement tha t it would be no benefit to the Vietnamese to encourage 

them to adopt programs which they will not be able to support themselves a few years from now. 1 think tha t principle should be 

established.

Do you put this bill in th at category, that it would start programs 

which could not be and would not be supported by the Government a 

few years from now ?

Air. Nooter. Well, not necessarily, but people who are charged with 

a single responsibility such as child welfare could conceivably pursue it with a rather narrow focus. I am not saying tha t they would; 

it would obviously depend on the people who would administer it. 

They may do it in an admirable way, but there is a danger in having 

a program with a rather narrow focus that could proceed to the exclusion of other considerations.

WORLD ATTIT UDE TOWARD VIE TNAM

Senator P ercy. You have a very telling statement at the conclusion 

of your statement, which might give us an insight into the world att itude toward Vietnam when they have to put something up for humanitarian purposes. You say you favor internationalization and multilateralization b ut it does not appear to be a feasible alternative now. 

Why is this? Why will not the world community—which is rallying to 

the assistance of a new problem at Bangladesh—why will the world 

community not rally to the humanitarian needs in South Vietnam ?

Mr. Nooter. There are experts within the State Department who 

have the function of making these judgments, but I can speculate. 

This is a war which has divided many of the nations of the world. 

Some of the major powers which are involved are lined up on opposite 

sides. Obviously, th is raises serious political problems for the United 

Nations.

In addition, there are the problems of staffing and budgeting, the
41

difficulty of recruiting people to go to war zones and so on, which also 

plays a role.

Senator Percy. I n essence, aren't they really saying to the United 

States, “This is your baby and you take care of i t” ? And we are going 

to expect that attitud e for many years to come ?

Mr. Nooter. Right.

Senator Percy. Even at the conclusion of the war, we are going to 

have to bear the major part of this cost out there.

Mr. Nooter. I believe that that is the case; yes, sir.

Senator Percy. I n other words, it is a very unpopular area to get 

huma nitarian funds even for children because of the nature of the 

conflict ?

Mr. Nooter. I will say there has been a lot done in the human itarian 

area on a bilateral basis, and the U.N. does operate there. I don’t mean 

to denigrate the ir program. They have a program there of about the 

size tha t would be true of that country if there were no war. They are 

not shorting it because of the war but it is also tru e that they have 

not made an extra effort because the war is going on. But there is a 

long list of 30 or 40 countries which have provided assistance to Vietnam and most of it is in the humanita rian field, for hospitals and a 

whole variety of medical and social welfare purposes.

STREET URCH IN PROBLEM IN VIET NA M

Senator Percy. I have not been out to Vietnam for several years 

now. Is th e street urchin problem as intense a problem as it used to be 

or as a result of many of these programs—day-care centers and other 

things—is it now somewhat relieved ?

Mr. N ooter. Mr. Askew was serving out there until very recently 

and perhaps he can answer that.

Senator P ercy. Yes.

Mr. Askew. Senator, I can't answer your question with statistics, 

only on the basis of my own personal impression.

I am afraid the problem still exists, th at there are abandoned children in the streets. As was mentioned while Senator Williams was 

testifying, a good many private endeavors have been engaged in try ­

ing to help these boys. He mentioned specifically Dick Hughes.

I thought it would be of interest to you to add that not only does 

Dick Hughes give those children a roof over their heads at night, but 

he also has gotten most of them to go to school so th at they are not 

really all the time on the streets anymore. B ut the problem does exist. 

The children are, of course, eligible for the Government-supported 

orphanages, so I think it would be fai r to say tha t the Government 

does contribute or make available some help for the children.

I have the general, personal impression, Senator, that the problem 

is smaller than it was perhaps a few years ago.

Senator Percy. I am glad to hear that.

DAY-CARE CEN TERS

My last question pertains to day-care centers, a much discussed subject here in the United States and a point of contention between the 

legislative and the executive branches of Government. I take it from
42

your testimony that the Government of Vietnam is strongly supporting day-care centers in South Vietnam?

Mr. Xooter. Yes, they do, and the expanded program which we have 

indicated we would support, and have encouraged them to take on, 

would increase the aid to day-care centers.

Senator Percy. We encourage that activity ?

Mr. Xooter. Yes, sir.

Senator Percy. And U.S. funds are used to help support day-care 

centers in South Vietnam?

Mr. Xooter. Yes; that is correct. These are counterpart. r

Senator P ercy. They are not worrying about the socialization of the 

children th at will result as a result of coming out of institutional care 

as a cost of remedial care? You don't have to answer that.

Mr. Xooter. I recognize----- *

Senator Percy. I wouldn't want to embarrass you, but let me just 

say 1 have been quite amused to go to the military bases in this country, one very large one in the center of Illinois, just after the statements were made about socialization of day-care centers, and I find 

the military officers very proudly saying yes, they have a fine day-care 

center, that any officer or enlisted man can send their children to tha t 

day-care center so that mother can be free to work and free of the 

responsibilities and get excellent care and supervision. The only difference I find is that on the military base I went to recently, it was 25 

cents a day per child. I am not sure you can set one up on a commercial 

basis so there must be some governmental money going into supporting. you might say, socialization of those children.

But I think your testimony has been very helpful and I have gained, 

as a result of it, a better insight into many of the things tha t we are 

doing—some of the details of which I had lost track of since I had been 

out there. Thank you very much.

Mr. Nooter. Thank you.

Senator Symington. Thank you, Senator.

ADOPTION OF PROGRAMS VIETNA ME SE UN AB LE TO SUP POR T NOT 

ADVANTAGEOUS

Mr. Xooter, you say it would not be of advantage to the Vietnamese e

to adopt programs which they will not be able to support themselves a 

few years from now. What do you mean by that ?

Mr. Xooter. I mean by tha t, tha t programs which they might be 

encouraged to take on, which would lead to built-in budgetary costs w

which, with U.S. aid no doubt decreasing in the future, will have to

be supported by them. Obviously those programs must be in line with 

their own capacity to support. Therefore, things which we might believe they should do this year and next year when our involvement is 

still very intense and our concern is very great may be out of order 

with what they 'will be able to support la ter on. This is a limitation, 

and the Vietnamese, at least some portions of their Government, p articularly their budget bureau, is aware of tha t limitation and therefore scrutinizes all of these programs very carefully.

Senator Symington. If it is true that we will not support them 

forever, using your own word, isn’t it important for us to attempt to
43

get as much multilateral aid as possible into the picture as soon as 

possible ?

Mr. Nooter. Yes, sir; we favor that.

Senator Symington. One more comment: You said w’e were doing 

everything to protect the civilian population. There have been pictures 

on television of hundreds, thousands, of people, old people, children, 

all types of people, moving down the roads. As you know, there are 

few roads in Vietnam; tha t is one of the logistic problems. Route 1, 

for example, is the way to travel in the part of the country now getting 

the full m ilitary brunt. I noticed last night an officer on television who 

said the roads were loaded with tanks and other equipment.

U. S. MILITAR Y PO LIC Y ON AT TA CK ING CI VI LIAN LOADED ROADS

Do you know of any policies we have about not attacking military 

equipment coming down the road if said roads are loaded with 

civilians?

Mr. Nooter. I believe the Defense Department really would be in 

a better position to answer that.

Senator Symington. I than k you for your testimony, and would 

hope we can work out something to help these u nfor tuna te refugees.

COMMENDATION OF WITNESS

Senator Percy. Senator Symington, would you mind my commenting that T think it is very interesting that we have a fellow manufacturer with us who, for 15 years, was a manufacturer in the g reat 

State of Missouri, and who has foregone business, as we did, and 

spent the last decade in government. Before th at he ha d a fine record 

in education and served on the school board and so forth. I thin k it 

is a fine tribute to the way we run our Government to have a man 

who has given up his private life to go into this very important work, 

and I thin k it reflects in your testimony this morning.

Mr. Nooter. Well, than k you, Mr. Percy.

Senator Symington. I associate myself with the remarks of Senator 

Percy. Mr. Nooter and I have been friends for many years. He has 

come into this business of government in an effort to contribute to 

solving the problems; but t ha t does not necessarily mean I agree with 

instructions given to him as to how to solve said problems.

Senator Pell?

Senator P ell. No questions.

Senator Symington. Than k you very much, Mr. Nooter. I look 

forward to talking with you again.

The next witness tha t we have is Mr. Wells C. Klein, Internation al 

Social Service. Mr. Klein have you a statement ?

STATEMENT OF WELLS C. KLE IN. GENERAL DIRECTOR, INTE RNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE, AMERICAN BRANCH, INC.

Mr. Klein. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Would you like me to read the statement ?

Senator Symington. Would you read it?
44

Mr. Klein. I will, sir, although I would like to make some observations on it afterward, if I might.

My name is Wells Klein. I am the general Director of the American 

Branch of Internatio nal Social Service. I welcome the opportunity 

to speak in support of S. 2497, a bill to assist in improving the welfare 

of children in South Vietnam and to facilitate the adoption of orphaned and abandoned children.

WOR K OF IN TERN A TIO N A L SO CIAL SER VIC E

ISS addresses itself to the needs of these children out of a 50-year 

history of concern for those who have been forcibly displaced by wars, 

political and economic upheavals, and natural disasters. ISS was established to provide direct personal help to women and children caught 

in the tidal waves of immigration following the First World War. 

This goal of serving the most vulnerable members of our complex 

society remains steadfast. Even today, the ISS staff devotes over 75 

percent of its program to problems surrounding the welfare of children. Each day we provide service relating to guardianship and custody 

disputes, adoption planning, child immigration arrangements, and 

counseling related to the financial support for minor children. The 

special competence of ISS is an ability to provide, in each case, the 

dynamic collaboration of our own trained staff with child welfare 

workers in a hundred other countries to resolve a problem presented 

to us by local public and private agencies in the United States on 

behalf of their clients.

It was this competence which led IS S in 1966 to respond to the need 

for an intercountry social service program in Vietnam. Our office 

was established as an indigenous agency under international supervision to provide the counseling needed by Vietnamese, as well as 

Americans assigned to Vietnam. In the 6-year period since tha t date, 

the staff has arranged for the adoption of orphans and planned the 

migration and travel of many children whose American fathers wished 

to bring them to the United States.

Because ISS is also a national agency, the Vietnam staff has taken 

a cooperative role with the M inistry of Social Welfare and other voluntary agencies in responding to the needs of all children, not only 

the relatively few who were a part of ISS intercountry casework activity. And, frankly, the needs are so great as to be difficult to describe 

except in cold statistics.

We ask you to include as part of the testimony of this agency a 

paper titled “The Special Needs of Vietnamese Children,” revised 

February 1972, which was prepared under the auspices of ISS.

(The information referred to follows:)

“T h e Spe cia l N eeds of Vie t n a m ese Ch il d r en—a Cr it iq u e”

(By Wells Klein. General Director, International Social Service, 

American Branch, Inc.)

In recent months there have been mounting publicity and expressions of concern regarding the welfare of children in South Vietnam—particularly those 

fathered by Americans. It is apparent tha t the general public is becoming increasingly concerned with these children and is looking for ways to be of assistance. 

However, like many considerations relating to Vietnam, this question is emotion-
45

ally laden and much of the information disseminated in this country about children in Vietnam is e ither erroneous or exaggerated.

In an attem pt to place the question of American-fathered children in a realistic 

perspective and suggest some useful channels through which public concern can 

be expressed, ISS convened a meeting in Wash ington on July 19tli, 1971 to conside r the "S pecial Needs of Vietnamese Children.” Although no formal consensus 

was arrived at by the partic ipa nts, some of the information developed at the 

Conference and some of the actions taken since July will be of intere st to those 

concerned with children in Vietnam.

T H E STA TU S OP CH IL D REN

* Par t of the confusion relating to Am erican-fathered child ren derives from lack 

of accurate info rmation as to the numbers involved and their acceptance in Vietnamese society. A lthough no ac tua l count of Am erican-fathered children has been 

take n, estimates by the Vietnamese Ministry of Social Welfare, as well as by 

American and Vietnamese v oluntary agency personnel and others, place the to tal

* number between five a nd fifteen thousand. It is impor tant to note th at most of 

these children are living with their mothers and families at the present time.

This is a relatively small group among the child ren in Vietnam, but one that 

can be identified and appears to have special problems. However, it is important 

to realize th at these children cannot be considered separately from other Vietnamese children. Their condition reflects the general problems of children in a 

country at war with limited resources for child welfare services. The children 

with American fathers are pa rt of Vietnamese society, and the ir culture and life 

style will be determined by th at society as long as they remain within Vietnam. 

Also, these children, born of Vietnamese mothers in Vietnam, are Vietnamese 

citizens and any consideration of their future requires recognition th at the Government of Vietnam does not differentia te between racially mixed and other children. The Vietnamese have a deep sense of responsibility towards their children 

and the Vietnamese Government is not inse nsitive to the special problems th at 

racially mixed children may face. However, the Government is reluctan t to see 

them furth er differen tiated from their siblings and other child ren by being 

tre ated as a group apa rt.

Some furth er sta tistics may be useful in placing the question of children in 

perspective. There are some 120 registered orphanag es in Vietnam caring for 

approximate ly 19.000 children. In addition, there are ano ther 40 (an estimate) 

unregis tered ins titu tions carin g for abo ut 6.000 additional children—a total of 

approximately 25,000. While these 25,000 children are in ins titu tional care, the 

term “orphanage” is misleading. Well over 50% of the children are neither orphans nor abandoned. They have families or close relatives, and have been placed 

in orphanag es because of economic difficulties or because their families are in 

movement around the country as refugees or milita ry dependents. Children left 

in orphanag es a re frequently reclaimed by th eir mothers or relatives when fam ily 

circu mstances permit. Despite more tha n 25 years of war, the Vietnamese ex-

* tende d-family is still a strong institu tion.

Almost all of the orphanages are organized and supported by private groups. 

Those th at are registere d with the Vietnamese Ministry of Social Welfare receive monthly payments amounting to ap proximately $2.00 per child. Over the past 

five yea rs a number of orphanages have also received sub stantial help—food. 

» clothing, financial assistance and equipment—from American servicemen. This

assistance will be reduced and in many insta nces totally discontinued as American 

troops are withdrawn. A serious and immediate problem is the development of 

sub stitute sources for this essential support.

Although physical and child c are facilities in orph anag es are significantly better tha n seve ral years ago, they still remain poor in many areas. Medical care is 

minimal and access to educ ational opportunities, even at the elementary level, is 

often unavaila ble. The infant mortal ity rate in institutions is very high—some 

estimates are as high as 90%. This ra th er alarm ing st ati stic is the resu lt o f: (1) 

poor infant care facilities and staff resources; and (2) the often moribund condition of in fan ts brought to the orphanage. The future, for those th at do survive, 

is not brig ht from a medical viewpoint.

Of the 25,000 children in institutio nal care, fewer than 1000 appear to have 

American fathers. About half of these are Negro-Vietnamese children. The re80 -619— 72
46

maining, and vast majority of the American-fathered children are living with 

their Vietnamese mothers and families interspersed among th e general population.

One of the primary concerns in our own country rega rding American -fathered 

Vietnamese child ren is the question of their acceptance in Vietnamese society. 

Vietnam has a history of contact with other racia l or ethnic groups inclu ding the 

French, Chinese, Khmer (Cambodian) and Indians. As a result of Vietnam’s 

colonial experience, the Caucasian-Vietnamese child is not a new phenomenon. 

Unlike Korea, and, to some extent, Japan, Vietnamese culture does not place gr eat 

emphasis on racial purity.

It is nevertheless difficult to predict what degree of acceptance the CaucasianVietnamese children will face growing up in Vietnamese society where lightskinned inf ants are thought to be the most attrac tive. There seems to be a consensus th at the Caucasian-Vietnamese child will face few difficulties because of 

his racially-mixed background during preschool years, partic ula rly in urban 

areas. Once a Caucasian-Vietnamese child ente rs school, however, the re is some 

indication th at he may have problems relating to his peers, though such problems 

may result as much from the implication th at th e child is illegitim ate or that his 

mother was a prostitute, as from the fac t of racial mixture itself. Much of this is 

conjecture hnd many Vietnamese are unclear as to the f utu re sta tus of the Caucasian-Vietnamese children.

Prognosis for the Negro-Vietnamese child is quite different. There is general 

agreement among Vietnamese that the part-black child will encounter m any difficulties because of his color. The experience, and present social position, of children father ed by French-Senegalese troops during the 1945-1955 period would 

seem to bea r out this contention. Stated simply, the part-black child in Vietnam 

faces dim prospects because of his color. Furthermo re, because the re is no black 

community in Vietnam, he will grow up and live in relativ e social isolation.

Concern is being expressed in some circles in this country regarding the possible effects of f utu re political events upon the attitud es o r acceptance in Vietnamese society of children father ed by Americans rega rdless of race. In the absence 

of any evidence on this, the answer to such questions can only be a matt er of 

speculation, and if raised at this stag e may not be to the best intere st of any 

Vietnamese child of mixed parentage.

In viewing the special needs of Vietnamese children, including those fath ered 

by Americans, it should be borne in mind th at Vietnam is now in its 27th yea r 

of almost uninterrupted wa rfa re and th at it is also, in the world spectrum, one 

of the poorer natio ns with no well established system of social welfare services. 

Social secu rity and provision for socially dependent members of society has 

always been a concern of the extended family and, to a lesser extent, the immediate community. With the impact of 27 years of war, tradit ion al patterns 

of social welfare are no longer capable of caring for the now vast numbers of 

dependent persons. Fo r example, in add ition to American -fathered and ins titutionalized children discussed above, there are several hundred thou sand children 

who have only one rema ining pa rent (usually the mother) or more dis tan t relatives upon whom to depend for car e and sustenance. In addition, there are tens 

of thousands of other people—the aged, wounded, widowed—who cannot care 

for themselves because of the war.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

Vietnamese and foreign voluntary agencies provide a significant share of existing child welfare services in Vietnam. These range from institu tional care 

to medical treatment, day-c are services, dire ct financial assistance, and programs 

which support the child with in the family structure. Though the volu ntary 

agencies provide valuable assistance and demonstrate good child care services, 

they offer relatively lim ited and geographically uneven coverage.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Social Welfare has a very small budget and has 

not yet developed a comprehensive child welfare plan to augment the role of 

the extended family. The Ministry contributes nominal support to orphanages 

and day-care centers, and ha s some programs to rehabilita te juvenile delinquents 

and to house the street boys. The bulk of its programs, however, are direc ted 

towards care for refugees and l>enefits for civilians suffering injury, loss of 

their homes, or death as a res ult of the war.

The United States Government, through the Agency for Int ern ational Development (AID), provides some techn ical assistance to the Ministry of Social
47

Welfare and major material assistance for refugees. A substantial number of 

these are children, and they directly benefit from U.S. Government programs. 

While child welfare needs in Vietnam have had low priority in United States 

Government programs and funding, it is nonethless true that substantial Food 

for Peace commodities (surplus food) have been made available to orphanages, 

day-care centers, and other recipients recognized by tin* Ministry of Social 

Welfare. Also, as discussed below, the U.S. Government has recently agreed to 

allocate about two million dollars in local currency for expanded child welfare 

services in Vietnam to be carried out through the Ministry of Social Welfare. 

However, there has been no consideration of continued funding beyond calendar 

year 1972.

INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS

Intercountry adoption of American-fathered Vietnamese children is one form 

of assistance tha t has received a good deal of attention in the United States. 

Numerous American couples and interested groups see intercountry adoption as 

a specific and meaningful way to assist Vietnamese children.

Over the past years there have been various programs to send Vietnamese 

children abroad for adoption, medical care, or special educational opportunities. 

Some of these enterprises were clearly ill-conceived. After several unfortunate 

experiences and attendant unfavorable publicity, the Vietnamese Government— 

in 1969—issued a decree barring any group or mass emigration of children. 

While this decree did not directly affect case-by-case iutercountry adoption, it 

tended to make such adoptions more difficult and very slow.

Vietnamese law, which must be followed in intercountry adoptions, requires 

tha t adoptive couples be married ten years, be childless, and that one partn er be 

over 30 years of age. Prospective parents not meeting these requirements must 

secure a special waiver signed by the President of the Republic before they can 

adopt a child from Vietnam. Present procedures affecting the issuance of passports also requires that children be legally adopted within Vietnam prior to their 

departure overseas. Vietnamese authorities are currently reviewing a proposed 

revision of the adoption law which would relax these provisions. The new law, 

still under review, places greater emphasis on providing a home for a child, 

rath er than a child for a home. It also provides more realistic safeguards for 

children being adopted either locally or abroad.

As with many people, the Vietnamese are ambivalent about intercountry adoption. While they see it as a meaningful solution to the needs of specific children, 

pride of culture, nationalism, and perhaps resentment of foreign involvement— 

all rather understandable—are factors tha t may tend to inhibit intercountry 

adoption from Vietnam. While it is true tha t a number of adoptions are taking 

place from Vietnam to Europe and the United States each year, most of these are 

going through private channels and do not involve social agency participation 

either a t the Vietnam end or in the country of the adoptive parents. As might be 

expected, a number of bad placements have resulted, including instances where 

children were placed abroad for adoption without their parents’ knowledge or consent. The Vietnamese Government is very sensitive to these facts. Unfortunately, 

until there is adequate intercountry adoption service available in Vietnam, misplacements will probably continue to occur.

With this background, i t is obvious tha t the Vietnamese Government will not 

be willing to see large numbers of intercountry adoptions, whether we agree or 

not, even though they may permit and even encourage adoption on a case-bv-case 

basis where adequate safeguards are available for the children. When one considers that fewer than a thousand American-fathered children are now in institutional care, and th at many of these may not be legally available for adoption, it 

is apparent tha t intercountry adoption is a realistic alternative for only a relatively few part-American children. Thus, concern for children—including this 

special group—must by and large be exercised through programs of assistance in 

Vietnam.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN VIE TNAM

At the time of the French withdrawal from Vietnam in 1954 there were tens 

of thousands of French-Vietnamese children whose future status was in question. France has historically recognized children bora of one French parent as 

having the right to French citizenship regardless of place of birth and whether 

or not the child’s parents were legally married. After 1954 many of these children
went to France as French citizens and were provided with special institutional 

care funded by the French Government. In addition, the French established special educational and other programs of assistance for French-fathered children 

staying in Vietnam. Even today there are some 400 French-fathered children 

receiving special schooling in Vietnam with assistance from the French Government.

The historical relationships of France and the United States to Vietnam are 

decidedly different, as are our respective legal systems with regard to paternity 

and citizenship. It has been suggested that the United States establish special 

programs for American-fathered children in Vietnam along French lines. Under 

such programs the United States would provide educational, medical, and perhaps financial assistance to American-fathered children without requiring that 

they come to the United States for adoption.

On the surface, at least, this suggestion would seem to have merit. It is, however, unacceptable to the Vietnamese Government which would have the final 

say on any such program. Also, there are many who believe that special programs 

for part-American children would tend to exacerbate the problems these children 

face by setting them up as a special priviliged group—thereby working against 

their welfare.

In a letter dated July 9, 1971 the Minister of Social Welfare stated :

“My Ministry’s policy is not to distinguish racially mixed orphans from the 

others, for the former, although they are racially mixed, are Vietnamese-born 

citizens. Therefore, my Ministry has no intention of establishing separate orphanages for racially mixed children for this would have a traumatic effect on them."

The Ministry’s position as expressed here and referred to earlier in this paper 

not only applies to orphans but to consideration of all racially-mixed children.

Aside from this official view, following the French pattern of special programs 

also raises problems in terms of the children's welfare. Most of the Americanfathered children are living in Vietnamese families and have full Vietnamese 

brothers and sisters who would not benefit from special assistance. If special 

programs were established, they would identify and isolate the American-fathered 

child who. by and large, must grow up and make his home in Vietnam.

Thus, lioth because of the views held by the Vietnamese Government and the 

impact such special programs would have on the children, this approach to the 

welfare of American-fathered children is unacceptable. Whatever we do for 

American-fathered children in Vietnam must be done for the broader group of 

disadvantaged and dependent children, including those having American fathers.

ALT ER NATI VES

It is apparent from a review of existing programs that, to date, child welfare 

has a low priority in South Vietnamese and United States Government plans for 

the future. In fact, both Governments seem to be relying on the voluntary agencies 

for new and improved, as well as existing, services. This reliance, however, is 

unrealistic. While a number of American and International voluntary agencies 

have provided useful child welfare assistance, and will continue to do so, the 

private agencies have increasingly scarce resources and can, at best, reach only 

a limited number of children.

With these considerations in mind, following the July 19tli Conference, five 

voluntary agencies—Catholic Relief Services, Church World Service, Foster 

Pare nts Plan, International Social Service, and the Urban League—met with AID 

and White House officials to urge tha t the United States Government provide 

priority and reasonable funding for child welfare services in Vietnam, to be 

channeled through Vietnamese institutions—particularly the Ministry of Social 

Welfare. The agencies were not urging massive funding. We talked in terms of 

three to five million dollars, a small expenditure, indeed, given our responsibilities 

and our commitments of funds to other purposes.

While the agency representatives did not discuss specific program details, we 

were suggesting such areas of need as: (1) the prevention of abandonment of 

newborn infants: (2) improved institutional care; (3) improved infant care and 

medical services: (4) programs tha t would encourage and facilitate reunion of 

families; and (5) efforts to keep children within family settings. We also emphasized the need to channel augmented child welfare funds through Vietnamese 

government and voluntary agency structures to stimulate long range capacity to 

provide needed services. A final recommendation was tha t the United States 

Government look for m ultilateral mechanisms (e.g. UNICEF) through which to
49

chan nel assista nce oil the assumption th at child welfare needs will continue for 

some time, while direct A merican aid programs may not be as welcome in f utu re 

yea rs as those und er inte rna tional auspices.

These representations to the Adm inistration were made in late July and early 

August. In October the Adm inistration agreed to allocate approximately two million dollars in local currency for child welfare services in Vietnam for 1972. We 

like to think that this resulted, at leas t in part, from the representatio ns made 

by the voluntary agencies.

Initia tives on beha lf of Vietnamese child ren are also being taken in the Congress. Over the yea rs Congress, and in pa rticular Senator Kennedy and the Subcommitte e on Refugees and Escapees, has shown gre ater sensitivity to the needs 

of the civilian population and the human consequences of wa r than either the 

Democratic or Republican Adm inistrations. In recent months several bills have 

been introduc ed to Congress on behalf of Vietnamese children, especially in response to concern for American-fathered children. The most comprehensive of 

these. S. 2497, intro duc ed by Senators Williams, Hatfield, and Hughes on September 8th, stat es t h a t:

(1) . . . the United States h as a moral responsibility to a ssist the Government 

of South Vietnam in the care and protection of all South Vietnamese children, 

particular ly those orp haned or abandoned, and

(2) . . . the United States has a special responsibility to ass ist in fac ilitating 

the care or adoption of children in Vietn am whose fat hers are United Sta tes citizens a nd who are no t living w ith t he ir V ietnamese families.

This legislation and its companion House bills call for the establishment of 

a tem porary Vietnamese Children’s Care Agency to provide assistance to children thro ugh the Ministry of Social We lfare and volu ntary agencies, and to 

facil ita te the adoption of Vietnamese children. The bills also reques t the President to determine wh at mu ltilat era l mechanism can be utilized to channel 

continuing child welfare assistance. They sta te th at the Vietnamese Children's Agency will be discontinued once mu ltil ate ral channels have been established.

Any piece of legislation represen ts a compromise, and these bills may not 

represent all thin gs to all people concerned. They are, however, major new 

ini tia tiv es and deserve careful consideration. The Williams-Hatfield-Hughes 

bill has been ref err ed to the Senate Fore ign Relations Committee, and it is 

important th at it receive hearings in the near future , both to determin e 

wh at add itio ns or modifications may be desirable and to move th is important 

response to a c ritical s ituation through the legislative process.

Even though today may be the eleventh hour in term s of our opportu nities 

to assis t children in Vietnam, there is clearly concern in this country to do so. 

The voluntary agencies operatin g child welfare programs need direct financial 

support from the public. Theirs is an important role which must be maintained and w*hich is presently endangered by lack of money. However, the volun tary agencies cann ot go it alone. The American Government must also step 

in and provide continuing assistance thro ugh Vietnamese ins titu tions—e ithe r 

by means of legislative initia tiv e or thro ugh a policy decision within the Admin istr ation. We still have an opportunity to recognize our responsibilities in 

this area. But, time is growing very short, for us, and for some children in 

Vietnam.

SUPP ORT FOR S. 24 97

Mr. Klein. The autho rs of S. 2497 share the concern of voluntary 

agency personnel for these children and the legislation before you 

today is a measured and thoughtful response providing a responsible 

impetus for child welfare programs in Vietnam, or approximately 

7,700.000 children—UNICE F. Thousands of these children are among 

the one-third of the tota l population that has been forcibly removed 

from their homes and villages by hostile action or planned relocation. In other words, the client group for whose well-being this 

legislation is introduced, is enormous. It would be hard to substantiate a claim that enough has been done by any government or any 

voluntary agency.
General child welfare programs cannot be conceived and carried 

out in short order. This legislation provides the flexibility needed 

for planning and setting into motion vital child welfare services by 

not establising an unrealistic deadline for the life of the Vietnam 

Children’s Care Agency.

We urge that, funding for the agency be considered on a 3 to 5 

year basis. With out this assurance, no meaningful, lasting steps can 

be taken to establish new patterns of child care and educational 

facilities or to develop Vietnamese leadership at every level of children’s services.

The provisions of this bill go beyond a planned enriching of 

present programs for refugees, orphaned, or war-injured children 

to encompass programs and services for all children. We strongly 

support this approach. Tn a country that has been a battleground 

for 20 years, surely all of its children are war victims.

We support the approach outlined in S. 2497 to strengthen existing 

services and develop new ones, namely, to provide financial resources 

through the Vietnamese. Ministry of Social Welfare and others so 

tha t the Vietnamese role in child welfare services may be enhanced. 

The range of programs and activities for which moneys may be allocated is comprehensive, reflecting the needs. We would, however, 

recommend that the limitation in section 2(d) be removed, the revision 

to read as follows:

‘“Not less than GO percent of the funds appropriated to carry out 

the. provisions of the act shall be used for the purposes specified in 

subsection (b) of this section.”

We endorse the recognition in section 3 of the role which intercountry adoption can play through serving as another option for orphaned 

children. We would like to urge that the 10-year age limit imposed 

in this section be revised upward to 14 years to be in conformity with 

existing U.S. immigration law governing the admission of eligible 

orphans.

We fully appreciate the stand of the Vietnamese Government toward intercountry adoptions. ISS firmly supports the position that a 

child is much better off in his own country regardless of the altruistic 

desires of concerned couples living abroad. For this reason, we have 

continually supported the development of foster care schemes and 

youth hostels and subsidies for one-parent families. T hat is why we 

so strongly support this legislation. However, it is unrealistic to ignore 

the facts.

There are hundreds of children who probably have little, hope for 

a local home or academic or vocational training. We believe IS S has 

a unique responsibility to try to find homes for them on a case-bv-case 

basis. It is a heartbreakingly slow process because of myriad regulations and formalities, but. it is the only way to assure meaningful protection for the child.

Among those who need special consideration are physically handicapped or war-injured children, part-Amerjcan children who have 

been irrevocably abandoned by their Vietnamese families and there is 

reason to conjecture that a high percentage of these are part-black. In 

this group, too, we would include children who have developed a deep 

emotional tie with an American and whom the American and his 

family wish to adopt.
51

Section 5 requests tlie President of the United States to "undertake 

negotiations with the United Nations or such other multilateral organizations” to assume the function of the temporary child care agency 

called for in section 2 “as soon as practicable.” This is a sound procedure which insures the continuation of child welfare programs 

begun initially as a U.S. effort. I t provides for a future time when a 

direct U.S. Government presence may be undesirable. But the children will still bear the marks of our deep involvement.

DOES UNIT ED STATES HAVE RESP ONSIBILITY TO CHILDREN NOT BEING MET?

I suppose that the basic question to which this committee must address itself is “do we have a responsibility to the children of Vietnam 

which we are not now meeting?”

Representatives of voluntary agencies sitting in this committee 

room today can affirm tha t the American people do not thin k enough 

has been done. Evidence of the ir compassion and desire to do more 

is seen each day in letters and phone calls requesting infor mation on 

how individuals can help to support the children in an orphanage, 

send baby vitamins to a malnutrition center, pay for foster care, 

adopt an orphaned part-American baby. And yet we all know tha t 

private giving is not enough to initiate or sustain the nationwide child 

welfare schemes needed in Vietnam.

The provision of S. 2497 calls for a public commitment backed with 

tax moneys to help the Vietnamese build a future for their children. 

Internatio nal Social Services. American branch, urges tha t this legislation be adopted as soon as possible, 'l ime is running out for some 

of these children every day.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator P ell (presiding). Thank you very much indeed, Mr. Klein.

Then you had, you said, some other comments you wanted to make?

IS LE GIS LA TIO N NEC ES SA RY?

Mr. Klein. Yes, sir; I have jus t returned to the United States from 

Bangladesh and I had a chance the day liefore yesterday to talk with 

our regional director in Hong Kong under whom the Internationa l 

Social Service program is handled, and it seems to me that there are 

really two basic questions involved here; (1) is legislation necessary, 

and (2) is the legislation before the committee today the best vehicle.

If I might spend a minute. I woidd like to comment on these two 

questions from my own experience in Vietnam which dates back to 

1954. During these 18 years I have worked in Vietnam for several 

private voluntary agencies and for the U.S. Government.

There can be no question of U.S. public interest in the problems of 

children in Vietnam. The press, television, the public media in general have shown this concern over the last 10 or 12 months. The 

interest is in American-fathered children and children in general.

The need of children in Vietnam is very clear. Mr. Nooter in his 

testimony mentioned the figure 400,000 orphaned children or halforphaned children. This is a lot of children and it is clear tha t the 

American public does feel a concern for them.
The war is continuing in Vietnam but one of the things affecting 

the children is the fact of withdrawal of our troops. This may seem 

contradictory. The United States has had its Mylais in Vietnam, but 

there was also a great deal of assistance given to children and orphans 

in Vietnam bv American troops.

Our total troop strength was over 500,000 troops at one time, this 

resulted in significant assistance going to children. Our troop strength 

is way down now, and the amount of assistance given by the American 

GIs is drastically reduced. There are no substitute resources available. 

This is having a major impact on institutionalized children in 

particular.

There is also the fact th at the Vietnamese Government itself is unable to handle the present large problem of socially dependent children. They do not at this point have the technical competence nor the 

personnel to do this and also they obviously do not have the funds.

The voluntary agencies have been active in Vietnam since 1954, but 

most dramatically since 1965-66. These were American voluntary 

agencies and international agencies. The voluntary agencies can innovate, they run pilot projects, but they cannot carry the whole burden of providing child welfare services.

I might add at this point tha t the administration’s response to the 

current concern and needs of children in Vietnam is very heartening. 

ISS is appreciative of the gran t tha t we have received to help our 

program in Vietnam, and we are cognizant of the fact that the administration has allocated a significant sum of piasters for child welfare services.

I would like to come back to this part in a moment, if T may.

Finally, I think there is a clear need tha t somebody undertake a 

direct but sensitive effort to help resolve some of the myriad complications involved in adoption of children from Vietnam. This is provided for in the legislation before this Committee.

IS S. 24 9 7 BEST VE HICL E FOR NEEDS BEING CONSIDER ED?

I would now like to turn my attention to whether this particular 

piece of legislation is the best vehicle for the needs we are considering.

As I read S. 2497, it breaks into three separate parts: One relates to 

adoption of children from Vietnam. There is no problem with processing adoptions in Vietnam so far as U.S. immigration laws are concerned. The problems are in Vietnam and the bill calls for negotiations with the Vietnamese Government to help resolve some of these 

difficulties. It is, as I said earlier, a painstaking, heartbreaking process 

and there are many adoptions taking place, because the process is so 

complicated, that do not provide maximum protection for the children. There are cases on record where the child has been damaged for 

lack of proper service and proper care being provided in the adoption 

process.

The second element of legislation, as I read it, deals with the special 

child care agency and the range of services called for to be carried 

out bv this agency. The administration has shown very fine initiative 

by providing piaster funds for the development and expansion of 

child welfare services in Vietnam. Up until this initiative, this ad-
53

ministration and previous administrations had not included child 

welfare services in prio rity funding.

The problem is tha t children are children for more than a year, 

and child welfare services cannot be started and stopped like the 

turning on and off of a faucet.

The present allocation, as I understand it. is a 1-vear allocation 

and it is in response to concern expressed by the American public 

for the welfare of children in Vietnam. There is no assurance—again, 

this is speculative on my part—that additional appropriations will be

* made in future years when the question of the welfare of children 

does not have such prominence. Yet children continue to be children, 

and if programs are to be effective they must be carried on more than 

a year-to-year basis.

* Therefore, I would suggest th at a legislative approach to this problem is necessary in order to provide continuity for services to children 

in Vietnam.

The question of whether a special agency is necessary or not is a 

difficult one. 1 do not th ink it makes any difference to my agency, or 

perhaps to some of the other voluntary agencies, whether a continuing 

program of child welfare services is carried out through a special 

agency set up for this purpose or through already established agencies.

However, in viewing, if you will, the track record of present agencies in the area of child welfare and social welfare over the years, 

I and my colleagues feel th at it would be more effective and a greater 

guaranty of continuity would be provided if a special agency was 

established for this purpose.

Also, the special agency would have the advantage of being able to 

work directly with the Vietnam Government in a one-to-one capacity 

without having to relate its concern to the multiplicity of other concerns th at are involved in U.S. Government policy in aid to Vietnam.

Fina lly, I would like to draw the committee’s attention to the last 

part of the bill, the question of multilateral assistance. It seems to 

us tha t this is a primary question. Again, children are children for 

more than 1 or 2 years; there is no telling how long the U.S. Government will be in a position to provide direct child welfare assistance 

or other assistance to Vietnam. Yet the children remain there. I think

* it is clear tha t we have an obligation to provide assistance and I think 

it is clear that in the long run this assistance, with American funding, 

can be best provided, and the goals of this legislation and our concern, 

can best be met by channeling aid through multilateral mechanisms

* which are not dependent upon the political exigencies of the moment.

In all, Mr. Chairman, I thin k that the piece of legislation before 

this committee now is a well-reasoned approach to a problem th at is 

of great concern to the American public and of even greater concern 

to large numbers of children in Vietnam.

The funding level which has been discussed, on the order of $5 

million a year, is very, very small if compared with commitments 

of other funds to Vietnam. This legislation would provide a Congressional mandate to do something concrete for children in Vietnam 

where many of us feel we do have a responsibility. To many of us 

this bill represents the best response to tha t responsibility.

Thank you.
NUMBER OF CH ILD RE N INVOLVED

Senator Pell. Thank you very much indeed. Mr. Klein.

Would your view be t hat the total number of children involved 

is 400,000? Poes your estimate coincide with the Government’s?

Mr. Klein. None of us is really in a position to come up with exact 

numbers. The number 400,000 seems reasonable for a total number 

of children who are either fully or partially orphaned. But. as Mr. 

Nooter said, some of these are partially orphaned. The key is there 

are large numbers of socially dependent children regardless of whether 

they have one or two parents.

Senator Pell. What would be your estimate of the number of 

children in Cambodia and Laos or would you have any views on 

those who have been dislocated as a result of the war ?

Mr. Klein. No, sir; I have no experience in those two countries.

NIN ET Y PER CENT OF IN FA NT MOR TALIT Y

Senator Pell. I also understand it has been said there is a 90-percent 

figure when it conies to infant mortality; is that correct ?

Mr. Klein. Tha t is correct. It needs some interpretation, though. 

Taken alone it implies that 90 percent of the children that come into 

an orphanage die, and this is not true. Nor is it true that 90 percent 

of the children in orphanages are doomed to short lives. The estimate 

of 90-percent infant mortality relates to abandoned children and it 

must be noted tha t the children who are abandoned are often in a 

moribund state when they arrive at the orphanage.

Senator P ell. When you say moribund, you mean dead ?

Mr. Klein. Close to death. I saw one child last Jul y tha t looked 

more like an anthropoid than a human and had only a few hours to 

live. T think the 90-percent figure of infant mortality must be tempered 

by an awareness of the very poor physical condition in which most 

abandoned children are found.

SOCIAL POS ITION OF C HILD FATH ERE D BY AM ERICA N SOLDIER

Senator Pell. What is the social position in Vietnam of a child 

who is fathered by an American soldier? Is it better or worse than 

if his sire was a Vietnamese ?

Mr. Klein. I t is worse th an if his father was Vietnamese. I think 

we have to break this down into two group s: One, a child whose father 

was a white American. Because Vietnam has a long history of contact 

with other cultures, other races, particularly the hundred years of experience with the French, in urban areas this child at least in preschool years, will probably not have a particularly difficult time. What 

happens when it gets of school age is another question.

In urban areas there has been experience with the white-fathered 

Vietnamese child. It is my opinion that the part-Caucasian child will 

not face particular discrimination on the basis of racial heritage. However. the fact tha t he has a white father may suggest to his peers, other 

schoolchildren, that his mother was a bar girl, a prostitute, and therefore, tha t he is illegitimate. There may be discrimination on moral
55

grounds and he may have a difficult time on the basis of this as impugned from the fact tha t his father was white.

The black-fathered child is another thing entirely. One can refer 

back to the children born of French Senegalese troops during the 

1953-54 period. Those children, as young adults, do not have a secure 

position in Vie tnam; they are essentially ostracized. It is the ir obviously dark skin which causes them to be shunned by the community. 

They don’t have much of a life, and I fear that the same will apply 

to the part black American child. This is one of our greatest concerns.

* Senator P ell. What would be the typical job of a Vietnamese whose 

father was a Senegalese, French Foreign Legionnaire?

Mr. Klein. Senator, I have asked that question, and I have had 

difficulty gettin g an answer. I have not gone into it intensively, but I

* have had difficulty locating or finding or seeing any of the male offspring. They may have gone to France; they may be hidden away 

somewhere in the woodwork; anyhow, I have not seen them.

Large numbers of the female children, now in the ir twenties, are, 

or were, bar girls, along the waterfro nt in the area tha t was most frequented by black Americans. I don’t like to use the word “discrimination” but I don’t think there is any question but th at the black-fathered 

child will face serious discrimination in Vietnam.

Senator Pell. I thank you very much indeed for your sensitive and 

very eloquent testimony.

Mr. Klein. Thank you for the opportunity to testify, Senator.

Senator Pell. Our’next witness is Mr. Joh n Schauer, of Church 

W or ld Se rvice.

Mr. Schauer. Mr. Chairman.

Senator P ell. I know you have a fairly long statement here. I 

w’onder if you wanted to put it in the record ?

Mr. Schauer. I would suggest that I might summarize the sections 

rather than to read it and request that it be included in the record.

WELCO ME TO ALL VOLUNT EER AGENCIES PEOP LE

Senator Pell. I would also like to—if I might inte rrup t here as an 

individual—welcome all the voluntary agencies people who are here.

* I recognize some old friends among them and, as a former representative of the voluntary agency here in Washington, I was looking for 

crumbs from the Federal Government and not getting them in any 

agency very often—I welcome you all and am very glad to be in the

* same room with these representatives.

STATEMENT OF JOHN W. SCHAUER. DIRECTOR. IMMIGRATION 

AND REFUGEE PROGRAM, CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

Mr. Schauer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My name is John W. Schauer and I am the director of the immigration and refugee pro gram of Church World Service.

Church W orld Service represents the humanita rian social concerns 

of 30 constituent Protestant and Orthodox communions of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United S tate of America, coordinating and operatin g programs on the ir behalf in relief,
assist ance to refugees, dis ast er response, reh abilitat ion , and self-help 

developmental pro gra ms in 40 countries in Asia, A frica, Lat in A me rica, the Middle Ea st, and Europ e. We resp ond to acu te human need, 

to refugees, victims of dis aster, th e hu ng ry and the homeless, witho ut 

reg ard to race, creed, or g eog rap hic location. These p rogram s are implemented throug h a close frat er na l relationship with the Com mission on In terchu rch Aid. Refu gee an d Worl d Service of the World 

Council of Churches located in Geneva, and with ind ige nous chu rchrelated agencies an d Natio nal C hrist ian Councils in relief wo rk aro und 

the world.

The immigra tion and refu gee prog ram of Churc h W orld Service 

has l>een ch arged with the responsibility o f child we lfare concern s in 

deali ng with the needs of the child, pro tection of the c hild, and su ppo rt of the child welfare pro gra ms by the churches, othe r vo luntary 

agencies, and gove rnme nt. We were deeply conc erned about the p roblems of chi ldr en in Korea and wou ld like to note th at we h ave h ad — 

been able to provide to the Minis ter of He alth and Soc ial Affai rs of 

Ko rea a con sultant and adviser, Dr. Charles Ch ak erian who, since 

1961, has been actively related to th e wor k in concern fo r th e children 

of Korea. The problem s are not ide ntical to those in Vi etn am b ut can 

be closely related to them . We wo rk in Vietn am in a coo perativ ely 

structur ed relief, reh abilitat ion , and developmental prog ram which 

is sponsored and fun ded by Ch urch W orld Serv ice, Lu th eran World 

Relief, an d th e Me nnonite Ce ntral Com mittee.

At the presen t time Churc h W orld Serv ice is admi niste rin g this 

pro gram.

Vietnam Ch ris tia n Serv ice (V NC S) is staffed by a num ber o f overseas personnel rep res enting eigh t countries. Las t ye ar VN CS ha d 

103 Vietnamese on the staff. A t the begin nin g of th is y ea r t here were 

133 Vietnam ese w ork ing on the staff.

I note in the testimony th at we a re not o nly in Saigo n bu t thr ou gh ­

out the provinces of Vie tnam an d then ind ica te th e kind of work relat ed to ch ildren th at is done specifically in Saigon.

GU IDE LIN E DEVELOPED BY CH UR CH WORI.I) SERVICE

Ch urc h W orl d Service has developed gu ideline s wh ich are app licable 

no t only to Vietnam bu t also t o Banglad esh an d Bia fra an d all o ther 

are as where children are concerned ; and I would like, i f I m ay, sir , to 

rea d them.

The children of Vietnam and the ir needs should be se parated from any political 

ideologies.

Every efforf must he exerted to enable a child to remain within his own family 

unit and culture.

Emergency and immediate solutions to individual problems of homeless children may be effectively met by temp orary institution al care. However, every 

effort should be made to reunite families, to provide fo ster homes care, and to encourage indigenous adoptions. Long-term institution al care should be considered 

onlj* a fte r every o ther approach has been exhausted.

Not only the child who is a civilian war casualty but all children should be 

afforded every opportunity for medical care and rehabilita tive trea tment in his 

own country by the expanding of medical facilities, by exchange medical teams, 

and by training of indigenous personnel. Children should be removed to other 

countries only when it. is indicated that this is in the child's best intere st medically, psychologically and socially, and when his right to return is assured.
In te rc ountr y ad op tion s sh ou ld be co ns id er ed on ly under th e m os t ex ce pt io nal 

'c ir cu m st an ce s whe n it i s in th e b es t so lu tion fo r th e c hild, th e ad op tive p a re n t and 

th e c ou ntr y o f o rig in.

Im ag in at iv e and cre ati ve ef fo rts m ust be m ad e to ass is t ch ildre n of m ix ed 

ra ci al pare nta ge to in te g ra te in to hi s co m m un ity an d cult ure by de ve loping a 

•clim ate o f a cc ep ta bility f o r e ac h ch ild as a C hild o f God.

PROG RA M SU PP OR TE D BY V IE T N A M C H R IS T IA N SE RV ICE

CWS has been most cooperative in working with the American 

Council of Volunteer Agencies in calling a conference on the needs of 

Vietnamese children in 1966, and we note in the testimony the guidelines and principles of child welfare concern of ACVA. Likewise CWS 

was supportive and active in the program of the conference which was 

called by International Social Service (American branch) in J uly of 

this past year, dealing with the special needs of the children of 

Vietnam.

The Vietnam Christian Service was approached by the Social Welfare Ministry of Vietnam at the close of last year to assist in a program 

which had as its prio rity the following:

R etu rn in g o rp han s to th eir r ela ti ves’ h o m es;

Pro vid e he lp to ne ed y wo me n in m ate rn it y hosp ital s to pre ven t ch ild ab an donm ent ;

A sc ho la rs hi p pro gr am to he lp ne ed y fa m ilie s se nd th e ir ch ildre n to sc hool;

Ree du ca tion p ro je ct s fo r pre del in quen t ch ildre n ;

A ss ista nc e to ci vi lian widow s— re habil it ati on, vo ca tion al tr ain in g, job pla ce ­

men t, ph ys ic al re habil it ati on, et cete ra ;

Sup po rt p ri v ate org an iz at io ns to ass is t widow s and orp han s to in cr ea se th eir 

livin g st an d ard s th ro ugh n onin te re st loa ns .

This is a program VNCS has supported and reflects the kind of 

work which I indicated was spelled out earlier in the testimony.

CONSI DER ATI ON OE S. 2 49 7 APP RE CI ATE D

Mr. Chairman, we are appreciative of the consideration tha t the 

Foreign Relations Committee is giving to this legislation introduced 

by Senators Williams, Hatfield, and Hughes 2497.

It is gra tify ing to note that this legislation in.tiallv addresses itself 

to the establishment of a temporary Vietnam Children's Care Agency 

which will have far-reaching effects in the development of policies and 

programs for the present and future child welfare concerns in Vietnam. All too often in the past, under the exigencies of the war, the 

massive movement of people and the ensuing problems related thereto, the child and his needs have been relegated to a very low position 

in the priorities of the Vietnam Government as well as the Government of the United States.

C H IL D R EN OP M IX ED RA CI AL PA RE NTA GE

We appreciate that for the first time the United States acknowledges 

responsibility for children of mixed racial parentage as a result of the 

presence of U.S. Armed Forces and supportive units. I would like to 

underline, sir, this would include civilians as well as members of the 

Armed Forces.

There are no exact census figures of the number of mixed racial 

children in Vietnam from the 300 mixed racial children who are
5S

among the 18,000 children in licensed orph anages in Vi etn am ; how ­

ever, in stu die s th at have been made, pro jec tio ns th at can be draw n 

and the numb ers cite d by the Vietnamese Gover nment , we find th at 

they prob ably num ber between 10,000 an d 25,000. Th ere has been 

repo rte d in tfie pres s estimates of ove r 400,000 mix ed racia l child ren 

an d th is seems unreasonable, alm ost lud icrous, because th is would be 

ap prox im ately 2 p erc ent o f the po pulat ion of Vie tnam. Al thou gh t he 

numb er of mixed rac ial child ren ma y ap pe ar to be small when you 

bre ak it d own to 10,000 or 25,000 th is does not eliminate the problem s 

th at the child mu st face as he seeks acc eptance in Vietnamese social, 

cu ltu ral, political, an d economic l ife.

For many, especially the mix ed rac ial child of black an d Vi etnamese. origin, may find his only so lution is ad optio n overseas.

It h as been the experience of C hu rch W orld S ervice th at in spite of 

the emphasis of inter countrv or ph an adoptio n, th is does no t resolve 

the problem for man y mixed racia l ch ild ren who mu st remain in th ei r 

co un try to grow into adolescence an d matur ity . I t was fou nd th at 

th ro ug h pro gra ms of training , t hr ou gh e ffor ts to cha nge attitu de and 

mores, the mix ed racial child ha s been able in some measures to gain 

a deg ree o f acceptance. Fo r example, in the Ko rea n Tim es of J uly 18, 

1971, the re ap peare d an art icle en titled “ Mix ed Blood A thletes E m ergin g, '’ d ealin g with the presence of stud ents at th e un iversit y who were 

ou tst an ding tra ck and baseball stars.

Ch urch World Service and Vietn am Chr ist ian Ser vice wou ld deem 

unw ise a prog ram whi ch wou ld be devised an d imple me nte d so as to 

assist the mixed racial child in such a w ay th at he wou ld become even 

more identified wi thin Vietn am as the rec ipi ent of special consideratio n and assistance. He much ra th er sho uld be inc lud ed in the total 

child we lfare concerns of the na tio n and sho uld receive equal benefits 

wi th all the child ren of Vietn am with ou t dis cri mi natio n. Th e leg islatio n which is bei ng co nsidered plac es him wi thin the g enera l purview 

of ch ild welfare and social we lfa re concern s th ro ug h the ch ild ren’s 

car e agen cy which is an imagina tiv e, cre ative an d responsible ap ­

pro ach to child w elfare problem s.

INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION

We n ote the bu dget im pli catio ns of s up po rt fo r intercou ntry ad op ­

tio n being 10 percent, an d we thin k th is wo uld place in im proper per ­

spective the program th at is needed in Vie tnam.

We would like to note, Mr. Ch air man, th at Ch urch W orld Service 

does not prom ote inter co un try o rp ha n adoptions as a pr im ary solu tion 

to the social we lfa re pro blems of a na tio n's ch ild ren althou gh it may 

resolve an indiv idu al ch ild 's problem. Ra th er, g uid ance is being given 

to su pp ort indigenou s agencies, up gr ad in g social we lfa re procedures 

an d practic es and inv olv ing governm ent in facing res ponsibi lity 

towa rd this social problem .

RECOMMENDATIONS

We would like to recommend, Mr. C hai rm an :

That pr io rity concern be giv en to t he special needs of the child ren 

of Vietnam.
Tha t the children of mixed racial parentage be included in consideration in any program of child social welfare in Vietnam without 

special discrimination or identification.

That every effort be made to strengthen indigenous voluntary child 

welfare agencies w ithin Vietnam through the training of personnel, 

in establishing criteria and standards, and long-range planning.

Tha t Church W orld Service and Vietnam Christian Service pledge 

their suppo rt to the above objectives and in partn ership with indigenous and foreign voluntary agencies serving in Vietnam and with the 

Ministry of Social Welfare, with the Government of the United States, 

other particip atin g governments, and intergovernmental agencies to 

develop, to support, and to strengthen the implementation of a sound, 

responsible child welfare program.

We recommend th at any program should be structured through the 

United States/Vietnam Governments and if possible in coordination 

and cooperation with intergovernmental agencies to insure the assistance to the children whose lives have been disrupted by this war until 

the Vietnamese themselves are able to support such a program.

Mr. Chairman, we thank you.

(Mr. Schauer's prepared statement follow s:)

P repa red Sta te m ent of J o h n W. Sch au er

Mr. Chairman, my name is John W. Schauer and I am the Director of the 

Immigration and Refugee Program of Church World Service.

Church World Service represents the humanitarian social concerns of thirty 

constituent Protestant and Orthodox Communions of the National Council of the 

Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., coordinating and operating programs on their 

behalf in relief, assistance to refugees, disaster response, rehabilitation and selfhelp development programs in forty countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, 

Middle East, and Europe.

Church World Service responds to acute human need—to refugees, victims of 

disaster, the hungry and the homeless—without regard to race, creed, or geographic location. These programs are implemented through a close fraterna l 

relationship with the Commission on Interchurch Aid. Refugee and World Service of the World Council of Churches located in Geneva and with indigenous 

church-related agencies and Protestant national Christian Councils throughout 

the world.

The Immigration and Refugee Program of Church World Service serves on 

behalf of the constituent denominations as the coordinating and operational 

agency in Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. Since World War II. Church World 

Sendee has resettled 195,682 refugees and escapees, assisting them to find a new 

and responsible life in our country.

In addition, the Immigration and Refugee Program has been charged with 

the responsibility of chilfl welfare concerns in dealing with the needs of the 

child, protection of the child, and support of child welfare programs by the 

churches, other voluntary agencies and government. As early as 1961, a survey 

team of child welfare experts composed of Leroy Bowman, Benjamin A. Gjenvick, and Eleanor T. M. Harvey surveyed the situation in Korea and Hong Kong 

and published the team’s findings and recommendations in a document entitled 

“Children of Tragedy.” As a result of this study and its recommendations, 

Church World Sendee added to its staff Dr. Charles Chakerian, Pli.D., ACWS, 

as its Social Welfare Consultant whose expertise in child welfare concerns has 

been shared with the churches, communities and governments throughout the 

world hut especially in Korea. As a result of his work while in Korea. Church 

World Sendee was invited at the beginning of 1967 to make his expertise and 

services available to the Minister of Health and Social Affairs as an advisory 

member of his staff as well as to the Social Development Planning Committee.

It is interesting to note that reports which began with “Children of Tragedy” 

progressed to “Concerns, Responsibilities, Opportunities” to “The Changing 

Scene” to “Children of Hope” to “From Rescue to Child Welfare.”
VIETNAM CH RI ST IA N SERVICE

Vietnam Christian Service is a cooperative structure d relief, rehabilitation 

and development program of Church World Service, Lutheran World Relief, 

and Mennonite C entral Committee with Church World Service c urrently administering the program. At the beginning of 1071, the re were 53 overseas personnel 

on staff representing 8 countries. At the close of the year, there were 39 overseas personnel which included 29 from the U.S.; 5 from Canad a; 2 from Japa n; 

1 from Germ any; 1 from Netherlan ds; and 1 from Norway. There were 133 Vietnamese on staff which represents an incre ase in Vietnam staff from 103. It is a 

Vietnam Christian Service policy to develop indigenous leadership and responsibility.

During the past year the Vietnam Christian Service had workers in Saigon 

and at eleven other locations in South Vietnam—Di Linli T ung Ngiah, Nha T rang, 

Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku, Dak To, Quang Ngai, Tra Bong, Tam Ky, Da Nang and 

Dong Ha and Can Tho. At these locations projects have been carried out in the 

are as of medical services, social welfare, housing, community development and 

ma terial aid distribution.

Among the child welfare oriented programs and projects of the Vietnam 

Christian Service during 1971, may I cite in Saigon the following;

I. Preventio n of child abandonment

Thre e Vietnamese social work ers (with the help of an overseas social work 

adv isor) conducted a program at Saigon’s Tu Du and Hung Vuong and Bien 

Iloa Maternity Hospitals, working with m others who were considering abandoning their new born children. Through materia l aid, financial assistance, job 

placement assistance, and ref errals to other social agencies, they helped mothers 

with social and financial difficulties to seek workable solutions to the problems 

of an unwanted child.

II. Retur n children to their homes

VNCS loaned one overseas and one Vietnamese social worker to the Ministry 

of Social Welfare to work with one Vietnamese social cadre in setting up a 

program in cooperation with orphanag es in the Saigon, Gia Dinh, Cholon area. 

The purpose of the program was to remove those children from orphanages who 

have families that, with financial or other assistance, were able to take the ir 

children back into the ir homes. Arrangem ents have been made for 47 child ren 

to return to their homes so far.

II I. Occupational therapy

Two Vietnamese occupational the rap ists were loaned to the plastic surgery 

convalescent center affiliated with Clio Ray Hospital. They worked with over 

100 children who were preparing for or recovering from plastic surgery.

IV. Social service project—National Rehabilita tion Insti tute

VNCS assisted in the hiring of a Vietnamese social worker (and also provided 

a social work advisor) to direct the Social Work Department of the National 

Reh abilitation Insti tute in Saigon. A limited social service program was developed ; and the Departm ent was instrum ental in training the social work staff for 

three other government reha bilitation fa cilities in Vietnam.

V. School medical referral

A VNCS Vietnamese social work assis tan t assigned to the National Rehabilitation Ins titute coordinated a medical ref err al program in cooperation with the 

Saigon public schools. She a rrange d for a physical therapist to conduct exam inations in the schools, assisted during the examinations, and followed up on his 

referr als to help the children receive the a ppropriate medical attention.

VI. Field placements for schools of social work

The Social Service Pro jects in Saigon served extensively in 1971 as field 

placements for social work studen ts from the Carita s school of Social Work 

and the National School of Social Work. VNCS overseas and Vietnamese social 

work staff served almo st continuously as superviso rs for studen ts at these 

schools.

VII. Vietnam Christian Service Social Service Centers' Programs

1. Literacy—To assist children who did not have opportunity to attend school 

and to help a few get into school.
61

2. Kindergarten—To prepare children for public school and give them a head 

start.

3. Education assistance program—Financial assistance to poor children for 

attendance a t elementary school.

4. Family-child assistance—Assistance to poor families to allow an older child 

in the family to receive vocational training and generally help the family become 

self supporting.

5. Library—Opportunity for children in the area to come in and read, and 

take books home for reading and study.

6. Social services—Provided assistance with birth certificates, other legal documents, counselling, referrals to other agencies, etc.

» 7. Clinic—VNCS provided a nurse, medicines, and salaries for the clinic

personnel.

8. Reconstruction—Through Special Projects funding very poor families were 

assisted to rebuild their houses.

9. Savings and loan—For teaching families the value of savings, and to loan

* small amounts for home repairs and small business.

CH ILDREN OP VIE TNAM ----CHU RC H WORLD SERVICE GUIDELIN ES

The Christian Church in its effort to express its compassionate concern for 

the care and protection of all the Vietnamese children in the war-crisis and the 

post-war situation, should define its concern so tha t it might be expressed 

imaginatively, creatively, and responsibly.

Church World Service endorses the following guidelines—similar to those 

approved for the children of Bangladesh, Korea, Biafra, and Vietnam since 1964, 

and recommends them for serious consideration:

1. The children of Vietnam and their needs should be separated from any 

political ideologies.

2. Every effort must be exerted to enable a child to remain within his own 

family unit and culture.

3. Emergency and immediate solutions to individual problems of homeless 

children may be effectively met by temporary institutional care. However, every 

effort should be made to reunite families, to provide foster home care, and to 

encourage indigenous adoptions. Long term institutional care should be considered only after every other approach has been exhausted.

4. Not only the child who is a civilian war casualty, but all children should 

be afforded every opportunity for medical care and rehabilitative treatment in 

his own country by the expanding of medical facilities, by exchange medical 

teams, and by train ing of indigenous personnel. Children should be removed to 

other countries only when it is indicated tha t this is in the child’s best interest 

medically, psychologically and socially, and when his right to return is assured.

5. Tntercountry adoptions should be considered only under the most exceptional circumstances when it is the best solution for the child, the adoptive 

parent, and the country of origin.

6. Imaginative and creative efforts must be made to assist children of mixed 

racial parentage to integrate into his community and culture by developing a 

climate of acceptability for each child as a “Child of God.”

SPECIA L NEEDS OP TH E CHILD REN OP VIE TNA M----C ONSULTATIONS

Church World Sendee has been instrumental in the call and participation in 

consultations with particular concern for the children of Vietnam. The first consultation which was called by the American Council of Voluntary Agencies in 

1966 dealt with the natu re of the problem of the children of Vietnam who were 

suffering as the result of three decades of military campaigns in Vietnam by 

both indigenous and foreign troops which have left in their wake their toll of 

destruction, desolation, and despair. As a result of this consultation, the American 

Council of Voluntary Agencies and Church World Service subscribed to the 

following guiding principles for child welfare concerns :

1. The preservation and strengthening of family life should be the guiding 

principles of all agencies seeking to help and serve children in Vietnam.

2. There is a tendency in war torn countries to assume th at orphanages proride 

the most effective and humane solution to immediate and emergency problems of 

hornless children whereas such care tends to perpetuate itself, and should be 

regarded only as a temporary measure.

80-619—72------ 5
3. The care of children should include in addition to the basic provisions of 

adequ ate food, shelter and medical care: family assistance prog rams; day care 

centers; boarding homes and other forms of group car e; foster home care 

and local adoptions. Intercountry adoption should be considered only if it is 

found that this is in the best intere sts of the child.

4. Children of mixed national and racial parentage present special needs calling for compassion and special programs which will enable them to inte grate 

into the community and culture of eith er paren t on the basis of their individual 

needs, and best interes ts.

5. Cooperative planning and programming of voluntary agencies working in 

Vietnam should involve indigenous agencies and leadership. This should be 

training of Vietnamese leadership and skilled staff to meet the complex problems.

Another Consultation on the Special Needs of the Children of Vietnam was 

called by the Inte rna tional Social Service in cooperation with Church World 

Service and other voluntary agencies with work in Vietnam on July 19, 1971. 

Again, concern was expressed relative to the needs of the children in a war-torn 

society and in the period of reconstruction, reconciliation and reha bilitation 

which will follow the cessation of hostilities. The need of the child in his own 

society was reemphasized and special concern was devoted to the mixed racial 

child and his partic ula r problems.

Church World Service and Vietnam Christia n Service concur with the Social 

Welfare Ministry of Vietnam which has established its priorities, December 20, 

1971 as follow s:

1. Retu rnin g orphans to the ir rela tive s’ homes.

2. Provide help to needy women in maternity hosp itals to prevent child 

abandonment.

3. A scholarship program to help needy families send their children to 

school.

4. Re-education projects for pre-delinquent children.

5. Assistance to civilian widows (re habilitation: vocational training, job 

replacement, physical rehab., etc.).

6. Support private organizations to assist widows and orphans to increase 

their living standard s through non-interest loans.

CURRENT LEGISLAT ION

Mr. Chairman, we are deeply appreciative of the consideration that the Foreign 

Relations Committee is giving to Legislation introduced by Senators Williams, 

Hatfield, and Hughes—S. 2497—a B ill:

“To authorize the l'resident, through the temp orary Vietnam Children's 

Care Agency, to enter into arrangements with the Government of South 

Vietnam to provide assistance in improving the welfare of children in 

South Vietnam and to fac ilitate the adoption of orphaned or abandoned 

Vietnamese children, partic ularly children of United States fathers.’’

It is gratifying to note that this legislation initially addresse s itself to the 

estab lishm ent of a temporary Vietnam Children’s Care Agency which will have 

far-reaching effects in the development of policies and programs for the present 

and future child welfare concerns. All too often in the past, under the exigencies 

of the war, the massive movement of people and the ensuing problems related 

thereto, the child and his needs have been relegated to a very low position in 

the priorities of the Vietnam Government as well as the Government of the 

United States.

We appreciate that for the first time, the United States acknowledges responsibility for children of mixed racia l parentage a s a result of the presence of U.S. 

Armed Forces and supportive units. There are no exact census figures of the 

number of mixed racial children in Vietnam from the 300 mixed racia l children 

who are among the 18,000 child ren in licensed orphanages in Vietnam and the 

400 mixed racial children who were identified in Da Nang (a center of American 

military and civilian concentration). It is possible to make a rather realistic 

projection that there are between 10,000 and 25,000 mixed racial children. Such 

estimation as 400,000 which has been reported in the American Press would 

indicate that over 2% of the population of Vietnamese were mixed racial 

children and this is unreasonable.

The app arent small number of mixed racial children does not eliminate the 

problems that the child must face as he seeks acceptance in Vietnamese social, 

cultural, political and economic life. For many, especially the mixed racial child
of Bl ack an d Vietn am ese origin, ma y find his only sol ution is ad op tio n overseas. 

It ha s been th e exp erienc e of Ch urch W orld Service th a t in spite of th e em ph asis 

on in tercou ntry orph an adoption, th is does no t resolv e th e pro blem fo r ma ny 

mix ed raci al ch ild ren who m us t remain in th ei r coun try to gr ow into ado lescen ce 

an d matur ity . It wa s fou nd th at throug h prog rams of traini ng , thro ug h efforts 

to cha nge at ti tu de an d mores, th e mix ed raci al child lias been abl e in some 

me asu res to ga in a deg ree of acc eptan ce. Fo r example, in the Ko rea n Time s of 

Ju ly 18, 1971, th er e ap pe ared an ar ticl e by Yun Yeo-Clium en tit le d “M ixed Bloo d 

Athle tes Em erg ing .”

Ch urc h Wo rld Service an d Vietn am Ch ristian Service would deem unwise a 

prog ram which would be dev ised and imp lem ented so as to as si st th e mixed 

ra cial chi ld in suc h a way th a t he would becom e eve n mo re ide ntified w ith in 

Vietn am as th e recipien t of spe cia l conside ratio n and assis tan ce. He muc h ra th er 

sho uld be inc lud ed in th e to ta l child we lfa re con cer ns of th e na tio n and sho uld 

receive equal benefits with all th e ch ild ren of Vietn am with ou t disc rim ination of 

th e legis lat ion wh ich deals with th e general pro ble ms of ch ild ren in Vietn am 

thr ou gh th e crea tio n of a tempo rary emergency Ch ild ren’s Ca re Agency is im ag inativ e, cre ative, an d responsible. Th e budget im plem en tat ion o f s up po rt fo r inte rcountry or ph an adoptio ns p laces th is p hase of th e pr og ram in pr op er p ers pective.

In conclusion, Ch urch Worl d Service does no t pro mo te in tercou ntry or ph an 

adoptio ns as a pr im ary solut ion to th e soc ial welfa re p rob lem s of a na tio n’s c hildren alt ho ug h it ma y resolve an individu al ch ild ’s problem . Rat he r, guida nce is 

bein g given to su pp or t ind ige nou s agencies, up gr ad ing soc ial welfa re proced ures 

an d prac tic es an d inv olving go vernme nt in facin g respon sib ility to wards th is 

social problem.

REC OM M EN DATI ONS

Church Wo rld Service wou ld reco mm end a pr og ram wh ich would in cl ude:

1. T ha t pr io rity con cern he given to th e spe cia l needs of th e ch ild ren of Vie tnam.

2. T ha t th e ch ild ren of mix ed ra ci al pa re nt ag e he inc lud ed in conside rat ion 

in any pro gram of chi ld social welfare in Vietn am w ith ou t special d isc rim ination 

or identificat ion .

3. T hat every eff ort be ma de to streng th en ind ige nous vo luntar y child welfa re agencies with in Vietn am through th e tr ai ni ng of perso nnel, in establish ing 

cr iter ia and s ta nd ar ds and lo ng rang e p lan nin g.

4. Tha t Churc h World Service and Vietn am Ch ristian Service pledge its suppo rt to th e above objec tives and in pa rtne rs hi p witli ind ige nous and forei gn 

vo luntary agencies servi ng in Vietn am an d with th e M inistry of Social Welf are , 

with the Go vernment of th e Un ite d States, ot he r pa rtic ip at in g governm ents an d 

inter go ve rnmen tal age ncies to develop, to su pp ort an d to streng th en the imple ­

men tatio n of a soun d responsi ble child w elfare pr ogram .

5. Any prog ram sho uld be stru ct ur ed th ro ug h the Un ite d St ates /V ie tn am 

Go vernment an d if pos sible in coordin ati on an d cooperation with int ergo ve rnme nta l agencies to insu re th e as sis tanc e to th e ch ild ren whose live s have been 

disrup ted by this w ar un til th e Vietn am ese the ms elv es ar e abl e to su pp ort suc h 

a p rog ram .

Th an k you, Mr. Ch air ma n.

Senator Pell. Thank you very much.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE REPRESENTS U.S. ARM OF WCC

Would it be a correct statement tha t your group is the philanthropic action agency of the WCC—World Council of Churches?

Mr. Schauer. We operate in cooperation with WCC, sir, in a coordinated program and we represent the U.S. arm of the World Council 

of Churches in relief, rehabilitation refugee services, and so forth.

Senator P ell. Right.

PERCENTAGE OF PROTESTANT VIETNAMESE

In Vietnam, the number of Protestants is quite limited. Wh at percentage would you say of the Vietnamese were Protestant ?
64

Mr. Schauer. Well, sir. it is so small it would not even be 1 percent 

of the popu lation; it is an insignificant number.

Senator P ell. You do this basically in a humanitarian way without 

regard to religious concern, as you say in your statement, or to ethnic 

background.

EFFECTIVE NESS OF AGENCY PROPOSED IN BILL

Do you thin k an agency that is proposed in the bill can do the job 

as effectively as the voluntary agencies if they would receive the 

financing?

Mr. Schauer. I t would seem to me, sir, that the voluntary agencies 

have been able to develop pilot projects, to express concern, to point 

to the areas of need; but it is beyond the scope of voluntarism for it 

to carry on a program of this magnitude indefinitely and what we 

would envision from this bill there would be the development of a 

Vietnamese agency that would, in turn , be able to assume this responsibility much as did the Korean Government in the area of child 

•welfare concern. This would give it the initial push and impetus tha t 

would make it possible for them to do it.

Senator Pell. Do you visualize an American agency ?

Mr. Shatter. No, si r; Vietnamese agency.

Senator Pell. And yet the administrator set up in this proposal 

would be an American civil servant ?

Air. Schauer. It should be closely related to establishing of a child 

welfare agency of the Vietnamese Government; it would be a prototype.

Senator Pell. But what you would like to see eventually would be 

for tha t administrator to become presumably a Vietnamese?

Mr. Schauer. Moving completely toward the indigenization of the 

program so tha t it becomes theirs, with their priorities, their objectives, their concerns, and giving them the kind of expertise, guidance 

that would be helpful to them in meeting the situation in their life 

style and in their own way.

NU MB ER OF CH ILDR EN IN LAOS AND CAMBODIA

Senator Pell. Do you have any view with regard to the number of 

children in similar dismal circumstances in Laos and Cambodia as well 

as in South Vietnam-----

Mr. Schauer. No, sir ; we do not.

Senator Pell (continuing). Caught by the war.

Air. Schauer. Unfortun ately, this is one of those guessing things. It 

is so iffy we don’t have answers. We know there are a number: we 

arc also working in these areas through Asian Christian Service which 

is an arm of the cooperative work of the churches being sponsored by 

the East Asian Christian Council and receiving support from the 

World Council as well.

Senator Pell. Thank you very much indeed.

Air. Schauer. Thank you.

Senator Pell. Our next witness is Bishop Edward Swanstrom of the 

Catholic Relief Services.

Bishop Swanstrom, may I add a particular word of personal welcome to an old colleague, coworker in the past years.
65

STATEMENT OF THE MOST REVEREND EDWARD E. SWANSTROM,

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC RE LIE F SERVICES, USCC,

NEW YORK, N. Y. ; ACCOMPANIED BY THE REVEREND ROBERT L.

CHARLEBOIS, ASSISTANT TO BISHOP SWANSTROM

Bishop Swanstrom. As you know. I am Bishop Swanstrom. the executive director of Catholic Relief Services, and I have with me Fa the r 

Robert Charlebois, one of my assistants who has been working in Vietnam up until about a year ago for 4 years in charge of our program.

In my written testimony I outline the broad scope of our operations 

throughout the world and make particular reference to the size of our 

program in Vietnam. So there is no need for me to take the time to 

read tha t now. The committee will have the benefit of that information.

Senator Pell. This will be inserted in the record.

CATH OLI C R E L IE F SERV ICES OPE RATI NG IN V IE TN A M SIN C E 19 5 4

Bishop Swanstrom. In a way, it indicates our competency to speak 

on this question. We have been operating in Vietnam since 1954; in 

fact. I was th ere myself in 1952 when the French were fighting theVietminh and I still have a very graphic memory of 150.000 refugees 

in Hanoi and it was in 1954, after the truce, th at we began a very broad 

and extensive program with a great deal of emphasis on the welfare 

of children.

Xow. for years Catholic Relief Services, as an adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Vietnam, has endeavored 

to assist the ministry in developing professional programs in child welfare to upgrade its children’s institutions. This task has been almost 

insurmountable due to the great numbers of children involved, the 

shifting refugee population and the funding priorities of a government at war.

It has to be said that the Ministry of Social W elfare has tried to 

provide the child welfare institutions in the Republic of Vietnam with 

financial and technical support and some professional training of its 

personnel. However, as the Vietnamese Government’s financial 

resources are so limited and the requirements are so large, most institutions have encountered serious difficulties and disastrous consequences.

RECENT APP ROXIM ATE ST ATI ST IC S ON CH IL D REN IN V IE TN A M

Statistics, as has been pointed out here, are flexible in areas of conflict but the most recent approximate statistics on children in Vietnam 

are: 19.000 orphans in 126 registered orphanages; 94 day-care centers 

with 6.500 children; another 10,000 in unregistered orphanages. An 

uncertain number, probably in the range of 10.000 to 15.000. are 

orphans fathered by American servicemen.

VIE TNAM ESE ORP HA NA GE S FA R B E H IN D IN MOD ER N CH IL D CAR E

Anyone who has visited the orphanages in Vietnam knows how far 

behind they are in anyth ing like modern child care methods with which 

we are familiar. Tn fact, some of them would scarcely be able to house
G6

animals rather than children, but there has been an effort to improve 

them.

S. 24 9 7 SUPPORTED AND ENACTMENT URGED

From our many years of experience working in the Republic of 

Vietnam and with an awareness of present conditions in th at war-torn 

country, I believe it to be imperative and morally necessary that the 

Congress of the United States enact the legislation as contained within 

Senate bill 2497.

As I understand it, and I do not thin k I am mistaken, the commitment in the field of social welfare of the Agency for Internatio nal 

Development of the U.S. Government will come to an end at the end 

of this calendar year. Of course, the Congress may appropriate additional money in future years, but all of us know—it has been said 

here even this morning—tha t AID personnel have been gradually 

withdrawn and some of us have a fear that our Government, with some 

justification, because of the way we feel about how things have gone in 

Vietnam, may w ithdraw too quickly and not do what, we ought to do 

and, therefore, I think it becomes vitally important tha t provision be 

made for the establishment of an agency for the care of Vietnamese 

children, as is provided for in this bill. It would be tragic if the needs 

of orphan children are lost sight of in whatever foreign aid assistance 

program is developed for Vietnam in future years. I cannot stress this 

point too strongly.

At their annual meeting in Washington in November 1971, in a 

statement relating to “the American involvement in Southeast Asia.” 

the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States 

pointed to a principle laid down by Vatican Council II tha t “peace 

is not merely the absence of war, but an enterprise of justice,” and 

then went on to say, “ In this vein, we recognize our Nation's moral 

obligation, together with other nations, to contribute mightily to the 

restoration and development of Southeast Asia.

“After World War II our country launched an unprecedented program of economic assistance and social reconstruction of war-torn 

countries. Certainly, we can do no less now.”

I am sure everyone will agree that we have a grave moral responsibility to provide for the poor deprived orphans in Vietnam because 

it. is the little children who are always the most trag ic victims of any 

war.

This proposed legislation is focused on the needs of the child rather 

than on the capacity of any given ministry or governmental agency, 

whether Vietnamese or foreign, to perform. The financial resources 

of the Government of Vietnam allotted to the Ministry of Social W elfare are often reallocated for other priorities of a country at war— 

for example, refugees, war victims, and the like, but this bill would 

freeze the funds which would hell) eradicate tha t particular present 

financial problem.

This legislation will also cover the unique problems tha t can be 

expected with regard to the children born of a black-American father 

and a Vietnamese mother. With the anticipated cooperation of the 

Vietnamese Government, this legislation, through its formation of a 

Vietnam Children’s Care Agency, will facilitate and expedite professional international adoptions.
67

I think it will give us an opportunity to help the Vietnam Government be able to do more in taking care of the tremendous child-care 

problems that they have there.

[ am especially pleased tha t this legislation provides such a broadbased approach in its attack on the problems of child welfare. It 

insures tha t direct assistance can be given by both the public and 

private nonprofit organizations for the benefit of the Vietnamese child, 

from bilateral to multilateral aid as contained in section 6.

As I see it, it will be a Vietnam ese/United States Government 

agency, hopefully with the Vietnamese Government taking over its 

responsibilities as the years go on.

I sincerely believe th at if this proposed legislation is enacted and 

implemented, that a real contribution will have been made in which 

the U.S. Government has realized and assumed a po ition of its grave 

responsibility to the children of Vietnam.

I want to express to you again my thanks and to your committee 

for this opportunity to express these thoughts in regard to it.

CHILDREN BEING HELPED IN LAOS AND CAMBODIA

In further reference to some of the questions tha t you were r aising, Mr. Senator, we are now helping to provide for the needs of 

20,000 children in Cambodia and 50,000 children in Laos.

Senator Pell. Fifteen or fifty?

Bishop Swanstrom. 50,000; 20,000 in Cambodia and 50,000 children 

in Laos.

PERCENTAGE OF CHILD REN CATHOLIC

Senator Pell. Of the youngsters tha t you are helping, what percentage of them are Catholic ?

Reverend Charlebois. I t would be less than 70 percent. The population would be about 10 percent Catholic, about 90 percent of the childcare institutions are operated by the church, as you are aware.

Bishop Swanstrom. In all, our programs, and I must say we get 

a great deal of help from the American Government, particularly as 

far as provision of food and ocean freight is concerned, we carry 

them on without distinction of race, creed or color. Of course, it is 

true that sometimes there are agencies of the Protestant sects or the 

Jewish group and we kind of divide responsibility but when we are 

operating in the country alone or with the limited help of some 

other agencies, we make no distinctions about the religion of the child 

at all.

Senator Pell. I just want to have heard correctly—roughly what 

percentage of the youngsters in Vietnam tha t you are taking care 

of are not Catholic ?

Reverend Charlebois. Seventy percent.

Senator Pell. Are or not ?

Reverend Charlebois. Are not.

Senator P ell. In Cambodia the same ?

Reverend Charlebois. It would be much higher, very few Catholics in Cambodia. Very few of the children would be Catholic in 

Cambodia and very few in Laos.
68

ROLE OF AGENCY AS TI M E GOES ON

Senator P ell. An agency of this so rt is obviously, we hope, of 

tem porar y life because we hope th at the se con ditions will decline, 

bu t as time goes on and if both Vietnam s become unite d, wh at do you 

see as th e role o f this agency ?

Bishop Swanstrom. Well, it would be the begin ning of a str on g 

gov ernm ental agency to cover the whole area. From my experience 

in many cou ntries thr oughout the wor ld, un fo rtu na tely and re gr et ­

tab ly many gov ernm ents don’t acce pt th ei r mo ral or legal responsibility to pro vid e fo r t he ir ch ildren . A ou know wh at o ur G overnm ent, 

local, State and Federal, does in the field of child welfare. But so 

many o f these g overnments do n’t.

Now. as I said in my testimony, we have been wo rki ng with the V ietnamese Government, as have oth er g ove rnm ental agencies, in a hope of 

bringing them along with an A ID contract . We hav e ha d trai ni ng 

programs, p artic ularly in child nu tri tio n, an d mo the r an d c hil d h ealth 

care. T d idn’t want t o go into i t: it is all in the tes tim ony here, because 

T wanted the he ari ng to go along, b ut I p ut re al hope in it. T kn ow the 

problems, as we all do, that the Government faces, bu t possibly as peace 

gradua lly develops and let’s hope the example we show will be of a 

natur e th at will encourage them to do thes e thin gs, no t so m uch as we 

want the m to do them but as they should do the m for th ei r children .

GENERAL RESPO NSIBILIT Y COVERING CH ILD RE N IN IN DO CH IN A

Senat or P ell. I was pa rti cu larly s tru ck a t the figures in Cam bodia 

and Laos because we th ink of th is stil l as a Vie tnamese wa r, bu t it is 

an Indochinese wa r situatio n, it covers all over. Th is is w hy I b roug ht 

up the fact that you h ave y oungsters in the same conditions in No rth 

Vietnam and, while not fathered by Americ ans, the y are still in dire 

str aits by conditio ns caused by us. I think there is a certa in gen eral 

responsibility here covering the children in Indo china, and th e one 

moral respon sibility we face whe n th is wa r is ended is to the huma n 

who has not died bu t is in misery or to those who wou ld be le ft to 

suffer.

I see, as tim e goes on and we wind down th e war. tho se who have 

been the loudest for the w ar may be tho se very ones who will tu rn th eir 

backs on the people to whom we hav e the only moral responsibility. 

I see signs of th at now an d I deplore it.

MISSION AR IES IN INDO CH INA

Bishop Swanstrom. Fat her Cha rleb ois was in Cam bod ia and he 

helped us to open an office there in the ca pit al bu t we have ha d to close 

it since; but we ha ve an office in Laos and ca rry on a prog ram t her e. 

In m any of these areas—it is the missiona ries you have to depend upon 

to do most of the wo rk with these d eprived people.

Se nator P ell. H ow ma ny mis sionary fathers an d sisters do you 

hav e in each of those cou ntries in Ind och ina now ?

Bis hop Swanstrom. I t runs into the thou sand s; they are every 

place.

Se nator P ell. Ju st a to p-o f-th e-head .
69

Reverend Charlebois. In Laos, for example, I would imagine you 

would have around—from the top of my head my guess would be 50 

foreign; in Cambodia it would be—we have one Cambodian bishop ; 

I would say around 30 or 40; and then you would have your local or 

indigenous.

Senator P ell. Rig ht ; but these are all American priests ?

Reverend Charlebois. No; we have no American priests I know of 

in Cambodia. We have three in Laos; many French.

Senator P ell. And how many in South Vietnam ?

• Reverend Charlebois. I n South Vietnam, how many? We have two 

Americans; the rest of them would be French, but mostly Vietnamese.

STATE OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHU RCH IN NORTH VIETNAM

«

Senator P ell. Another question which is not immediately germane 

to the bill but has always interested me: What is the state of the 

Roman Catholic Church in North Vietnam? Do you have an active 

episcopate the re ?

Reverend Charlebois. There is an episcopate there. The churches 

are open so far as we know. The seminaries have been closed and the 

active work of the church has to some extent been curtailed ; however, the re is the practice of religion in North Vietnam so fa r as we 

can understand.

Senator Pell. How are new priests ordained ?

Reverend Charlebois. By the bishops who are there. There is a 

bishop in every diocese.

Senator P ell. I see. How are th e new bishops ordained?

Reverend Charlebois. By other bishops.

Senator P ell. So the church continues. Is there communication with 

Rome ?

Reverend Charlebois. I would not say it was an open communication with Rome, no.

Senator Pell. But there is communication ?

Reverend Charlebois. F or example, none of the bishops of North 

Vietnam went to the Council.

Senator Pell. Would you say conditions were more stringent there

• from the Catholic viewpoint—I am a non-Catholic, which is the reason 

for asking that question—than they are in Communist countries in 

Eastern Europe?

Reverend Charlebois. No, I would say it would be similar to some

• of the Communist countries in Eastern Europe.

Senator Pell. They have opened up quite a lot.

I thank you both very much indeed for being with us.

Bishop Swanstrom. Thank you.

(Bishop Swanstrom’s prepared statement follows:)

Prepared Statement of Most Rev. Edward E. Swanstrom. E xecutive Director, 

Catholic Relief Services—U.S.C.C.

I am Bishop Edw ard E. Swanstrom . As the Exe cutive Director of Catholic 

Relief Services of the United States Catholic Conference, the overseas agency 

of the Catholic Church, I should like to say at the outset th at I am grateful for 

the invitation to app ear at thi s hea ring to provide for the assistance and protection of a ll c hildren of Vietnam.
70

Sinc e it s es ta bl is hm en t tw en ty-sev en yea rs ago, Catho lic R el ie f Se rvices ha s 

pr ov id ed food, me dic ine s, clot hi ng an d oth er w el fa re ass is ta nce to m ill ions of 

needy pe rs on s in som e seve nty co unt ri es in As ia, A fric a and L at in America w ithou t re ga rd to rac e, cree d or color. W hi le co nt in ui ng to oper at e ba sic re lief pr ogr am s fo r mill ions of th e poor, em phas is is plac ed on socio -econom ic develop ­

m en t pro gr am s which are de sign ed to ass is t peop le to becom e self-sufficie nt, en ­

ab lin g th em to ta k e a resp on sible ro le in th e de ve lopm en t of th eir ow n co mmun ities a nd n at io n.

Catho lic R el ie f Se rvices be ga n it s pro gr am in V ietn am in 1954 an d it is curre nt ly under th e di re ct io n of R ev er en d Jo hn J. McVeigh, w ith offices in bo th 

Sa igon and D an an g an d a st a ff of te n Am er ic an s an d seve nty-seve n Viet na mese. 

D ur in g th e eigh te en yea rs of it s se rv ic e in Vietnam , Catho lic R el ie f Se rvices has 

prov id ed aid to sch ools, ho sp ital s, le pro sa ri a, di sp en sa ries , or ph an ag es , da y- ca re 

ce nt er s and man y oth er in sti tu ti ons th ro ughout th e co un try. Child w el fa re pro ­

gr am s and p ro je ct s ha ve a lw ay s been on e of o ur hi gh es t pri orities .

D ur in g th is fiscal ye ar , abou t elev en m ill ion po un ds of U.S . Gov ernm en tdo na te d food c om mod ities h av e been s hi pp ed a nd d is tr ib ute d t o mor e th an 271,000 

ne ed y re ci pie nt s— th e m ai n p a rt o f th e foo d dis tr ib uti on be ing give n to s chool a nd 

pre-scho ol ch ild re n, or to a to ta l of 1SG.000 V ietn am es e ch ildr en . In ad di tion to 

food. Cat ho lic R el ie f Se rvices ha s sh ip pe d ch ildre n’s clot hi ng a nd sho es, blan ke ts, 

spec ial su pp lies fo r ped ia tr ic w ar ds . Exte ns iv e sh ip m en ts of med icine, va lu ed a t 

$225,000, an d med ical eq ui pm en t a nd su pp lie s, ap pro xi m at el y 75.000 p ou nd s, were 

also shippe d.

Thr ou gh fu nd in g ag en cie s, bo th ov er se as an d in th e U ni te d Sta te s, Catho lic 

R el ie f Se rvices ha s been ab le to in it ia te vo ca tion al tr ain in g pro gr am s fo r ch ildr en a s we ll as sp ec ial pr of es sion al pro gra m s to up gr ad e th e ch ild ca re in exis ting or ph an ag es , da y nurs er ie s and re habil it ati on ce nte rs fo r ha nd ic ap pe d ch ildr en . Catho lic Relie f Se rvices has al so oper at ed a wide sc al e He lp- A- Cliild pr ogr am th ro ug h th e N at io na l Co un cil of Cat ho lic Wom en he re i n th e U ni ted S ta te s 

which pr ov id es in di vi du al fina nc ial su pport fo r a spe cific ch ild in Viet na m.

N utr it io n ed uc at io n ha s bee n an im port ant p a rt of ou r ch ild w el fa re assis tan ce pr og ra m . F or th e p ast th re e ye ar s, Catho lic R el ie f Se rvices lia s ha d a 

contr act w ith AID ,/W as hi ng ton. One of th e fo ur m ai n th ru sts of th is wo rk, a t 

pr es en t, has been to de velop n u tr it io n al ed uc at io n on a nati onal lev el. U nd er th e 

co nt ra ct , a fu ll- tim e Amer ican n u tr it io n is t has asse mbled a V ietnam es e st af f of 

nutr it io n sp ec ialis ts. Tog ethe r, th ey ha ve develop ed n u tr it io n pr oje ct s an d 

co ur se s of in st ru ct io n in V ietnam es e. The pro gr am ob ject ive has been to reac h 

20,00 0 m ot he rs an d ch ildr en , w ith th e em ph as is on te ac hi ng th a t hea lth benefits 

to ch ildr en ca n be de rive d fro m kn ow ledg e of bett er n u tr it io n al va lu e of foods. 

Th e high m ort al ity ra te am on g V ietn am es e ch ildr en under five is ca us ed by 

m al nutr itio n. Now, a tele vi sion se ri es on N utritio n ed uc at io n has been tape d 

to con tinu e th es e les sons f or a n e xp an de d au dien ce .

F o r ye ar s Catho lic Rel ie f Se rvices, as an ad vis or to th e M in is try of So cia l 

W el fa re of th e Gov ernm en t of Vietnam , has en de av or ed to ass is t th e M in istry 

in de ve loping pr of es sion al pro gra m s in ch ild w el fa re to upg ra de it s ch ildre n's 

in st it uti ons. Thi s ta sk has been al m os t in su rm ount ab le du e to th e gre at nu m be rs 

of ch ildre n inv olved, th e sh if ti n g refu ge e pop ul at io n an d th e fu nd in g pri ori ti es 

of a go ve rn m en t a t w ar . Th e M in istry of So cia l W el fa re has tr ie d to pr ov id e 

th e ch ild w el fa re in st it uti ons in th e Rep ub lic of Vietn am w ith fina nc ial an d 

tech ni ca l su pp or t an d some pro fe ss io na l tr ain in g of it s pe rson ne l. How ev er, as 

th e Vietnam es e G ov er nm en t’s fina nc ial reso ur ce s are so lim ited an d th e re quir em en ts are so larg e, m os t in st it u ti o n s ha ve en co un tere d se riou s dif fic ultie s an d 

dis ast ro us consequences.

S ta ti st ic s are fle xib le in a re as of conflic t b u t th e m os t re ce nt ap pr ox im at e 

st ati st ic s on ch ildr en in V ie tn am a re : 19.000 or ph an s in 126 re gi ster ed orp han ­

ages; 94 da y- ca re ce nt er s w ith 6,500 ch il dre n: anoth er 10,000 in un re gis te re d 

or ph an ag es . An unce rt ai n nu mbe r, prob ab ly in th e ra ng e of 10,000 to 15,000 are 

orp ha ns fa th ere d by Amer ican s ervice men .

Fr om our ma ny yea rs of ex pe rien ce wor ki ng in th e Rep ub lic of Vietnam an d 

w ith an aw ar en es s of pr es en t co nd itio ns in th a t w ar -torn co un try, I be lie ve it t o 

be im per at iv e an d mor ally ne ce ss ar y th a t th e Co ng res s of t he U ni ted S ta te s en ac t 

th e le gi slatio n as con tain ed w ithin Sen at e Bill 2497.

As I un de rs ta nd it. an d T do no t th in k I am mista ke n, th e co mm itm en t in th e 

field of Soc ial W el fa re of th e Agenc y fo r In te rn ati onal Dev elo pm en t of th e 

U ni ted S ta te s Gov ernm en t will com e to an end a t th e en d of th is ca le ndar ye ar. 

It . th er ef or e, becom es vi ta lly im port ant th a t pr ov ision be mad e fo r th e es ta bl ish-
nient of an agency for the care of Vietnamese children, as is provided for in 

this hill. It would be tragic if the needs of orphan children are lost sigh t of in 

whateve r foreign aid assistance program is developed for Vietnam in futur e 

years. I cann ot str ess this point too strongly.

At their annua l meeting in Washington in November 1971, in a statem ent 

rela ting to “the American involvement in Southea st Asia”, the National Conferen ce of Catholic Bishops of the United States pointed to a principle laid 

down by V atican Council II that “peace is not merely the absence of war, bu t an 

enterprise of jus tic e”, and then went on to say, “In this vein, we recognize our 

nation's moral obligation, toge ther with other nations, to contribute migh tily 

to the restora tion and development of Southeast Asia.

“After World War II our c ountry launched an unprecedented program of economic assistance and social reconstructio n of war-torn countries. Certa inly, we 

can do no less now.” I am sure everyone will agre e th at we have a grave moral 

responsibility to provide for the poor deprived orphans in Vietnam. It is the little 

children who are always the most tragic victim s of any war.

This proposed legislation is focused on the needs of the child rather than on 

the capacity of any given min istry or governmental agency, whethe r Vietnamese 

or foreign, to perform . The financial resources of the Government of Vietnam allotted to the Ministry of Social Welfare often re-allocated for other prio rities 

of a country at w ar; e.g., refugees, wa r victims, etc. This bill would freeze the 

funds which would heli) era dicate the present financial problem in Vietnam. 

This legislation will also cover the unique problems th at can be expected with 

regard to the children born of a black-American father and a Vietnamese mother. 

With the anticip ated cooperation of the Vietnamese Government, this legislation, 

thro ugh its form ation of a Vietnam Children's Care Agency, will fac ilitate and 

expedite professional intern ational adoptions.

I am especially pleased th at this legislation provides such a broad based approach in its att ack on the problems of child welfare. It insu res th at dire ct assistance can be given by both the public and private non-profit organizations for 

the benefit of the Vietnamese child, from bi-la teral to multi-late ral aid as contain ed in Section 6.

I sincerely believe t ha t if this proposed legislation is enacted and implemented, 

that a real contribution will have been made in which the U.S. Government has 

realized and assumed a portion of its grave responsibility to the children of 

Vietnam.

I again wish to express my appreciation to the Committee for this opportunity 

to speak with them.

Senator Pell. The next witness—I don’t think Mr. Luce is here, is 

he? If not, the next witness is Dr. Joseph Kiser of the Metropolitan 

Medical Center. Minneapolis.

Dr. Kiser will be the last witness for the morning for those of you 

wondering about luncheon plans. The subcommittee will resume at 2 

o’clock, hopefully, and carry on from there.

Dr. Kiser?

STATEMENT OF JOSEPH C. KISER, M.D., METROPOLITAN MEDICAL 

CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

Dr. K iser. Members of the committee, thank you very much for the 

opportunity to speak to you about the problems of the children in 

Vietnam.

I am Joseph C. Kiser, a cardiovascular surgeon practicing in Minneapolis, Minn.

For the past 2,y2

 years my associates and I at Metropolitan Medical 

Center in Minneapolis have been engaged in a program which offers 

remedial surgery for Vietnamese children suffering from crippling 

heart defects.

When considered in the total picture of the medical needs of the children of Vietnam, our program is really a pitifully small contribution;
bu t for the purposes o f c onsidera tion of the bill before you today, the 

pr og ram is im po rta nt in what its existence says about the scope and 

na ture of medic al needs in V ietnam, an d what att em pts are bein g made 

to meet those needs, and abo ut who is an d who is not attempt ing to 

meet them .

TRAN T i l l P H U

I wou ld like to tell you abo ut a girl from Vie tnam. Her name was 

Tra n Th i Ph u. She was a 16-y ear-old V ietnamese gir l.

On Apr il 26,1971, she was identified by phy sician s of a G erm an Red 

Cro ss hospital ship as ha vin g severe he art prob lems. Th e physicia ns’ 

rep ort to us described her as b ein g v ery thin, w ith a pronou nced blueness due to oxygen sta rvation, lab ore d br ea th ing and giv en to much 

cou ghing. They recommended he r as a cand ida te for ou r pro gram.

It is very likely th at on th at same day the U.S . air lin e whi ch has 

brou gh t all our pa tie nts fro m Vi etn am at no cost cou ld hav e pu t her 

on b oa rd a pla ne for M inneap olis . W e at M etr opoli tan Medical C enter, 

wi thin a v ery few d ays of he r ar riva l, c ould have scheduled h er surg ery 

and accomplished it a t no in convenience to our r eg ular pa tients .

Fiv e mo nth s l ate r, on Nov ember 26. 1971. T ra n Th i Phu was s till in 

Vietn am . She was still the re because the re was no one ava ilab le to 

initiate an d mo nitor the length y, ted iou s process of o btaining adminis ­

trat iv e clearan ce fro m the Vie tnamese Gov ernment fo r he r to come 

to the Un ite d States. Pri or to t hat time 17 child ren h ad come to Minneapolis for tre atmen t, but at t he tim e Tra n Th i Phu’s p roblem s were 

discovered, t he volun tee r person who ha d done the pro cessing fo r the 

othei-s had been called out of Vietn am . No one who could devote the 

several ho urs of tim e, several day s a week, over as m any as 3 months , to 

accomplish th is ta sk h ad been fou nd to replace h im. On November 27, 

1971. Tra n Th i Ph u d ied of h ea rt failu re.

EF FO RT S OF VO LU NT EE R AG EN CI ES VIR TU ALL Y AL ON E

The dangers of irre gu lar service, or of gaps in service are characteristic of volun tee r efforts. Yet, tod ay, volun tee r effo rts by priva te 

Am erican vo luntary agencies are virtu ally alone in ca rry ing the bu rden of human ita ria n as sistance to t he c hildren of V ietn am.

AID BU DG ET FOR MED IC AL AS SI ST AN CE TO VIE TNAM

While on the one ha nd the I ’.S. Government, acc ord ing to press reports, has spent $120 b illion to wage war in Vie tnam, its A gency for 

In tern ationa l Development’s bud get for medical assistance to V ietn am 

has been reduced fro m $10.5 millio n in 1967 to $2.7 m illion in 1971. 

Really only an infinitesimal amount, acc ording to the Sen ate Refugee 

Com mittee, is exp end ed on su pp ort fo r a few org aniza tio ns working 

with V ietn amese wa r victims .

bo oklet: “sou th Vietn am—assistance programs of u.s. nonprofit

organizations”

Not long ago we wro te one of our Minne sota Congres smen ask ing 

wha t the 1 .S. Gov ernment is do ing by way o f h um an ita ria n assistance 

fo r the child ren of Vie tnam. App ro pr iately, he forw arde d the in ­

qu iry to the St ate De pa rtm en t. The State De pa rtm ent, in tu rn , sen t a
73

booklet dated March 1971, entitled “South Vietnam—Assistance Programs of U.S. Nonprofit Organizations,” published by the Technical 

Assistance Information Clearing House.

This booklet described 33 programs operated by the nonprofit organizations in Vietnam and 31 U.S. nonprofit organizations tha t provide 

aid to Vietnamese institutions. Of the total programs, many of them 

operating on an extremely limited scale, it appears th at only 42 offer 

any kind of medical assistance. Even one of the best of these programs, 

the American Medical Association’s Volunteer Physicians for Viet-

* nam, can put only 12 to 16 doctors in the field at any given time, according to information in this booklet.

VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SOURCE OF MEDICAL CARE *

In Vietnam the primary source of medical care for Vietnamese 

people is the Government of Vietnam itself. A colleague who has spent 

several years in Vietnam with a voluntary medical project informs 

us that the Vietnamese Government has only one dollar to spend on 

medical care per person per year. Yet. th at amount represents 20 percent of its nonmilitary budget.

It is clear t ha t the dollar amount for medical assistance to the people of Vietnam by th eir Government is grossly inadequate. The same 

seems true of the assistance now being provided by U.S. voluntary 

agencies. Furthermore, as I have pointed out, th e nature of the service 

the latter can provide is often irregular and uncertain.

When you consider those conclusions in the light of the overwhelming medical needs of the children of Vietnam, the picture becomes 

very black. The same colleague I referred to previously tells us that 

1 out of every 5 children in Vietnam will die before reaching the age 

of 5 from causes not involving war injuries, lie cites bacillary dysentery, pneumonia, tuberculosis and cholera—all preventable and remediable diseases—as the prima ry causes of these deaths.

HEA LTH PROBLEMS VIETNAMESE CHILDREN FACE

Our experiences in treating Vietnamese children with heart defects

• in Minneapolis gives a hint of the kind of health problems children 

in Vietnam face. For example, the very first treatm ent tha t must 

be given on their arrival is to rid them of the intestinal parasites tha t 

have been present in nearly every case. These children have not been

• accustomed to eating meat and other protein foods in adequate quantity. Fresh milk is to them an exotic American beverage. Dental 

caries are prevalent. Though it could be provided while they are with 

us, treatment for dental problems, other than extractions, has not been 

recommended by those who are familiar with the diet in Vietnam and 

with the probabilities of continued dental care in the village of that 

country.

The very existence of the heart defects we are treating suggests a 

great deal about the conditions under which children are born and 

live in Vietnam, and about how they affect their health. Of the 17 

Vietnamese children we have treated to date, 14 were afflicted with 

congenital heart defects, th at is, they were born with malformations 

of the heart. Congenital heart defects are not all unavoidable. Some 

are inherent, but more often they result from inadequate or unfavor-
74

able prenatal conditions. Malnutrition in the mother can cause congenital heart defects. Illnesses suffered during pregnancy can cause 

congenital heart defects.

CH ILDR EN SUFFERING FROM CO NG ENITA L HEART DEFECTS

Last night four additional Vietnamese children suffering from congenital heart defects arrived at Metropolitan Medical Center for surgery, and four more are being processed to come. During the short 

span of this program, the names of at least a dozen or more similarly 

afflicted Vietnamese children have crossed my desk, children who for 

one reason or another, sometimes death, have never reached us. We 

have knowledge of at least five others who have been treated for the 

same problem at other hospitals in the United States. An unknown 

number have been sent to Switzerland and Germany for similar care.

Given the lack of diagnostic and treatment facilities in Vietnam 

today and the correspondingly slim chances of a child's even being 

identified as having a congenital heart defect, and given the fact that 

in virtually every such case the child’s situation must come to the attention of some volunteer agency or individual who has the initiative 

and the time to discover and pursue help for him in an out of country 

facility, it is indeed remarkable that such a large number of South 

Vietnamese children so afflicted have become known to us.

NEED FOR EN AC TM EN T OF SEC TION 2, SUB SECTION B (4 ) OF S. 249 7

In this respect, our experiences enable us to speak with authority 

on the need for enactment of section 2, subsection b (4) of the bill under 

discussion today, which relates to establishment of training in matters of child health care and prena tal and postnatal care.

One of the first children we treated at Metropolitan Medical Center 

was a 3-year-old girl with extremely severe congenital heart anomalies. 

In her case, complete repa ir was not possible bu t palliative measures 

have extended her life by perhaps a few decades. At least one of this 

child’s several siblings was similarity afflicted, and the mother of these 

children has borne at least one additional child. This family and others 

like them would certainly benefit from the measures proposed.

Hopefully, at some time in the future, measures taken after enactment of this bill will reduce the number of children being born in 

Vietnam with congenital defects. But what of the children already 

born with such defects and those now being born? At present, with 

its meager medical budget and with such large numbers of children 

dying from more easily remediable causes—to say nothing of those 

suffering injuries resulting from combat action—the South Vietnamese Government cannot logically justify allocating its financial re ­

sources to the development of such highly complex and costly c apabilities as that required for open heart surgery.

MIN NE AP OLIS PROJECT

The majority of Vietnamese children with heart defects can be 

salvaged by therapeutic surgery available in many hospitals across 

the United States, and in light of the medical picture in Vietnam, it
is appropriate tha t they be treated in the United States. But please 

do not conclude tha t treatment in the United States through voluntary 

programs is the answer. The Minneapolis project and the few others 

like it th at have been able to survive are dependent on too many tenuous arrangements.

We have established a charity fund for the project, but it alone cannot provide all the required financial support. Private organizations, 

private businesses and individual volunteers cannot be depended upon 

indefinitely to finance every aspect of this program.

The key reason tha t I was able to tell you about the four children 

tha t arrived in Minneapolis last night is th at 5 months ago a group 

of concerned citizens of Minnesota discovered the need and since then 

have been raising enough money out of their own pockets each month 

to pay to have the processing work done in Vietnam. This group numbers no more than 30, none of whom, I would guess, earns over $15,000 

a year, and they have had a struggle to raise their monthly quota on 

time. They are very willing but none of us knows how long their 

resources will continue to equal their concern and generosity.

MEETING CHILDREN’S MEDICAL NEEDS WHILE COMBAT CONTINUES

I hard ly need to state, I suppose, th at as long as combat action continues in Vietnam the task of trying to meet the medical needs of 

children in Vietnam will be like tha t of Sisyphus, condemned forever 

to push a very heavy rock up a steep hill, only to have it roll back 

down as it nears the summit.

LEGISLATION BELIEVED NECESSARY AND APPROPRLVTE

Ap art from all that, i t appears to me that the measures proposed in 

this bill are necessary and appropriate. I believe further, tha t it is 

necessary and appropriate to expand these measures to provide not 

only for prevention of disease among the children of Vietnam but 

also to provide assistance in amelioration of those already faced with 

health emergencies, so that the preservation of South Vietnam’s human 

resources need not be dependent upon the fortunes and foibles of 

volunteers, but will be assured by legislation tha t will enable all of 

America’s capabilities to come into play.

Thank you very much.

Senator Pell. Tha nk you very much.

NUMB ER OF SURGEONS I N VIETNAM TRAINED FOR HEART SURGERY

Wh at is the number of surgeons who have had adequate training in 

Vietnam? Are there any men who can give heart surgery there?

Dr. Kiser. Zero.

Senator Pell. Zero. Why would that be? I thought they had received 

their own training in France and other centers of medicine ; some of 

them have?

RISK OF HEART SURGERY IN VIETNAM

Dr. Kiser. Well, as you are well aware, even the risk of heart surgery 

in this country varies a great deal across the United States. The risk of
76

heart surgery in Vietnam, I would say, would be extremely high.

Precisely why tha t occurs is a complex matter. Ten years ago you 

could number on one hand the places in the United States where the 

risk of obtaining heart surgery was reasonable. Now in most major 

cities the risk averages probably 10 percent. Vietnam has to be at 

least 10 years behind us. The risk for a child being operated there 

would be close to 1)0 percent, I would think.

Senator Pell. When you sav risk, you mean chance of death?

Dr. Kiser. Right. It will be totally unreasonable for a child to submit, to heart surgery there until such time as the level of their trainin g «

and supporting facilities can be brought up to where they are in this 

country.

We have grea t hopes of establishing relationships in Saigon with the 

group there so that we can help them come to tha t level; but tha t ?

takes time.

COMPARA TIVE SOU TH VIET NA M MED ICAL ADVANCES

Senator Pell. Do you have any knowledge of the relative height 

of medical advance in Saigon versus Hanoi ?

Dr. Kiser. No; I don’t. I am sorry, I don’t have that.

Senator Pell. In South Vietnam as opposed to Cambodia and Laos ?

Dr. Kiser. No; I really don’t. Our only contact has been with South 

Vietnam.

MORTA LITY RATE OF IN FA NTS IN SOUTH VIET NA M

Senator Pell. Do you, as a medical man, have any views as to why 

the mortality rate of infants is 90 percent in South Vietnam?

Dr. Kiser. With heart surgery problems ?

Senator Pell. No, in general. I am leaving heart surgery.

Dr. Kiser. I really don’t. All I can speak about is what we have 

seen in relation to heart disease; that is really the only knowledge 

tha t I have.

DOES MEDICO HAV E TEA MS OF DOCTORS IN SOU TH VIET NA M ?

Senator P ell. Does Medico have any teams of doctors in South Viet- *

nam, to the best of your knowledge ?

Dr. K iser. I can’t answer that. Certainly not doing complex surgery 

such as this.

>

ADEQUACY OF HO SPITA L CONDITIONS IN SAIGO N

Senator P ell. I f you wanted to send out a team to Saigon, are conditions adequate in hospitals there so that Americans can perform 

heart surgery ?

Dr. Kiser. I really don’t think so. I think it is impractical. The cost 

involved would be far greater. We already can get the children here 

absolutely free, we need relatively little per child to do them here, and 

the children then go home alive and well. The cost for establishing 

and maintaining a facility such as this in Vietnam would be prohibitive at this time.

Senator Pell. Thank you very much indeed.
In any case, the subcommittee will recess at this time. We will reconvene, hopefully, at 2, definitely by 2 :30, I am informed.

The meeting is recessed.

(Whereupon, at 12:35 p.m., the hearing was recessed, the committee to reconvene at 2 p.m., this date.)

AFT ER NOON SESS ION

The Chairman. The committee will come to order.

Our next witness is Mr. Don Luce, Indo-China Mobile Education 

Project. Mr. Luce?

STATEMENT OE DON LUCE, INDO-CHINA MOBILE EDUCATION 

PROJECT

Mr. Luce. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. I would like to first of all 

introduce Tra n Khan'h Tuyet, a social worker from Vietnam. I have 

asked her to come in case of questions regarding the testimony.

The Chairman. Very good.

Mr. Luce. I would like to-----

The Chairman. We are very pleased to have you.

Mr. Luce. I would like, first of all, to support bill S. 2497 and par ­

ticularly the concern tha t this bill represents.

I would like to read from my statem ent and then comment as I read 

about particular points.

I believe, however, th at i t is only a partial solution and may ease 

the conscience of some toward the continued destruction of Vietnam. 

The real problem is th e continuation of the war which creates more 

orphans and economically and culturally weakens the Vietnamese 

family structu re and its ability to cope with the problem.

N U M B E R OF AM ER A SI AN CH IL D REN

I believe tha t there have been at least 200,000 Amerasian children 

bom and probably twice that number. 'When I was in Vietnam, I 

went to tax offices in different communities, particularly in the areas 

where there were a lot of U.S. soldiers, got the numbers of bars, 

and then went to the bars and talked with the women and asked 

how many women there were in each bar, how many children each 

of the women h ad and how much of their time was spent as temporary wives, and how much time they spent in the bars; and from 

this I made an estimate tha t there were between 100,000 and 300,- 

000 bar girls, “temporary wives” and prostitutes; and there were at 

least 200,000 Amerasian children and probably twice tha t number. 

FAM ILY STRUCTURE IN VIETNAM

I thin k it is important to recognize tha t in Vietnam most of 

the bar girls and temporary wives come from farms where they 

have lived maybe with one or 2 acres of land and have been forced 

from this land. On the farm the family works very closely together; 

the men do the plowing; the women plant the rice and sing rice80- 61 9— 72------ 6
78

planting songs; and the children ride the buffalo. When they get a 

leaflet telling them to leave, or military action forces them to leave, 

they are crowded into the city slums and around the air bases. There 

has been a tearing ap art of the family structure.

The older women wash clothes and the younger women work in 

the bars. Maybe a woman will come into the refugee camp and 

offer them lots of money to work in the bars and brothels and they 

need money for the family, so they go to work in the bar or the 

brothel, and they then try to become a temporary wife because of 

their fear of getting venereal disease or their desire for a more permanent kind of relationship.

Afte r they are married, they try to have a child because they feel 

tha t children are the most precious possession any man can have; 

but, after the soldier finishes his tour in Vietnam it is, first of all, 

very hard to get married because of the paperwork. Generally, the 

soldier will pass his wife on to a buddy or he will tell his wife that 

he is coming back in 10 days or 2 weeks, so she won?

t cry when he 

leaves, but he never returns, so she goes back to the bar to find another husband.

Usually when she goes back to the bar she sends her child back 

to her home so that, in terms of the estimates of the Amerasian children, one of the difficulties is, that if you estimate the number of 

children in the orphanages, most of the Amerasian children go back 

to the farms rather than directly to the orphanges. Some of them 

do go to the orphanages and one of the problems there is tha t the 

orphanages are overcrowded. There are not enough people to take 

care of the children.

FR EN CH EX PE RIEN CE IN VIET NA M REGARDING EU RA SIA N FR EN CH

I would like to also speak just for a minute about the French experience in Vietnam regarding the Eura sian French.

When the French were there, they provided educational benefits 

to the French Vietnamese children and now the Eurasian children 

are now grown up and are the doctors, teachers and so on. There is 

almost no discrimination against the Eurasian children.

At the same time, the children of the n orth A frican troops did not 

receive these educational benefits and care. These children are now 

the men who are the front-line cannon fodder; the women work in 

the soul bars, and there has been a grea t deal of discrimination against 

them. I think this is one of the reasons why in Vietnam today there 

is more discrimination against the black-Amerasian children than 

there is against the white-Amerasian children.

DISC RIMINA TIO N AGAIN ST AM ERASIAN CH ILD RE N

We have provided no care to any of the children and I think tha t 

one of the things we can predict is tha t as time goes on there will 

be a growing discrimination against the children, pa rticularly because 

the longer the United States stays in Vietnam the deeper the resentment toward American presence in Vietnam becomes.
79

PRESENT SAIGON REGIME NOT CONCERNED

I would like to brin g up several points on the bill. One of them 

is th at the present Saigon regime is not concerned about the welfare 

of the orphans, Amerasian children or other war victims. Only about 

one-half of 1 percent of the national budget goes into welfare. Only 

$1.45 per child per month is allotted to orphanages to care for the 

children.

ADOPTING VIETNAMESE CHILD

A Vietnamese or American couple that wants to adopt a child must 

have been married 10 years, have no natural children of their own 

and one of them be at least 30 years of age or else get special permission 

from the President of Vietnam.

Tliis means, or this has led to many different forms of bribery so 

tha t to adopt a child in Vietnam will cost about $2,500 U.S. dollars, 

as you pay the bribes all the way up through.

CRITICISMS OF S. 24 9 7

One of my criticisms of bill S. 2497 is tha t it proposes that the 

program, and I qu ote:

Be ad minist ered only with th e conse nt of th e Gover nm ent of South Vie tnam 

an d in accorda nce with suc h arrang em en ts as ma y be mu tually agree d upon 

by th e agen cy an d th at government.

In essence, what bill S. 2497 does is it puts the funds into the hands 

of a few individuals in the Saigon government who have already 

shown little concern in the past for the welfare of the children.

We have the problem in the orphanages and the lack of care for 

the Vietnamese children because the Saigon government has not been 

concerned. Almost no money goes into the orphanages. The Government. has made it almost impossible for Vietnamese families or American families to adopt the Vietnamese children, and yet we are proposing to put the money through the same organization tha t has not 

cared about the children of Vietnam in the past.

The second concern or point I would like to make is tha t bill S. 2497 

proposes to help care for the orphans and Amerasian children but 

does not deal with the causes of the problem. One-third of the peoples 

of Cambodia, Laos, and the southern half of Vietnam are refugees. 

The bombing of all Indochina continues and the problems are further 

intensified so that, in a sense or in a way, I am afraid tha t many 

people will use this bill to ease their conscience, to say:

Well, you know , sur e, th e w ar conti nues bu t look at all of th e hel p we ar e 

giving to th e c hildre n; look a t a ll th e good we are doing.

19 70 AID ANNUAL REPORT

As can be seen from the 1970 U.S. AID annual report, Vietnamization has intensified the problems. The budgets for the civilian humanitarian aid, such as health care, have been decreased while paramilitary 

aid has been increased. F or example, in the annual repo rt giving the 

budgets for 1970 and 1971, the aid to the public safety, which is a 

euphemism for the police and prisons, was $20.9 million for 1970, and
80

$30 million for 1971. At the same time, the aid fo r healt h decreased 

from $27.8 million down to $25 million. So we have been moving fu rther away, from a id for social we lfare and help, and more aid has gone 

into prisons and th is sort of thing.

EM PH AS IS OX CAKE FOR MOTHERS , STRE NG TH EN ING FA MILY 

STRUCTURE

I would like to commend the bill in the emp hasis th at it is pu ttin g 

on the care f or mothe rs and towa rd str en gth en ing the fam ily structure, 

and I think this is the most im po rta nt part o f the bill. I believe th at 

the most im po rta nt th in g to do is to tr y to str ength en the fam ily 

structure, try to pro vide healt h care and pren atal care.

INCR EASE OF VENEREAL DISEASE

One p ar tic ul ar po int I wo uld br ing o ut is th at since we hav e gone to 

Vietnam the incidence of venereal disease has increased grea tly . For 

example, among th e women who work in the bro thels, t he pe rce nta ge of 

VD at the VD cen ter in Saigon has been ru nn ing abo ut 50 percen t. 

To date, our Government has done no thing th at I know of an d cer ­

tai nly very lit tle in terms of tryi ng to c ontrol venerea l disease.

Fo r exam ple, we do not pro vid e VI) cente rs; we do no t provide 

penicillin. Th e women are forced to ge t th ei r penic illin fro m quack 

docto rs whi ch is usu ally wa tered dow n an d ou tdated penic illin. Th is 

may co ntrol th e V I) b ut does not cure the VI).

OPPOSITION TO ESTABLISH ING SEPARATE ORPHANAGES FOR AMERA SIAN 

CH ILD RE N

I would be oppo sed to ma kin g or est ablishin g separate orp hanages 

for Am era sian childre n. Th is is no t proposed in the bill an d I don't 

think it is inten ded, but I would like to pu t th at on reco rd.

CONDITIONS IN VIE TN AM ESE ORPH ANAGES

I think in any case where either pa re nt wa nts to keep the child, 

then i t is good fo r th e child to stay w ith that, p aren t, If th ere is a Vi etnamese family th at is availab le, then they should keep them . I th ink 

there are cases, pa rti cu larly with Am era sia n children , and especially 

bla ck-Am erasian children, w here t here is no V ietnamese fam ily a va ilable and the mo the r does not wa nt to keep the child. I th in k th at the 

chi ldr en certa inly wo uld be much be tte r i f the y could be adopte d here, 

than to be pu t into the orp hanages in Vie tnam where the mortality 

rate r un s between 50 and 80 perc ent a nd whe re, fo r exam ple, at th e Go 

Vap Or ph an ag e they have 1.215 orph ans and 10 nuns to tak e care of 

them . T his is a rat io of 76 c hil dren f or each adu lt to t ak e care o f them.

Wh en you go into t he o rphanages in Vietnam wh at you find is that 

the c hil dren will sec you and they will ju st come up an d grab you by 

the pa nts or by the s hi rt and tr y to climb into your lap. Th is is just a 

lack of love and affection.

I believe th at if every Am erican or if every mem ber of th is committee could ju st walk throug h an orphanage th is would pro bab ly 

end the wa r in term s of o ur feeling . If every Am erican could see the
81

conditio ns in the o rphana ge s, it would cre ate a new un de rsta nd in g of 

the problems th at we hav e created fo r Vietnam .

LET TER FRO M TOM FOX OF FEB RUA RY 2 6, 1972

I wou ld like to close th is form al part of the tes tim ony wi th two 

th in gs : F ir st of all , I would lik e to rea d fro m a lette r th at I ju st 

received. T he letter is d ated Feb ru ar y 26,1972, from To m Fo x who has 

spen t ab ou t 5 y ears in Vi etn am as a social wo rker an d journa lis t. He 

sa id :

Apparently, the bill to help Vietnamese orph ans comes up nex t month. I am 

aware th at men of good inte ntions have mixed feelings on what should be done 

for the orphans. Bu t one fact should be beyond any disp ute and th at is that 

the child ren should he gotten out of the orphanag es of Vietnam.

I visited the Go Vap orphan age yesterda y. They have taken in abo ut 100 

of the Long Thanh orphans, as if they did not have enough infants already. 

Most of the children were fou r years or younger. They all seemed to l>e th e same 

height, about 2 ^ feet tall. They came run ning up to me. their thin arm s outstretched, looking up, begging to be picked up and held. Their little fingers kept 

moving grabbing u pward into th e air.

I was surroun ded by the childre n and could not hold them all. Those th at I 

did not pick up held onto my legs fulfilling their ins tincts to be near an adult. 

The children, unlike other Vietnamese of the same age, did not fear me. Nothing 

was familiar enough to them to be strang e and hence they did not fear. When 

1 lifted them they screa med out with joy alm ost like a lover would meeting 

a lover a fte r long sep aration . T hat deep hollow feeling grew in my stomach. It was 

an emptiness stemming from a knowledge th at I could not deliver the love they 

so desp erately needed.

The youngest infants upsta irs sa t up and laid in cribs. Many wrere only a 

few weeks old. They are still coming in. Many were Amerasians. Many showed 

compulsive anxiety, knocking their lit tle foreheads again st their matresses, continually swatting at their cheeks, eyes rolling back and forth, dazed, not seeing, 

scared. They were dyin g in fro nt of me for lack of affection, needing so much 

to be held. Six nun s worked continuously to assist the children but, ala s, all 

they could do was feed and clean up a fter them.

Pe rh ap s, ra th er th an read all of this, I can subm it th is into the 

record. (See p. 84.)

LONG TH AN T I ORPHA NAGE

T m ent ion ed the Tjong T ha nh o rphanage. T he New Y ork T imes issue 

of Fe br ua ry 11, 1972, sta tes th at the Saigo n governm ent o n Feb ru ar y 

10 sealed off th e Lo ng T ha nh orph an ag e where tw o child ren were left 

dea d and one in critical conditio n. Th ey have c harged th at there was 

influence fro m th e N LF, and so on. so th at th e orph an ag e ha s been 

closed down. T his w as one of th e m ost effective o rphana ge s in Vietnam. 

It was one of th e few orph anag es th at used older child ren to help 

care for th e younger ch ild ren which would be one way of deali ng 

wi th l ar ge r num bers o f chil dren.

CO MM EN T ON ST AT EM EN T BY MR . NOOTER

I wou ld like also to com ment on th e sta temen t by Th e Ho no rab le 

Fobert. Xooter. In th is morning ’s tes tim ony he me ntioned ab ou t the 

financial su pp or t an d increases an d th is so rt of thing. F or exa mple, 

he mentio ned specific ally th at the Agenc y fo r In te rn at io na l De velop ­

ment admi nis ter s a p ro gr am o f pr ov idin g su rplus food u nd er th e pro ­

visio ns of P.L. 480. Titl e IT, to 922,000 Vie tnamese ch ild ren, th at th is 

comes to $6.7 mill ion IT.S. dollars.
Now, if you do some very sim ple ari thm eti c, this comes ou t to 2 cents 

a day f or each c hil d, which is a v ery in sig nif ica nt a mount, also coupled 

with t he fact t hat a very high perce nta ge o f the Pu blic Law 480 and 

other goods never get to the c hil dren so a very large pe rce nta ge of th is 

goes into gra ft an d c orr uption.

li e goes on fu rt her to say th at G mo nth s ago A ID adv ised the 

Government of Vietn am th at it was prep ared to make available an 

ad dit ion al 547 mi llio n pia ste rs, which is abo ut $1.3 millio n U.S . do llars fo r the child welfare pro gra ms . I f you took, ju st fo r example, 

the 400,000 orph an s which lie mentio ned earlie r, who receive su pp or t 

from the Minist ry of Ve terans Affairs, this only comes ou t to $3 a 

ye ar for each of th e orp han s. In o ther words, very li ttl e care o r money 

is being given to the orph ans of Vie tnam.

S. 24 9 7 SUPPORTED

In sum ma ry, I would like to s up po rt bill S. 2497. I reco gnize the re 

are ma ny pro blems to it and it is no t goi ng to solve the problem in 

gen eral, bu t I do th in k th at it ma y provide some help fo r a few o f the 

individu als; it may focus some attentio n onto the problem fo r us to 

th in k abou t an d pe rhaps to cre ate some action with in the Saigo n 

government.

REAL PROBLEM IS PRESENCE OF U. S. TROOPS, PLAN ES, MAT ERIALS

Seco nd, I would repe at th at the real problem is the presence of 

U.S . tr oo ps, planes, an d ma terials. Whe n we leav e, t he Vietnamese can 

solve th ei r own problems and I thi nk these h earin gs and the necessity 

fo r these he ari ng s, are a sad test imony to th e fact t hat the U.S . Congress ha s been unabl e to cut fun ds on th e Vietnam war.

(Air. L uce’s prepa red s tat em ent fo llo ws:)

P repared State m ent of Don L uce R egardin g A ssis ta n c e to

Vie t n a m ese C hil dren

I support the concern th at hill number S. 2497 represents. I believe, however, 

th at it is only a pa rtial solution and may ease the conscience of some towards 

the continued destruction in Viet Nam. The real problem is the continuation of 

the wa r which creates more orphans and economically and cultura lly weakens 

the Vietnamese family structur e and its ability to cope with the problem.

I believe th at there have been at lea st 200,000 Ameri-Asian child ren bom 

and probably twice that number. As a researc her for the World Council of 

Churches, I studied the problems of post-war reconstruction and the rehabilita ­

tion of women who have worked as bar-girls, prostitutes or temporary wives.

I obtained the number of bars in different cities, from the tax collection 

offices, visited a sample of the bars and found out how many women worked 

in each bar. I estim ated th at there were between 100.000 and 300,000 bar-girls, 

prostitutes, and temporary wives in Viet Nam in late 1909. Almost all of these 

women had at least one Amer-Asian child. Ju st about every bar had at leas t 

one woman pregnant by an American soldier.

Most of the bar-girls, pro stitutes and temporary wives were once farm girls. 

They have been forced from their rural villages by the wa r (usually by U.S. 

leaflets telling them th at they are going to be bombed or by our firepower 

its elf). After they are crowded into the refugee camps, an older woman comes 

into the camp and offers them lots of money to work in the bars. They need 

money for th eir families so they go to work in a b ar or brothel.

Soon they become temp orary wives. It is more perman ent and they are less 

apt to catch venereal disease. They usually have a child by their American 

“husband.” They want to have child ren because the Vietnamese feels th at a
child is the most precious possession a man can have. If they have a child, they 

feel, th eir soldier will n ot leave them.

But it is extremely difficult for an American soldier to marry a Vietnamese 

girl. It takes months of paperwork. Sometimes they get marrie d and things 

usually work out fine. Bu t . . more often, the soldier ju st passes his wile on to 

a buddy or tells his wife th at he’ll be hack in a few days (to keep her from 

being so upse t when he leav es). Ilq never return s and his wife ret urns to the 

bar to find anoth er husband.

Usually the women send th eir children home to t heir pare nts and provide money 

each month to their families to tak e c are of the children. Sending the child to an 

orphanag e is the last reso rt. They know th at sending their child to an orphan ­

age will probably res ult in his death . The women are caught: they must continu e to sell themselves in order to have money to send home—in doing this, they 

have more children.

The French provided good education to the French Euras ian children. Their 

child ren are now doctors, lawyers, teach ers, etc. and there h as been alm ost no discrim ination again st them. At the same time, no aid was given to the children of 

the North African Legionnaires. The Afro-Asian hoys grew up to become fro ntline cannon fodder an d the girls have become bar-girls an d p rostitu tes in the bars 

for American black soldiers. Because of this and because some Vietnamese are 

prejudiced against people of darker skin, the re has been more discrimination 

against the half-black children.

The United States has provided no a ssistance for any of the Amer-Asian children. I believe there will be increasing discrimination again st these children. As 

the U.S. continues th e bombing of all Viet Nam. increases aid to the corrupt police 

force, and keeps the unpopular Tliieu regime in power, there is more and more 

anti-Americanism.

The problem of orphans and Amer-Asian children exis ts because the United 

States continues to bomb the countryside, tea r ap ar t the economy, and inten sify 

the breakdown of the family structure . If th e U.S. with drew its troops, ended the 

bombing and withdrew its milita ry and param ilitar y support from the Tliieu 

regime, then the Vietnamese would have peace. At th at time, the Vietnamese 

could begin to repair the damage done to their society and adequately care for 

the orphans and Amer-Asian children.

I believe th at it is important for this committee to consider the following 

po in ts:

I. The presen t Saigon regime is not concerned ab out the welfare of the orphans. 

Amer-Asian children, or other wa r victims. Only abou t one-half of one percen t of 

the national budget goes into w elfare. Only $1.45 per child per month is allotted 

to orphanages to care for the children. A Vietnamese, or American couple that 

want to a dopt a child in a n orph anage must have been m arried ten years, have no 

na tural child ren of t heir own, and one of them be a t lea st 30 years of age or else 

get special permission of the president of the country. This leads to many forms 

of bribery and the cost of adopting a Vietnamese child may run as high as $2500.

Bill S. 2497 proposes th at the prog ram “be administere d only w ith the consent 

of the Government of South Viet Nam a nd in accord ance with such arran gem ents 

as may be mutua lly a greed upon by the Agency and th at Government.”

In essence. Bill S. 2497 p uts the funds into the han ds of a few individuals in 

the Saigon government t ha t have alre ady shown little concern in the p ast for the 

welfare of the children.

II. Bill S. 2497 proposes to help care for the orphans and Amer-Asian children 

but, does not deal with the causes of the problem. One-third of the peoples of Cambodia, Laos and the southern half of Viet Nam are refugees. The bombing of all 

Indochina continues a nd the problems ar e f ur ther intensified.

Many people will use Bill S. 2497 to ease their consciences—“Bu t look at all 

the good we’re doing. We’re helping all those orphans,” some will say.

III. Vietnamization has intensified the problems. Budgets for civilia n hum anitaria n aid such as health car e have decreased, while para-m ilitary aid has increased.

IV. Assistance to the m others and towards strengthening the family structure 

must he the emphasis of Bill S. 2497. For example, there are almost no free clinics for the tre atm ent of venereal disease. U.S. soldiers have caused a terrific increase in the venereal disea se rate , yet we have done little to control it. I would 

like to propose tha t funds be included for venereal disease control centers thro ugh ­

out the country.
I would like to commend the writers of this bill for including Section 7. I believe that, the encouragement of United Natio ns and other mu ltilateral and nonprofit orga nizations is extremely important.

I am opposed to establishing separa te orphanages for Amer-Asian children. Such 

isolation would cause extreme psychological adjustments when they were “released.” In a case where eith er paren t can care for the child or Vietnamese p ar ­

ents a re available, I am opposed to adoptions here in the U.S. I support the concept of foster par ents (e.g. through Fos ter P arents Plan).

There are thousands of child ren being inadequately cared for in the orphanages. I have visited many of these orphanages and seen the results of too many 

children and too few people to care for them (e.g. at Go Vap orphanage there 

1213 orphans for 16 nuns—a ratio of 76 children to each ad ult). The child ren 

are starving for affection. The result of this is described in a letter tha t I recently 

received from Tom Fox who lias lived and worked in Viet Nam for five years as 

a social worker and journalist:

‘•Apparently, the bill to help Vietnamese o rphans comes up n ext month . . . I 

am aware th at men of good intentions ha ve mixed feelings on what should be done 

for the orphans. But one fact should lie beyond any dispute and th at is th at the 

children should be gotten o ut of the orphanages of Viet Nam.

“I visited the Go Vap orphanage yesterday. They have taken in a bou t one h undred of the Long Thanh orphans, as if they did not have enough infan ts alrea dy. 

Most of the children were four years or younger. They all seemed to be the same 

height, about two and a half feet tall. They came runn ing up to me, their thin 

arms outstretched, looking up, begging to be picked up and held. Their litt le 

fingers kept moving, grabbing upw ards into the air. I was surrounded by the 

children and could not hold them all. Those th at I did not pick up held onto my 

legs fulfilling the ir instincts to be near an adult. The children, unlike other Vietnamese of the same age, did not fea r me. Nothing wras fam iliar enough to them 

to be strange, and hence they did not fear. When I lifte d them they screamed out 

with joy almost like a lover would meeting a lover after long separation. That 

deep hallow feeling grew in my stomach. It was an emptiness stemming from a 

knowledge th at I could not deliver the love they so desperately needed.

"The youngest infants ups tairs sat up and laid in cribs. Many were only a few 

weeks old. They are still coming in. Many were Amerasians. Many showed compulsive anxie ty, knocking the ir little foreheads against their mattresses, continually swatting at the ir cheeks, eyes rolling back and forth, dazed, not seeing, 

scared. They were dying in front of me fo r lack of affection, needing so much to 

be held. Six nuns worked continuously to assist the child ren but, alas, all they 

could do was feed and clean up af ter them.

“One three-year-old black American, stomach distended, ha d rubbery legs. 

The nun said she h as never shown a desire to walk. Another two-year-old white 

American in diapers looked emaciated, seeming to be a third of his real age. 

I doubt if he can live another month.

“A nun told me t ha t American soldiers used to come in to play with the children but they no longer come. Vietnamese families, she explained, face the explosive. depressing inflation, and can barely find the energy to care for the ir own 

young. . . .

“Rosemary Taylor, a living saint I am convinced, has many more applicants 

for children than she has child ren (from orphanages) available for adoption. 

WHY? Because the orphanages, both Catholic and Bud dhist alike, are afraid to 

give up the ir children to foreigners. Catholic orphanages ins ist the parents must 

be Catholic and most Buddhist orphanages do not give up the children to anyone. . . .

“I write this to you now because the problem of orph ans in Viet Nam is continu ally growing. The problem is not ‘winding down.’ Paren ts are not coming 

back to life. I have a feeling people in the U.S. want to do something but do not 

know what to do.

“I suggest that the bill now in Congress be encouraged to pass. I suggest that 

the GVN be encouraged by all possible American means to modify its adoption 

policies. I suggest that, imme diate priority be given to making money available 

for orphanages in Viet Nam th at are willing to in crease the qu antity and quality 

of the ir staffs. I am aware th at many orphanages abuse funds given to them so 

there must be some controls. Bu t it is important th at an American-Vietnamese 

organiza tion be founded to care for the pape rwork allowing the child ren to get 

out of the country. Ideally, as you (Don Luce) have long suggested, this should
85

be an intern ational organization, hopefully under the United Nations. But the 

need to act. to help the orphans is desp erate and immediate.”

In closing I urge this committee to take action as rapidly as possible on p assing 

this bill. It will not solve the problem, but perh aps i t will provide some help for 

a few individuals.

Second, I repeat, th at the real problem is the presence of U.S. troops, planes 

and materials. When we leave, the Vietnamese can solve the ir own problems. 

These hearings, the necessity of these hearin gs, is sad testimony to the fac t the 

U.S. Congress has not yet been able to control the U.S. military and stop the 

destruction brought on by o ur massive military power.

(Views of Mrs. Tran K han Tuyet, South Vietnamese social worker, 

submitted by Mr. Luce, follow:)

Fi rs t of all, I would like to say th at I feel very much appreciative to be able 

to tal k here today. Of course, I support very much Donald’s testimony about the 

bill. B ut there are a few thin gs here I would like to emphasize.

When I went into the legislation rep ort of September 8, 1971, it said the purpose of this legislation is to assist the Vietnamese in rebuilding a significant 

aspect of their social structure . I feel very bitte r as a Vietnamese, ju st an ordinary woman of Vietnam, because the social structur e of Vietnam has been destroyed by American presence for the las t 17 years in Vietnam or American involvement in Vietnam for 27 years.

Now we remain with so many problems. As Don mentioned, more tha n onethird of the population has been—has become refugee. We have hundreds of 

soldiers who are wa r amputees. We have 100.000 prostitutes. Somewhere there 

is an estimate of 400,000 prostitutes. We have more tha n 300,000 orphans, fatherless and motherless, plus all of the destruction, of social disinte gration because 

of the corrupt lead ersh ip in the government supported by the U.S.

To me, it would be ironical and hypocritical if the childre n’s problems would 

pass before any other bills or the lead ers of the government to stop the war 

first.

Also, i f I may say, I found there are some at titud es of some American orga nizations—I say some of them —we have been involved in the same issue like the 

childre n’s care bill. None of them would ever say any thing on a slogan, may I 

say, of love, to help the Vietnamese children, but they always mention “We have 

a duty—the Americans have a duty, and pity.” The children don’t need Americans’ pity and the child ren from Vietnam don’t need Americans’ duty af ter having their father s killed or the m others killed because of the war.

I wish there was some way we could make communication between the two 

people—Vietnamese and A merican people—to double up thi s kind of concern and 

care in term s of coexistence which I have never found in Vietnam yet.

And also somewhere in the bill it is more emphasis on the Vietnamese, half 

Vietnamese and half American children; and I know the re are a lot of groups, 

including Pearl Buck’s group, th at try to help to save half American children. 

Unfortunately or fortunately, these children are also half Vietnamese and we 

don’t consider them as possessions. We consider them as belonging as pa rt of 

our lives and I am opposed very much to see anywhere we will try to adopt Vietnamese child ren withou t h avin g concern of the conflict we ha ve had for the past 

17 years.

Even though my own children would be half, so-called white American, and 

I just wonder have you or has this group done much to help the minority groups 

here in America before we can th ink of helping the Vietnamese children?

Also, the attitud e of maybe a conflict of these groups who always think th at 

the Vietnamese social work ers have less dedication and less training and also 

emphasize th at with American aid. not government aid. but American civilian 

groups’ aid. you could help to change more Vietnamese to more day care. I don’t 

believe so because it never happened. It might never happen.

Well, to sum up, I also have the same conclusions th at Don mentioned here, 

that as long as Americans would not accept th e unification of Vietnam. I wonder 

how much you could help the child ren for other things or victims from the w ar? 

Well, we spend about almost .$20 to $27 billion to kill and destroy Vietnam as a 

whole country.

I will support the bill, if I may, und er one condition, th at anything we have to 

do to help Vietnam w ith America’s support, will have to be a very carefu l and very 

dedicated issue, dedicated problem, because we always talk abo ut orphans in 

the south. We forgot th at in North Vietnam we have 100,000 of them a nd in the
86

air raids we have 100,000 of them, too. Who took care of them? If we want to 

bomb. Only the South Vietnam Government, in which the corruption has been 

known here and has been condemned by some of the radical Americans. This is 

my l ast question.

The Chairman. Thank you very much.

W IT N E SS’ EXPE RIE N CE IN V IE TNAM

Mr. Luce, for the record, I wonder if you would jus t briefly state 

your experience in Vietnam?

Mr. Luce. I went to Vietnam in 1958 with International Voluntary 

Services or IV S as an agriculturalist, worked with sweet potatoes, and 

then in 1961 was made a Director for IVS in Vietnam, and was there 

until 1967 as Director of IVS.

In 1968 I went back to Vietnam as a journalist, and then in June 

1969. I started to work for the World Council of Churches as a researcher, and a journalist with the Ecumenical Press Service.

I speak Vietnamese, and so I have spent a total of about 12 years 

in Vietnam.

Maybe I could point out also th at Tuyet has been a social welfare 

worker in Vietnam, worked with the Committee of Responsibility-----

(Additional views of Mrs. Tuyet submitted by Mr. Luce follow :)

Mostly I worked as a volunteer stu dent who has found the young generation 

in Vietnam has lost the ir identity and tried to bring back the connection or the 

relationship between the urbanize d people and the rural areas, the rural people. 

In that context I have been trying to work since 1956 and 1957. I worked in the 

Go Vap orphanage when we had only five hundred orphans. As fa r as I remember, there were just a few mix ture s and maybe left over by the French troops, 

but we did n’t have much problem with Amerasian problems at th at time. Only I 

remember th at the daily dea th of the child ren because of lack of care and because of lack of concern—we had only less tha n 10 percent of help from the 

Vietnamese Government at th at time, which is the Diem regime, to help these 

children, so I have seen th e problems since way back 17 years ago which has been 

increasing and never solved and, therefore, I would not see any way th at with 

Americans’ help without concerning the political change for Vietnam would be 

accepted by the Vietnamese people. I have been here for three years and most 

of the summers or some of the summers I don’t have to go to school and I 

worked as a volunteer aga in with the Committee of Responsibility here for the 

las t thr ee summers.

C O N TIN U A TIO N OF WAR IS RE AL PR OB LE M

The Chairman. Mr. Luce, I, of course, agree with your views, but 

this is not the real problem. The real problem is the continuation of 

the war. I am sure you are aware tha t efforts have been made in the 

Congress to influence the Government to stop the war, but we have 

failed for lack of influence on votes on two or three occasions. You 

are familiar with this, I think. That, of course, does not mean that 

legislation benefiting the orphans should not be passed in spite of tha t 

very tragic situation that continues.

C H A N N E L IN G FU N D S TH R O U G H PR IV ATE GR OU PS RE CO MMEN DE D

With specific reference to this legislation, your criticisms, I think, 

are quite reasonable. If we make the money available to the Government, the same Government tha t presently, apparently, is very little 

interested in this matter, then it probably would never be used for the 

purpose th at it is appropriated.
87

What would be your comment upon a different approach if tha t 

money earmarked for this purpose would be made available throu gh 

AID? In other words, it could be spent only for this purpose legally. 

In your opinion, would it be more likely to be used for the purpose 

of assistance to the orphans if it were administered in that fashion, 

under such a restriction, than if it were turne d over to the Government of South Vietnam ?

Mr. L uce. I thin k this is probably true. I would point out that one 

of the good aspects of the bill is that it does provide a way to channel

* support through international organizations such as the U.X. and p rivate organizations. I believe that the funds would be much more apt 

to get down to the orphanages if they were channeled through private 

groups.

* I think when you speak of channeling through AID--- -

The Chairman. UN ICEF is not a private group ; it is a public 

group.

Mr. L uce. No, in tha t case an international group; but I think that 

the problem th at you run into with AID is exactly the same problem as 

with the Government of Vietnam, and th at is that it has its vested interests about the war, that in the past, we have put millions of dollars 

worth of things throu gh AID and the effect has generally been to 

widen the gap between the rich and the poor, and it is very easy to 

divert funds from one project into a similar project. For example, 

last May I testified to the fact th at afte r the “tiger cage” incident, our 

AID program diverted funds into building new tige r cages to replace 

the former ones.

Now, there doesn’t seem to be many mechanisms in AID to really 

channel these funds into the way that the people who appropriate the 

funds think the money is being used for. So one of my concerns of 

channeling it through, directly throu gh AID , would be again the 

question of whether it would really go to the children; so I would 

encourage an emphasis to be put on channeling the funds through 

private organizations if, for example, through the Committee of Responsibility, through foster parents plan, and organizations like this.

QU ESTIO N OE ADO PTIO NS FOR DESERTED CH ILDR EN

F

And, also, I think tha t the question at the ambassadorial level, the 

question of adoptions for children who have been deserted and so on, 

1 think, has to be raised.

* The Chairman. Adoption by whom ?

Mr. Luce. I think if you take a child in Vietnam who has been given 

up by its mother and where the father is unknown, say an American 

father, then I think that when there is a choice of this child going into 

an orphanage or being adopted by an American family-----

The Chairman. American family in Vietnam or here?

Mr. Luce. Here. I think it would be better.

The Chairman. I thought you said in another part you did not think 

they ought to be brought here ?

Mr. Luce. I thin k that generally when there are parents, one or 

both parents, living in Vietnam or when there is a Vietnamese family 

available, then it should be adopted in Vietnam. And I think also that 

one of the biggest problems in Vietnam is the difficulty for a Viet-
88

namese family to adopt a Vietnamese child because they have to be 

married 10 years, have no children of th eir own, one of them has to be 

at least 30 years old or they have to get the permission of the President of the country, so what I really-----

The Chairman. Does that apply only to Vietnamese citizens?

Mr. Luce. Th at is true for either Vietnamese or Americans, or. of 

course, the special permission from President Thieu which is one of my 

basic concerns that if the Government of Saigon, the Saigon regime, 

has no more concern about its children than this, it seems to me very 

counterproductive to put more funds through th is same Government 

to try to brin g about better child care.

LIT TLE CA N BE DO NE W H IL E WAR GOES ON

The Ci i \irman. But can you deal with this problem without dealing 

with the Saigon Government? They have to give permission for anybody to work there, don't they ?

Mr. Luce. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be here today. T was kicked out 

of Vietnam a year ago because, for example, well, it is another story. 

Rut I think tha t specifically channeling the money through the Vietnamese Government, when there are organizations working in Vietnam is a waste of th at money. I think t hat really what you and I are 

battling against is getting back to the fact that very little can really 

be done while the war goes on, and that I support the bill because T 

think we should try : I think tha t money should be made available to do 

these things, but that we should be verv careful not to use this bill or 

any other bibs like it to ease our conscience into thinking that we are 

not responsible for the problems which we are tryin g now to patch up.

The Chairman. That is a very good thought, but due to the prop ­

aganda that the war is being wound down, and everybody had almost 

forgotten it until this recent outbreak—it has been quite successful in 

taking the war out of the minds of the people, as you know, bv saying 

it is being wound down and coming to an end.

OP ER ATI ONS OF U N IC E F

The practical application here—what about UN ICEF —have you 

observed their operations?

Mr. Luce. Yes. and I think-----

The Chairman. Are they reasonably efficient ?

Mr. L uce. They had a good milk and bread feeding program which 

they had to stop: I mean they were going well, but then there was so 

much corruption involved in it tha t they finally stopped it.

CO RRU PT IO N BY LOCAL SA IGON O FF IC IA LS

The Chairman. Corruption by whom? You mean local people?

Mr. Luce. By local Saigon officials.

The Chairman. Wherever you turn you run into that problem, don't 

you ?

Mr. Luce. That’s right. I think if you take, say, the Go Vap Orphanage, a specific orphanage in Vietnam, th at if one private organization 

were to work directly with this orphanage, perhaps you would have

i
89

less conniption. At the same time you would have to recognize th at it 

would become less of a Vietnamese institution.

The Chairman. Can you do that without the approval of the Vietnamese Government?

Mr. Luce. No.

The Chairman. Do you have to pay them to get th eir approval?

Mr. Luce. Yes.

The Chairman. We are right back where we started.

* Mr. Luce. Ye s; this is the problem.

W IIA T IS BEST MAC HI NE RY ?

* The Chairman. My guess about the Members of the Congress is tha t

they are very worried about the means of carry ing it out. I think there 

is quite a resistance to creating a new government organization. There 

is a great feeling we have too many now. They have proliferated all 

over the place and w ith various problems—not in this area, but other 

areas. They would like to use existing machinery. The question is, 

what is the best existing machinery? Would it be, with all its dangers, 

UN ICEF or AID or some other one that I am not-----

Mr. Luce. I believe the best machinery would be a combination of 

the private American organizations.

The Chairman. You keep saying private. Who is private? U NICE F 

isn’t private ?

Mr. Luce. UN ICEF is not private.

The Chairman. Who is private that you have in mind ?

Mr. Luce. Foster parents, for example.

The Chairman. Are they set u p; are they working over there ?

Mr. Luce. Yes.

The Chairman. Do they have a staff there ?

Mr. Luce. They have about 5,000 adopted children and they have 

a staff of Vietnamese social workers and they have a director and so on.

The Chairman. H ow many ? What is the size of th eir staff ?

Mr. L uce. They have a director, an assistant director, and approximately 15 Vietnamese social workers. The director, I believe, is Caf nadian; I am not sure. The deputy director is American and they have

15 or so Vietnamese social workers.

CARE has a staff of about 10 people.

The Committee of Responsibility has a staff of about five people—

* no, I am sorry—less than that, about three people.

Vietnam Christian Service has a staff of about 60.

The Chairman. Who ?

Mr. Luce. Vietnam Christian Service.

The Chairman. Who is that?

Mr. Luce. T hat is under the joint sponsorship of the Church World 

Service and others, it is, well, under the general American church 

sponsorship at 475 Riverside Drive; so there are a lot of private 

organizations in Vietnam.

I think t hat this afternoon we will hear Mr. Lou Kubicka who was 

formerly director of the American Friends Service Committee, who 

can tell of some of the frustrations of volunteers working in Vietnam 

tryi ng to meet some of the social problems.

But I do believe that more of this money would get down to the
90

people that way, and that it would be done much more in line with 

Vietnamese social practices and so on, than it would be for United 

States, for the AID program directly.

The Chairman. Well, this administrative problem obviously is a 

very difficult one over there. It is not much good to appropriate money 

and then have it all wasted by people who are inexperienced or don’t 

know what they are doing.

$150 BIL LIO N WASTED

«

Mr. Luce. But I would point out that we are really wasting $19 

billion on bombs, planes-----

The Chairman. We wasted-----

Mr. Luce (continuing). and military equipment. <

The Chairman. We wasted $150 billion: I don’t know where you 

get $10 billion.

Mr. Luce. We wasted $150 billion there.

The Chairman. Sure.

appropriation or money and its use

Mr. Luce. In terms of killing people, it seems to me we should try 

to find a way of using $1 million to help people.

The Chairman. That is what we are trying to do. What is the best 

way to use it? That is what I said. I think there is a disposition to appropriate the money.

Mr. Luce. Right.

The C hairman. But they don’t wish to appropriate it in a way that 

only adds to the corruption.

Mr. Luce. Right. This is why I would suggest try ing to channel it 

through the organizations like UN ICE F or organizations—private 

organizations—that are working there now.

determination of number of amerasian children

The Chairman. You mentioned a much higher figure than we had 

seen about the Amerasian children. I mean, how do you determine the 

figure of over 200,000 ? •

Mr. Luce. I went to different tax offices in Vietnam.

The Chairman. Different what?

Mr. Luce. Tax offices. You know, they have offices tha t collect property taxes and taxes on the bars and all of this. I got the numbers *

of bar owners in different towns and I went to the bars and talked 

with the women who worked in the bars to get the number of women 

in each bar and these other places I would just go to, I just tried to 

count the bars tha t were in the city, just go up and down the streets 

and count the bars and get the number of women who worked in the 

bars, and then I interviewed women in the bars to get an estimate of the 

children, you know, how many children they had. I asked them “IIow 

many children do you have?” and using these figures, we made an estimate. This was in late 1969. There were between 100,000 and 300,000 

bar girls, “temporary wives” and prostitutes. Most of them had at least 

one child; several of them had two or three children, Amerasian children, Vietnamese/American children.
91

I believe that this method of trying to find out how many bars, how 

many women in the bars, and how many children they have, is a much 

more accurate way of getting the number of Amerasian children tha n 

finding out how many Amerasian children in the orphanages for two 

reasons: Fir st, if you are trying to find out how many children are 

born so many of the children in the orphanages die and the m ortality 

rate is at least 50 percent and many estimates are up to SO percent.

Second, the mothers try, whenever they can, to send the ir children 

back to the villages rath er th an putting them into the orphanages.

» The Chairman. Did you give an estimate of how many orphans

besides the Amerasians you think there are ?

Mr. Luce. I have not, in my testimony.

The Chairman. This estimate is of Amerasians?

> Mr. Luce. The 200,000 to 400,000 is of Amerasian children. These

are half orphans.

In terms of orphans and half orphans, and the people killed and so 

on, I am sure that it would be—I would rath er not, I would rather 

write you a letter later, you know, on this.

U SE OF M O NEY FO R PU RPO SE APP RO PR IA TE D

The Chairman. I think you see the problem. I would hope if we 

could find a way tha t there was some reasonable assurance tha t money 

made available could be used for the purpose for which it is ap propriated. I know th at is a very difficult thing and a very difficult purpose to achieve. I t is true it is very difficult even in our own Government, in our own programs, but this is a very special situation.

I think you have given very useful testimony. Do you have anythin g further you would like to add?

Air. Luce. No; I would like to submit my testimony for the record.

The Chairman. Yes. The entire statement will be put in th e record. 

(See p. 82.)

Mr. Luce. To be put into the record.

The Chairman. Than k you very much. Our next witness is Mr. 

Louis P. Kubicka, the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

f

STATEMENT OF LOUIS P. KUBICKA, FRIE NDS COMMITTEE ON

NATIONAL LEGISLATION; ACCOMPANIED BY EDWARD F.

SNYDER

• Mr. Kubicka. This is Air. Ed Snyder, Senator.

I would like to submit the entire testimony for the record.

The Chairman. Yes; it will be received.

Mr. K ubicka. And I will read excerpts and make comments.

The Chairman. That is fine.

Mr. Kubicka. A lot of what I have to say is supportive of what 

Don has already said, so we will avoid some repetition here.

Aly name is Louis Kubicka. I am 30 years of age. I worked in South 

Vietnam with the American Friends Service Committee, Quakers, for 

4 years, returning to the United States in July 1971. I was an unpaid 

volunteer. Three of those years I worked in general administration, 

while the fourth I worked as director of Quaker work in South Vietnam. I speak Vietnamese. Today I am speaking for the Friend s Com-
92

mittee on National Legislation which represents 22 of 28 Friends’ 

yearly meetings and 10 Friends’ organizations in the United States, 

but does not purport to speak for all Friends.

QUAKER PROGRAM IN VIE TN AM

I would like to tell you a little bit about the Quaker program. It 

was begun in 1966 in an attempt to aid Vietnamese refugees and war 

injured civilians. For a period of 5 years, we operated a child daycare center in Quang Xgai. The center, which was the first in Vietnam, 

is now continuing under the direction of the Ministry of Social Welfare.

We had to use a great deal of pressure to get tha t day-care center 

continued. In fact, we know it was not only our pressure to get that 

day-care center continued, but we think also AID pressure to get it 

continued, because of the embarrassment tha t might follow from it 

being dropped. Very definitely the social welfare service in Vietnam 

wanted to drop that program.

Presently, we are continuing in Quang Xgai a rehabilitation program for war-injured civilians, which was begun in 1967. This program includes production and fitting of artificial limbs, physical 

therapy, and reconstructive surgical services and social rehabilitation 

services, and the training of Vietnamese personnel in all these areas. 

Also, while we were operating tha t day-care center, we had the Ministry of Social Welfare conduct training programs for their cadres, 

day-care cadres, tha t were going to work in other dav-care centers 

in Vietnam.

We have served thousands of these injured people in the last 5 

years. Approximately one-third of our patients have been children 

and, therefore, I feel qualified to speak on the problems of the war 

in Vietnam as it affects children and the problems of tryin g to alleviate the suffering caused by the war.

We deeply appreciate the concern to help the children in Vietnam 

which motivates the sponsors of this legislation, Senators Williams. 

Ilughes, and Ilatfield, and also yourself.

VIEW OF s. 2497

Our basic view of S. 2497 is this: We believe the most important 

part of the bill is section 1. There it is recognized t hat the United 

States has a moral responsibility for the children of Vietnam. The 

children of Vietnam have been some of the chief victims of this war, 

and the size of the problem is immense. Meeting the needs of Vietnamese children is beyond the capabilities of the present South Vietnam Government and beyond the provisions of this bill. A lasting 

solution can only come with a complete end of the wa r and the installation of a popular government in Saigon which is dedicated to the 

welfare of the people. Until then, programs such as those proposed 

here provide only marginal benefit. Ideally, also the bill’s scope should 

be broadened to include all the children of Indochina.

The bill deals only with Vietnam; righ t away, our perspective is 

too narrow. The real perspective would look at our responsibility with 

regard to all of Southeast Asia.
93

I thin k we can kind of give a marginal support to this bill, to 

create a new child care agency. One of the advantages of this new 

agency is that it would be predicated on our moral responsibility for 

what is happening there. The problem with ATI) is that it has no 

strong feeling of responsibility for what the United States has done 

to tha t country.

All their programs have come as a result of pressure from the 

United States, from many sources, but never because they felt responsible for what was going on there. I am speaking of AID as an agency, 

not of some of its dedicated employees. This new agency, if it were 

created as a separate agency, would be predicated on the basis of our 

moral responsibility, and it might actually deal with the need, and 

that might have a somewhat better result.

PR OB LE MS CON FR ONTIN G CH IL D REN OF V IE TN A M

We see many basic problems confronting the children of Vietnam. 

The biggest problem, of course, is that the children are being killed in 

large numbers. Children are being injured. One proble 1 that we have 

dealt with is that war-handicapped South Vietnamese children receive 

virtually no educational training tha t might prepare them to make the 

most of what remains of their abilities. They will be almost totally 

unable to make an economic contribution to th eir own support except 

throu gh begging.

A really good child-care agency could star t to get into this. There 

has been nothing done in social rehabilitation of crippled children in 

South Vietnam. If ATD were going to respond to needs, then it should 

have responded to this one long ago.

Now. other problems: Children have been orphaned in huge numbers. Here is one: Children are commonly held in political prisons 

along with their parents. In Quang Ngai prison across the street from 

our residence, there were customarily 40 children present, including 

newborn babies. We ran a program for pregnan t women in prison, and 

several of the children were picked up by our small schoolbus in the 

morning and taken to the Quaker day-care center for a period of time. 

Eventually, we didn’t get the kind of cooperation that would allow 

us to continue this.

Another problem is child labor, and this is extremely common and of 

necessity.

Also, there is a problem, I think, although I really don’t have any 

evidence to support this, tha t the dire circumstances th at many women 

are in. in South Vietnam, pressures them to abort their unborn children. We feel this is a moral problem which we are in some measure 

responsible for, but, of course, the extent of such a problem would be 

most difficult to ascertain accurately.

M A JO R IM PE D IM E N T S TO EFF ECTIV E H E L P THRO U G H LE GIS LA TI ON

We see three major impediments to effective help to the children 

throu gh the legislation before y ou : One is one mentioned before, and 

you have mentioned and Don mentioned, ending the war and not just 

American involvement in the war, is the primary requirement for 

helping the children. All other help to children pales in comparison

80 -6 19 — 72------ 7
94

to what thi s wou ld mean. Until the war is over, we will generate 

more problems tha n so lutions.

The second majo r imp edime nt is th at the bill cha nne ls aid necessar ily—there wou ld be no oth er way to do it—th ro ug h the existing 

inadequate G overnment.

My experien ce leads me to believe t hat the Saigon Government, because it has not identified with the int ere sts of the common people, 

does not command the a lleg ianc e and c ommitment of the s ort o f de dicated workers who could ca rry out effective child-welfare pro gra ms.

There are some capable and ded icated Vietnam ese now wo rking in w

Governm ent chi ld- we lfare pro gra ms, bu t the ma gnitu de of the need 

is so gre at, as a result of this dis ast rou s war, th at only a larg e-sc ale 

com mun ity-based educational and we lfare program with wide po pu ­

la r supp ort could hope to mobilize sufficient huma n resources to do <

an adequate job.

Pe rhaps one of the reasons for the lack of success of the Gover nment’s social welfare efforts has been the ill-co ncea led an d sh or tsighted use of welfare aid as a ca rro t or stick to achieve political 

sup port for or submission to the GV N. Con cerned Vietnamese hesitate to commit them selves to a prog ram whi ch ha s ten ded to be used 

to buttress the Government in pow er ra th er th an help nee dy people.

The prov ision in the bill for direct assistance to pr ivate non profit 

org ani zation s is especially comm endable. Th ere are some cap able and 

hig hly motivated persons in some of the nongovern me nta l agencies.

The problem once again is th at any such assistan ce would be under 

dire ctio n and control of the Government of South Vietn am in accordance with section 2(a ). Thus, the priva te nonprofit agency would 

tend to be at the mercy of the Sou th Vietnam ese Gover nment , since 

the gov ernmental control of funds would work to increase control 

over the policies of these org anizations. If private agencies become 

closely allied with the Governme nt, th eir pro blems of recruitin g 

ded icated workers, especially at the local level, wou ld be greatly 

increased.

A leadin g Bu ddhis t monk once t old me, “We do no t like the Com ­

mu nis t establishment, bu t we like those peop le who hav e com mitted 

them selves to th at side because of their ded icated will to serv e the 

people. Ou r dile mma is t ha t we like the form of gov ern me nt in South 4

Vietnam, bu t we do not lik e the people who rem ain in con trol—th e 

same people who were in control un der the Fren ch and who do not 

care about the common pe ople of Vietn am .”

The th ir d majo r imp ediment we see is th at the bill is too na rro w •

in scope. Th e Un ite d State s has a mora l responsi bility to alle via te the 

war caused suffering of all of the children of Indochina , not just 

chi ldr en in Government-controlle d areas of So uth Vie tnam. Fu lly 

inter pre ted , this would mean help to chi ldr en in provisional rev olu ­

tio na ry gov ernment controlled area s o f South Vie tnam, in the Dem ocra tic Rep ublic of Vie tnam, in Laos, and Cam bodia. Re alistically, at 

the pres ent time , this responsibility should be exp and ed fro m South 

Vietnam to Laos and Cam bodia, where massive and indis cri mi nate 

bom bing of civ ilia n po pulat ed areas is conti nuing to kil l an d wou nd 

children and make the m refugees an d orp han s. We e stima te th ere are 

a million child refu gee s in Cam bod ia and Laos. We have no in fo rm ation on the num ber of o rphans or casualties.
95

It is a hard thin g to say, but in conclusion, we believe the tru th to 

be th at social rehabilitation while the war continues is first-aid salve 

on a wound that hasn’t been washed. Thank you.

(Mr. Kubicka’s prepared statement follo ws:)

Prepared Statement of Louis P. Kubicka on Behalf of Friends Committee

on National Legislation

My name is Louis Kubicka. 1 am 30 years of age. I worked in South Vietnam 

with the American Friend s Service Committee (Qu akers) for four years, return ­

ing to the United States in July 1971. Three of those yea rs I worked in general 

adm inistration, while the fou rth I worked as Director of Quaker work in South 

Vietnam. I speak Vietnamese. Today 1 am spea king for the Frie nds Committee 

on National Legislation which represents 22 of 28 Friend s Yearly Meetings and 

10 Frie nds organiz ations in the United States, but does not pur port to speak 

for all Friends.

The Quaker program in South Vietnam was begun in 1960 in an attempt to aid 

Vietnamese refugees and wa r injure d civilians . Fo r a period of five years we 

operated a child day-care center in Quaug Ngai City which is now contin uing 

und er the direction of the Ministry of Social Welfare. Presently we are continuing, in Quang Ngai, a reh abilitation program for w ar inju red civilians which 

was begun in 1967. This program includ es prod uction and fittin g of artificial 

limbs, physical therapy, and reconstructive surgica l services and social reh abilitation service s; and the traini ng of Vietnamese personnel in all these areas. 

We have served thousands of these inju red people in the last five years. Approximately one-third of our patients have been children, and therefore I feel qualified 

to speak on the problem of the wa r in Vietnam as it affects children, and the 

problems of trying to alleviate th e suffering caused by the war.

We deeply app rec iate the concern to help the c hild ren in Vietnam which motivates the sponsors of this legislation, Senators Williams, I-Iughes and Hatfield. 

They have shown by their vote on amendments to end the wa r th at they, like 

we, believe the first and most helpful way to help the childre n of Vietnam and 

all Indochinese people is to end the w ar immediately. We believe it is the failure 

of our Government—and, in a real sense, the American people—to pu t human 

values above ideology and dubious geo-political power struggles th at brings us 

here today.

Our basic view of S. 2497 is th is : We believe the most important pa rt of the 

bill is Section 1. The re it is recognized th at the United States has a moral 

responsibility for the children of Vietnam. The children of Vietnam have been 

some of the chief victims of this war, and the size of the problem is immense. 

Meeting the needs of Vietnamese children is beyond the capabilities of the p resent South Vietnam Government and beyond the provisions of this bill. A lasting 

solution can only come with a complete end of the wa r and the i nst allation of a 

pop ular government in Saigon which is dedicated to the welfare of the people. 

Until then, programs such as those proposed here provide only margin al benefit. 

Ideally, the bill’s scope should be broadened to include all the children of 

Indochina.

BASI C PR OB LE MS

Here are the problem s th at we see confronting the children of Vietnam. We 

believe th at we must try to tak e a broader perspective than is usually taken by 

Americans if we are to accept our moral responsibilities to the childre n of 

Vietnam.

1. Children are being killed in large numbers by bombing, artillery fire, mines, 

napalm, rockets, the cross fire of contending forces, accidents caused by unexploded munitions, and in trying to collect the rew ard offered by America ns for 

tur nin g in dangerous mines and booby traps. The Senate Judic iary Subcommittee 

on Refugees estimates 325.000 civilians killed in South Vietnam alone in the 

period of 1965-71, of which 30%, abo ut 100,000. were children under 13 yea rs of 

age. While the war continues in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos childre n will be 

among its principa l victims. Responsibility for their dea ths is a centr al issue 

with respect to the im morality of ou r government’s policy.

2. Children are being inju red by these weapons, inclu ding anti-personnel weapons designed to maim rather than kill. Three-quarte rs of a millio n civilians in 

South Vietnam have been in jur ed by the war. Per hap s a qu arter of a million have 

been children. South Vietnam ese crippled children receive virtu all y no education
or training that might prepare them to make the most of what remains of their 

abilities. They will be almost totally unable to make an economic contribution 

to their own support except through begging.

3. Children have been orphaned in huge numbers. One estimate is 700,000. 

Pressure from a deteriorating economic situation has forced families to abandon 

their children to orphanages. The death toll in orphanages, sometimes estimated 

as high as 80%, means tha t Vietnamese and American fathered children are 

dying at a shocking rate.

4. Children are commonly held in political prisons along with their parents. 

In Quang Ngai prison across the stree t from our residence there were customarily 

40 children present, including new-born babies. We ran a program for pregnant 

women in prison and several of the children were picked up by our small school 

bus in the morning and taken to the Quaker day-care center.

5. Child labor is extremely common of necessity. In addition to the millions of 

children forced to labor to contribute to their own or their families’ survival, 

we find that families are often forced to give up their children to work as servants, 

often virtually as slaves. This sort of thing is very common in South Vietnam. 

I would guess that over a hundred thousand children who should be in school 

in preparation for a future are laboring as household servants. From my experience, I know tha t it is not tha t Vietnamese love th eir children less than we do 

but mainly because of war-caused economic pressures. Children are also forced 

into prostitution and such degrading tasks as leading the crippled and blind 

and maimed through the streets of South Vietnam’s cities on begging excursions. 

Children are also involved in “pimping’’ and handling heroin transactions. Large 

numbers of children are full time scavengers in the dumps and refuse heaps 

of every major U.S. base in South Vietnam.

6. We also have good reason to suspect tha t there is a serious pressure for 

pregnant women in dire circumstances to abort their unborn children. This, too, 

is a moral problem for which we are in some measure responsible. Of course 

the extent of such a problem would be most difficult to ascertain accurately.

SO ME S PE C IF IC CA SE S

Our consideration so far of the problems of children lias been in the abstract. 

But in order to see what these problems mean concretely we have drawn a few 

case histories from our files at the rehabilitation center in Quang Ngai.

1. Ilung. aged 8. who lost both legs in a mine injury, was evacuated to Chu 

Lai by U.S. army. His mother lost touch with him, as she was refused entry to 

Chu Lai to see him. The child did not. know where he came from and as a result 

was sent to the wrong Province Hospital. From there he was sent to the Invalid 

Childrens Orphanage, and from there to the Quaker rehabilitation center for 

fitting of artificial legs. He claimed his parents were dead, but a few days later 

his mother found him ; she had been coming to the hospital every daj’ to see 

if he was there, and by chance came to ask at the Rehabilitation Center.

2. Tao, 12 years. His mother is paralyzed from the chest down. Father dead 

or away as soldier. Live in An Sen, and as result of war have lost their land. 

The boy therefore has to assume total health care for the mother, which includes 

washing her and cleaning her as she has no control over body functions. Two 

younger siblings aged 6 and 4. He also has to support the family which he does 

by working as a day laborer in the fields.

3. Phuong, 16 years, is paralyzed below the waist. She lives in Phu Qu.v, is 

totally dependent on father and younger sister for her care. Previous to the 

mine injury that killed her mother, her sister and injured her, she was working 

full time in the fields for the family and caring for her younger brothers and 

sisters. Now she is totally dependent on them. Her father begged us to take care 

of her since he has very little work and can barely support the rest of the family. 

But at 16 there are few orphanages willing to undertake the care that a paraplegic reipiires and certainly nowhere tha t she can learn to take full care of 

herself and be able to earn a living. So she stays in her village, with no medical 

facilities, lying in a refugee hu t; twice she had to come back to the hospital 

for treatment of an infection and m alaria. Her prospects are dim, and yet such a 

child in the U.S.A. would expect to live a full and independent existence.

4. Lieu, 6 years, stepped on mine and lost both legs. Now walks with difficulty 

although has severe muscle contractures requiring years of careful supervision 

by rehabilitation staff. Mother supports family financially and cannot stay with 

him in the center for the long periods required. He will probably go home and
97

sit in a cha ir for the res t of his life. He is young and people feel sorry for him, 

but when his paren ts are too old to care for him, he will have no training an d no 

livelihood except by begging.

5. Quy lost both hands to a booby trap . Now 13 years old, could read and 

write. Fitte d with artificial hooks which he became ade pt with. However VN 

is hot and the plastic limbs are heavy, so he rarely wore them, as he could do 

most things with his stumps. Had special spoon and cuff for eating. Bright, 

alert boy who loved to try to type, desp erately needs training if he is to be 

financially independent.

TH E PENDING BILL

We have difficulty in offering constructive comment on S. 2497 because, in our 

* view, it attem pts to deal with a situation involving inherent contradictions. We

don’t believe it is possible to tak e effective steps to sub stantially alle viate the 

suffering of Vietnamese children while the w ar continues. Hence our comments 

must of necessity be focused on some of the problems we see in the bill, without 

_ being able to offer constructive a lternatives.

We do believe, however, th at it is important in Section 1 to have a public 

acknowledgment of the moral respo nsibility of the United States for Vietnamese 

children.

In addition, the bill helpfully encourages adoption of American-fathe red Vietnamese child ren who are not living with their Vietnamese families. While this 

is not an are a where I have expertise, I have seen enough to lead me to believe 

that for such children a life with a loving American family would be far pre fer ­

able to the situation confronting aband oned child ren in Vietnamese orphanages 

or on the street.

With reg ard to the provisions for a child care program, I have many more 

questions.

Money is not the main problem. We see thr ee major impediments to effective 

help to children throu gh the legislation before you.

1. Ending the war, and not ju st American invo lvem ent in the war, is the primary requirement for helping the children. All other help to children pales in 

comparison to wh at this would mean. Until the wa r is over we will generate 

more problems tha n solutions.

2. The hill channels U.S. aid, necessarily, through the exis ting inadequate

government.

My experience leads me to believe that the Saigon government, because it has 

not identified with the intere sts of the common people, does not command the 

allegiance and commitment of the s ort of dedicated workers who could carry out 

effective child welfare programs. There are some capab le and dedicated Vietnamese now working in government child welfare programs. But the magnitude 

of the need is so great, as a res ult of this disastrou s war, th at only a large 

scale community-based education and welfare prog ram with wide popular support could hope to mobilize sufficient human resources to do an adequate job.

Perhaps one of the reasons for the lack of success of the government’s social 

r welfare efforts has been the ill-concealed and short-sighted use of welfare aid as

** a carro t or stick to achieve political support for or submission to the GVN. Concerned Vietnamese hesitate to commit themselves to a program which has tended 

to be used to buttre ss the government in power rather tha n help needy people.

The provision in the bill for direct assistance to private non-profit organiza- 

« tions is especially commendable. There are some capable and highly motivated

persons in some of the no ngovernmental agencies. The problem once aga in is t ha t 

any such assistance would be und er direction and control of the Government of 

South Vietnam in accordance with Section 2( a) : “The program shall be administered only with the consent of the Government of South Vietnam and in accordance with such arra ngements as may be mutually agree d upon by the Agency 

and th at Government.” Thus the priv ate non-profit agencies would tend to be a t 

the mercy of the South Vietnamese Government since the Government control 

of fund s would work to increas e control over the policies of these organizatio ns. 

If private agencies become closely allied with the Government the ir problems of 

recruiting dedicated workers, especially at the local level, would be grea tly 

increased.

A leading Buddhist monk once told me “We do not like the Communist establishment, but we like those people who have committed themselves to that side 

because of the ir dedicated will to serve the people. Our dilemma is that we like 

the form of government in South Vietnam but we do not like the people who re80 -6 19 — 72------ S
98

main in control—the same people who were in control und er the Fre nch and 

who do not care abo ut the common people of Vietnam.”

3. The bill is too nai'row in scope. The United States ha s a moral responsibility 

to alle viate the war-caused suffering of all of the child ren of Indochina, not ju st 

child ren in government controlled are as of S outh Vietnam. Fully interp reted this 

would mean help to children in Provisional Revolutionary G overnment controlled 

are as of South Vietnam, in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in Laos and 

Cambodia. Rea listic ally, at the presen t time this responsibility should be expanded from South Vietnam to Laos and Cambodia, where massive and indiscrim inate bombing of civilian populated areas is continuing to kill and wound 

children a nd m ake them refugees and orphans.

As a nation we are contin uing to divide Vietnam by war, in the name of our

national security, and in orde r to keep the ill-conceived promises th at were made 

to a minority in South Vietnam. After 25 y ears of war the first need of Vietnam 

is for peace with justice to all parties to the conflict, insofa r as th at can be 

achieved. Vietnam urgently cries out for healing and thi s can only come through 

a settlement of the war.

Every year the wa r continues, in addition to the killing and maiming, the 

social and economic fabric of Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos become weaker. 

Not surprisingly, those who bea r the brun t of suffering are the weakest, the 

little people, the peasants who have lef t their land, the ordin ary people, the hundred s of thousands of invalids and the children.

It is a ha rd thin g to have to say, bu t we believe the tru th to be th at social 

rehabilita tion while the wa r continues is first aid salve on a wound th at hasn’t 

been washed.

IM P E D IM E N T OF WAR

The Chairman. Air. Kubicka, I couldn’t agree with you more about 

the impediment of the war. Its continuation makes it almost impossible to do very much. There are those who believe that the war is being 

wound down. The evidence isn’t very convincing at the present 

time; but, leaving that aside, and I am not at all sure we can be very 

successful in any case.

QUEST IO N OF A D M IN IS TR A TIO N

Do you agree with Mr. Luce about the question of administration, 

that the best way, if we can do it, is to make the money available to 

independent, either private or public, organizations such as he mentioned? I won’t repeat them all. You heard the testimony.

Mr. Kubicka. Yes. I am not particularly sure that is right. Recruiting people to work fo r you, getting people to work for you in South 

Vietnam, is a problem. First, there is not an infinite number of qualified people because of the war. Also, Vietnamese ask, where does the 

money come from? They asked us many years in Quang Xgai and it 

made a big difference to them in whether they would be willing to 

work for us. That was the ultimate as far as they were concerned— 

your program can have one name or another, but where the money 

comes from, that shows to whom the program belongs. So I think with 

respect to U.S. agencies, perhaps it would be better, if we could channel in some way through those private or international agencies.

Rut with respect to Vietnamese agencies, it would be rather disastrous for them to become more economically dependent on our funds. 

It also would tend to jeopardize some agencies, some U.S. agencies as 

well.

The Chairman. I am not sure I understand you. Are you suggesting—
99

Mr. K ubicka. W hat I am suggesting is th at the kind of people who 

really care in South Vietnam do not want to get committed to our 

side of the struggle and, therefore-----

The Chairman. Do not what?

Mr. Kubicka. Do not want to become committed to our side of the 

struggle.

The Chairman. Even as to the care ?

Mr. K ubicka. They are either on the fence or what have you.

The Chairman. Does this go even to the care of orphans? 

v Air. Kubicka. Well, there are exceptions.

The Chairman. I know they wouldn't in a war, but in this m att erjust to use an illustration, if you made money available to AID . could 

they make it available to, say, UN ICEF or some of the private com1 mittees that Mr. Luce mentioned instead of to the Government of

South Vietnam?

Mr. Kubicka. I believe perhaps they could, yes.

NECESSITY OF DOING BUSINESS WITH ESTABLISHED GOVERNMENT

The Chairman. It is very difficult to do business in any country 

without doing it with the Government. I mean, this is always the 

trouble. We have th at trouble and have all along been plagued by the 

idea, I mean, the necessity in many cases, of doing business with the 

established Government, many of which are not very efficient in the 

administration, but it is a serious and very difficult problem.

I had thought perhaps tha t AID , having been operating there a 

long time, being accustomed to their methods, if it undertook this kind 

of program might be able to do it reasonably well or as well or better 

than an entirely new agency or the Government of South Vietnam ?

Mr. Kubicka. Well, they would work through the Government of 

South Vietnam, of course, and I thin k they would do it worse th an a 

new agency because of the difference in the way they see their basic 

responsibility toward the situation. If you will permit me, I think 

tha t came out of Mr. Nooter's testimony this morning. They feel tha t 

anything we do above zero is gratis anil t ha t is the presupposition of 

the work they do.

p In this new agency it would be predicated on moral responsibility

for what is happening over there. This is a basic difference, I think, not 

just a philosophic difference. I think it would have different meanings 

in working in Vietnam.

• The Chairman. Well, do you have any suggestions, Air. Snyder? Do

you wish to say anything?

SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED AND ABLE

Air. Snyder. I guess I would follow what Air. Kubicka said with 

this: The problem seems to be that it is very difficult to find the kind 

of people who are dedicated and committed to this kind of social work, 

especially if they are to be on the payroll or receive their funds either 

from the U.S. Government or from the South Vietnam Government. 

And this is a fundamental difficulty given the small number of people 

whom you have to choose from, who are trained and able to do this 

work.
100

DESCRIPTION OF ORPHANAGES IS TRUE

I would just like to add a word to what Mr. Luce said about the 

orphanages in South Vietnam. I have had the opportunity to be in 

those orphanages and the description which he gave and Mr. Fox gave 

in tha t letter is absolutely true. These children rush out to grab your 

hand and your leg, just wanting to be picked up and carried and to 

have some human contact. In Indochina it is not only physical cripples 

we are making, and mental cripples we are making, but also emotional 

cripples we are making over there. I think tha t the adoption provi- w

sions of this bill are perhaps some of the strongest provisions.

If there are ways tha t can be found to have more of these children 

come to the United States and be brought up in an American family 

which will love them and care for them, this would be a wonderful r

thin g and infinitely preferable to their future in one of these orp hanages or on the streets.

The Chairman. Well, thank you, Mr. Snyder.

Thank you very much, sir.

The next witness is I)r. Frederick Depp, Council on Adoptable 

Children.

STATEM ENT OF DR. FR ED ER ICK DEPP. COUNCIL ON ADOPTABLE 

CHILD REN (CO AC); ACCOMPANIED BY JAM ES F. SEE LEY

Dr. Depp. I have with me Mr. .Tames Seeley, who is the president of 

our local chapter of the council here in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Chairman, the Council on Adoptable Children—COAC—is one 

of nearly 200 adoptive parent groups in this country concerned with 

insuring tha t all children have an equal chance to grow and be nu rtured in a family regardless of racial heritage, age or handicap, be it 

physical or emotional.

S. 24 9 7 ENDORSED

Because of this concern, the council strongly endorses S. 2497 and 

respectfully requests tha t this committee accept it in its entirety. We 

view this bill as a balanced, sane response to both the general problem 

of child welfare in South Vietnam and the special needs of American- }

fathered children in that country. As is true for other witnesses, we are 

particularly interested in insuring tha t legislation drafted to render 

child care do so on a case-by-case basis whether placement after emergency services be to an existing Vietnamese family or foster home. We •

are pleased to note th at S. 2497 appears to have been drawn with the 

necessary flexibility and attention to detail so that this will be possible.

We also strongly affirm section 3 of this bill which provides for 

intercountry adoption in selected instances for American-fathered 

children, since the weight of evidence we have reviewed indicates that 

almost all black-Vietnamese children and many white-Vietnamese 

children would best be served by such an intercountry adoption 

procedure.

MAN Y FA MIL IES EAGER TO RECEIVE CH ILD RE N

As adoptive parents, we feel a special responsibility here today to 

indicate clearly to the committee that there are many families eager 

to receive these children into their homes. Ju dging by the continued
101

inquiries we receive about adoption procedures for A ietnaniese children. it will not be difficult to make satisfactory placements. As you are 

probably aware, young couples in increasing numbers are adopting 

children rather than producing them and among these couples are a 

growing number adopting children traditionally considered hard to 

place.

Our own chapter's growth in a year and a half to nearly 200 families 

reflects this pattern.

There are numerous other indicators one could cite. The highly pub-

* licized cases of prospective parents enduring all manner of h ardship 

over extended periods of time attem pting to adopt Vietnamese children attest to the profound concern and personal commitment to action 

which many Americans share for these children’s plight. We believe 

S. 2497 provides a carefully conceived means of expression for all 

Americans to respond humanely with the best chance of having effect 

in a highly problematic context.

We would like at this time to enter into the record the case history 

of Mr. and Mrs. Phi lip Kush, Washington COAC members, who a ttempted adoption of a Vietnamese child. This case illustrates the confusion of procedures, agency relations, and policies which now confront prospective adoptive parents.

(The information referred to follows:)

Ca se H isto ry of P h il ip an d Gayl e R u s h

In May 1968, Philip Rush met Kim, a Vietnamese orphan, at a Saigon 

hospital. In Jun e of 1968, Mr. Rush met with an Intern ational Social Services 

representative in Saigon to begin adoption proceedings. He then hired a lawyer 

in Saigon to whom he gave his power of atto rne y and in August Mr. Rush 

ret urn ed to the United States where he made contact with the D.C. Depar tment 

of Welfare and the Bureau of Immigration and Naturaliz atio n. In September 

Mr. and Mrs. Rush were notified th at D.C. Welfare and ISS had agre ed upon 

the necessary course of action to begin adoption proceedings. In October of 

1968, Mr. and Mrs. Rush received Kim’s birth certificate from the attorn ey in 

Saigon as well as their disp ensation for age, for length of marriage and notice 

th at the adoption contract would be executed on December 12, 1968, (the signing 

of the proxy papers by the Pre sident of Vietnam.) The Rushes then forw arde d 

these documents and an explanatio n rega rdin g the hiring of a lawyer as well 

as a his tory of all tha t had th us fa r transpired, to D.C. Welfare.

r At this point, the D.C. Dept. of Welfare requested th at Mr. and Mrs. Rush

v dismiss their attorn ey and stop proxy proceedings statin g th at ISS would not

work with D.C. welfare unle ss these steps were taken because ISS did not 

look favo rably upon proxy adoptions. Without ISS, D.C. Welfare would not do 

tlie necessary home study and w ithout the home study the Bu reau of Imm igra tion

• and Na turalization would not classify Kim as an eligible orph an withou t which 

she could not enter the U.S. Mr. and Mrs. Rush complied with the requ est and 

in November 1968, word arrive d from the Centre Caritas in Vietnam giving 

a physician s summary of Kim’s improving physical condition. (Kim was crippled.) During the following month the D.C. Dept. of Welfare began its home 

study on the Rush family. Ano ther lette r from the Centre Carita s arriv ed in 

April 1969. which cited Kim’s continued physical improvement. Tn July , D.C. 

Welfare inform ed Mr. and Mrs. Rush th at they would be unable to complete 

their home study and af te r demanding an explana tion Mr. and Mrs. Rush were 

notified officially in September 1969, th at Kim was unfit for adoption citing 

word from Intern ational Social Services that the sisters at Centre Carita s felt 

th at Kim could not wa it any longer for placement and were taking steps to 

find ano ther alternative fo r Kim. Thus, the case was closed.

Dr. Depp. I n closing, we reiterate that S. 2497 has our enthusiastic 

endorsement, particularly its emphasis upon a flexible response to 

varying individual needs.
102

availability of adoptive parents

Filially, we view the specification of provision for limited inte rcountry adoption as reasonable and wish to assure the committee 

there need be no hesitancy concerning this aspect of the bill with 

respect to the availability of adoptive parents based upon our recent 

and current shared observations which point to an extensive number 

of prospective parents for such children.

Mr. Chairman, we wish to add the following comment to our prepared statement, since we believe a response is necessary to one issue *

raised this morning.

REMOVAL OF MIX ED-RAC E CH ILD RE N FROM VIE TN AM

r

It was indicated in the testimony tha t removal of mixed-race children from Vietnam is, to paraphrase, an “artificial solution,” and 

tha t every effort should be made to support and socially integrate 

these children into Vietnamese society, including a ttempting changes 

in customs and mores bearing upon the acceptance of these children.

We would suggest tha t while such efforts are laudable, our own past 

experiences in other countries torn by war would suggest it is unrealistic to expect that countries so impoverished and drained by 

war will be able, even with our assistance, to come to grips effectively 

with all of these subtleties of societal rejection and discrimination.

Our own society also is a case illustration of the time involved for 

even modest change to customs and mores to occur when color distinctions are involved.

Further, we fail to see how removal of mixed-race children can be 

construed as “artificial,” given the imposed creation of this very 

problem by a military intervention which, in the minds of many, is at 

least as artificial.

That is the extent of my prepared statement.

Senator Pell (presiding). Thank you.

HOME S FOR BL AC K-A ME RIC AN FATHERED CH ILDR EN

In connection with the adoption of children here, do you feel th at 

homes could be found for the black-American fathered children as 

easily as for the white ?

Dr. Depp. A great many children in this country are now being 

adopted who are black-white children, mixed-race children, and I t

don’t see tha t there would be any difference in the acceptance of a 

A ietnamese-black child relative to this.

Jim, do you have a sense of that ?

Mr. Seeley. Well, our experience in Korea would indicate this is 

possible because a lot of mixed Korean-black and Korean-white children have been adopted in the past and continue to be.

SH IF T TOWARD ADO PTIN G CH ILDR EN

Senator P ell. You mentioned in your statement tha t more and more 

couples in America are adopting children rather than having them. 

Wh at is the reason for that ?
103

Dr. Depp. I am not sure I am qualified to speak on this. I thin k 

there are probably a number of factors bearing on the shift, among 

them being concern about our population and other issues. I also think 

there is a growing sensitivity to the needs of children without families.

Senator P ell. T hank you very much indeed. Thank you for coming 

with your statement.

This winds up this hearing of the Foreign Relations Committee on 

this bill.

(Whereupon, a t 3 :20 p.m., the hearing was adjourned, the committee to reconvene subject to the call of the Chair.)

5

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M M
A P P E N D I X

Statement on Legislation Esta blishing th e Vietn am Child ren’s Care

Agency by Congressman Charles W. Whal en, J r.

Mr. Chairman, I commend you and your Committee for scheduling consideration of S. 2497. This measure, as you know, authorizes the President, through 

the temporary Vietnam Children’s Care Agency, to enter into arrangements with 

the Government of South Vietnam to provide assistance in improving the welfare of children in South Vietnam. Further, if enacted into law, it would facilitate the adoption of orphaned or abandoned Vietnamese children, particularly 

those fathered by Americans. As the co-sponsor of a similar bill with Congresswoman Florence Dwyer and Congressmen Robert Kastenmeier, Peter Kyros, 

and 37 other House Members, I am extremely pleased and encouraged by your 

interest in this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, it is appropriate that consideration be given to such a proposal. 

An end of our Nation’s involvement in the Vietnam war should not mean an end 

of our obligations to the people of South Vietnam. In the past, we have assisted 

the people of Europe and Korea in recovering from w ar’s devastations. I believe 

tha t we now must begin to consider how we will do the same for the South 

Vietnamese. As a first step, certainly our attention should be directed to the care 

and protection of their children.

Like the bill before you, which Senators Harrison Williams, Mark Hatfield, 

Harold Hughes, and others have sponsored, the legislation we have introduced 

in the House would establish the Vietnam Children’s Care Agency. This Agency, 

in accordance with arrangements mutually agreed upon by it and the South 

Vietnam government, would assist orphaned or abandoned children through 

day care centers and school feeding programs. Food and clothing assistance, as 

well as aid to improve the physical facilities of orphanages, also would be available under this proposal. Additionally, the measure would provide training for 

persons employed in day care centers and orphanages and training for persons 

in child health care and prenatal and postnatal care. Finally, the existing hostel 

program would be eligible for improvement and expansion assistance.

The bill which my House colleagues and I espouse does differ in two respects 

from S. 2497. First, unlike the Senate measure, our proposal would provide educational and vocational education assistance to orphanages and to public or 

private nonprofit organizations.

Second, the distribution of the funds authorized under the Act would be 

broken down in slightly different proportions. As in S. 2497, our bill would 

provide th at not more than ten percent of the funds be available for the adoption 

of South Vietnamese children and not more than ten percent could be used for 

the Agency’s administrative expenses. However, our measure would earmark 

not less than 15 percent of the funds for the aforementioned educational and 

vocational assistance and not less than 45 percent for day care, training, and 

other types of assistance delineated in Section 2(b). S. 2497 would authorize 

not less than 60 percent of the funds for its Section 2(b) which, of course, does 

not include educational assistance.

Mr. Chairman, my House co-sponsors and I naturally hope that your Committee would consider a possible amendment to S. 2497 which would provide 

educational and vocational assistance. Nevertheless, we realize tha t the differences in the House and Senate bills are immaterial when compared with the 

importance of. and the need for, this legislation.

There already exists a broad awareness of the problem toward which S. 2497 

is directed. For example, many private organizations and the Government of 

South Vietnam presently offer limited assistance to orphans. Our government 

makes surplus food available, and A.I.D. provides some local currency assistance 

to orphanages and day care centers through the South Vietnam Ministry of 

(105)
Social Welfa re. These current undertak ings, however, do not indicate any real 

dedication on the pa rt of the American people to assist these children. Nor do 

they assure any continuity in the American efforts to solve the problem. The 

establish ment of the Vietnam Children's Care Agency, however, would provide 

the necessary commitment and on-going assistance that is required.

I would emphasize, however, th at I envision the Agency as a temporary body 

only. My House co-sponsors share this view. Once th e conflict ends and there is 

political stability in South Vietnam, the United Nations or ano ther mu ltilate ral 

organization could assume tlie Agency’s functions.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the Committee to act favorably on this legislation. Certainly, we can make no more significant beginning in our rebuilding assistanc e to 

South Vietnam tha n by providing for th at n atio n’s children.

Deposition of Testimony fob Senate Bill 2497, by Mrs. Florence A. Woods

Honorable Chairman Senator J. W. Fulbrig ht, Senate Foreign Relations Committee and members of the co mmittee:

I, Mrs. Florence A. Woods. 8305 S. W. 119 St., Miami, Florida 33156, request 

your consent to incorporate my testimony into the records of the Senate Foreign 

Relations Committee hearings on S2497, the Vietnam Child Care Agency Bill.

Let me tell you why I feel Bill S2497 should be passed. It has been estimated 

th at approximately 260,000 abandoned and orphaned child ren are helpless victims of war in Vietnam and are fully dependent upon any good Sam aritan who 

will help them. These good people need our he lp ! We must remember that thousands of these children are fath ered by U.S. servicemen. With the passage of 

S2497, we would be able to help these dedicated people sustain tlie life of these 

unfortun ate children so t ha t prospective, adoptive par ents would have a chance 

to raise these children with the love and devotion they well deserve. The dismal 

picture could be changed with a unified plan made available to advise people of 

how they can partici pate in this very necessary project of recycling items they 

would like to donate to help these ch ild ren; this is a good, sound ecological 

investment. It is imperative to provide tra nsp ort ation and secu rity for all items 

being sent to Vietnam fo r distribution.

It is impossible to successfully carry out any endeavor, no matt er how worthwhile, unless the public is sufficiently and completely informed of all necessary 

details.

Many people throughout the country have tried to help provide clothing and 

supplies to these orphanages and ins titutions but have been unc erta in of how to 

help because of the troop withdrawal. I know, because since Oct. 1970 I have 

successfully spearheaded a nationwide clothing drive providing many tons of 

clothing for our service personnel to distribute to patients in combat zone hospitals, orphanages, and institution s, and the troop withdr awal has throw n the 

burden of distribu tion on the dedicated people runn ing these institu tions and 

making life bearable for the un fortu nate babies now living in sub stan dard conditions. It has been next to impossible to mail clothing in recent months because 

of the apathy toward the situation in Vietnam. Hum an contact with these children is at a minimum because of the troop withdrawa l. No one speaks to them, 

no one holds them, no one cares for them, and unless we sha re the burdens and 

help supply th eir basic needs, many will die.

Bill S2497 would provide the answers to their problems—tu rning a generation 

of forgotten children into b eautiful, happy, useful citizens in homes where people 

would love and care fo r them. They would, in turn, be able to build a nd contribute 

the ir culture into society which would be beneficial to all mankind. This would 

help accomplish our original goal in Vietnam.

This is an imp ortant bill with gre at influence on our futur e relations with 

our fellowmen. Gentlemen, I stress the importance to strengthen the legislation 

so th at there will be no loopholes in the methods of transportatio n, security, and 

distrib ution of all necessary item s destined to fill the children’s needs.

I pray th at you will realize the importance of passing S2497 because I, myself, 

did not heli) until my son Steve, a medical evacuation helicopter pilot with the 

571st medical detac hment wrote home (in par t). “Lately I have'been doing a lot 

of wrork in the child ren’s hospital. The kids come here from all our northern I 

corps with many different things wrong with them. They are the ones h ur t most 

by war. So many of them don’t have p arents or family. It is a real shame because 

many are just infants. If you have any old baby clothes maybe you can send
107

them over, many of them ju st use “T” shi rts to live in or some ju st a pa ir of 

underpants. They would sure be ap preciated by a lot of people.” “I do feel strongly about my job and wouldn’t do any thing else, helping people when they need 

it most is the only thing I can justify in this war.”

Gentlemen, I don’t know i f God eve r gave you a burden. God gave me a burden 

when I read Steve’s words, and many people have helped share this burden 

with me, and they have done something about it. We have only filled these 

desp erate children’s needs in a very small way. I agree th at we cannot change 

the trag edy of the entire Vietnam war, none of us wanted to see our American 

blood shed on Asian soil, no one really advocates any war. We can never black 

out all the bleak memories or can we erase the terr ible experiences our ret urning vets will alwa ys remember, we can never fill the loneliness of the hearts 

W of the survivors of our w ar dead heroes.

None of these aband oned and orph aned child ren of V ietnam asked to be bo rn ! 

The real tragedy would be if we would turn our backs on these children and 

not help by passing Bill S2497. Capt. Bergren wrote, "You may be doing more 

to accomplish the end of the wa r by winning these h earts of the Vietnamese peoT pie th an I am doing by bombing th e Ho Chi Minh Trai l.”

Please record the enclosed clippings and letters of evidence of our efforts to 

help these people and what needs to be done.

Please, gentlemen, any consideration you can give to the passage of S2497 will 

be a step in bridging the gap between all people and natio ns of the world. May 

God Bless all of you and guide your decision to supp ort S2497. Gentlemen, one 

thin g to remember is th at this is a Bill to presen t human aid—not foreig n aid.

Florence A. "Woods.

Witnessed b y:

Betty L. Pontious,

Notary Public, State of Florida at Large.

(The information referred to in Mrs. Woods’ statement is in the 

committee files.)

Statement by Gaynor I. Jacobson, Chairman, Committee on Migration and

Refugee Affairs, American Council of Voluntary Agencies for F oreign

Service, I nc.

This statem ent has been prepared on behalf of concerned agencies, members 

of the American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service, Inc. and 

partic ula rly those agencies having m ajo r programs in the field of m igration and 

refugee affairs.

The American Council of Volu ntary Agencies for Foreign Service has as its 

constituency agencies n ot only represe nting the m ajor religious faiths, but m ajor 

non-sectarian organiz ations as well. The American Council is a coordinating 

body comprising some 42 member agencies engaged in foreign service. It provides a forum where members can discuss the ir problems and where necessary, 

v formulate plans to facilitate possible solutions. The Council membership includes American Voluntary Agencies of Catholic, Pro tes tan t and Jewish faiths, 

as well as various non-sectarian organiza tions and this statem ent represen ts 

our collective approach.

* Fo r many years, one of the deep concerns of the Council’s Committee on Migration and Refugee Affairs has been with the problems of Sou thea st Asia, particularly with regard to the very complex problem of the welfare of children in 

Vietnam.

In recen t months the problem of Vietnamese children has been receiving a 

gre at deal of int ere st through the press, in the Congress and by the public generally. Histo rically, it is a fact th at a child is a person who trag ically suffers 

most in a wa r torn society because he is the least able to comprehend the cause 

or the course of the war. Almost thr ee decades of milita ry operations in Vietnam have lef t th eir toll of destruction, desolation and despair.

Senator Harrison Williams sta ted in the Congressional Record of September 

8, 1971 th at because of the emphasis on the w ar and defense, a relatively small 

amount of money could be allo cate d to the problems confronting the Vietnamese 

people, especially the young children.
Much of the recent publicity regarding children in South Vietnam has been 

generated by concern for those children who have American fathers. Actually, 

this is a relatively small group among the total child population. It is however, 

one tha t can be identified and presents special problems. At the same time, it is 

of the utmost importance tha t these children should not be considered separately 

from other children. Their condition reflects all the more widely the general problems of any country at war with very limited resources for welfare services.

A number of Congressman have expressed concern for this complicated problem 

through the introduction of proposed legislation. Senator Williams introduced for 

himself and other Senators. Bill S2497, which would “authorize the President 

through the temporary Vietnam Children’s Care Agency to enter into arrangements with the Government of South Vietnam to provide assistance in improving 

the welfare of children in South Vietnam and to facilitate the adoption of orphaned or abandoned Vietnamese children, particularly children of American 

fathers.” This Bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations where it is now pending.

There are certain guiding principles for child welfare concerns which were 

adopted by the American Council in 19G6, and which are still subscribed to. 

Some of these are :

1. The preservation and strengthening of family life should be the guiding 

principle of all agencies seeking to help and serve children in Vietnam.

2. There is a tendency in war torn countries to assume that orphanages provide 

the most effective and humane solution to immediate and emergency problems 

of homeless children whereas such care tends to perpetuate itself, and should be 

regarded only as a temporary measure.

3. The care of children should include in addition to the basic provisions of 

adequate food, shelter and medical care: family assistance programs: day care 

centers; boarding homes and other forms of group care; foster home care and 

local adoptions. Intercountry adoption should be considered only if it is found 

that this is in the best interests of the child.

4. Children of mixed national and racial parentage present special needs calling 

for compassion and special programs which will enable them to integrate into 

the community and culture of either parent on the basis of their individual 

needs, and best interests.

5. Cooperative planning and programming of voluntary agencies working in 

Vietnam should involve indigenous agencies and leadership. This should be 

training of Vietnamese leadership and skilled staff to meet the complex problems.

It is the belief of the Migration and Refugee Committee that Senator Williams’ 

Bill S2497 takes into consideration all the foregoing principles. It spells out 

some very specific additional principles in (1) and (2) of the Rill, which the 

membership of the Council’s Committee believes adequately expresses concern 

for the problems.

In general, Sections 2(a) (b)(1 ), (2), (3), (4), (5), set forth provisions 

with which the agencies concur.

In Section 2(d) the agencies would suggest a slight modification through 

the omission of the phrase “clause 1 of” so that line 23 would read “for the 

purposes specified in sub-section (b) of this Section.”

Another minor modification in the language of the Bill relates to Section 

3(a) ; beginning with line 2 through 6 the following is substitute language 

suggested which it is believed will strengthen the Bi ll:

“Section 3(a ) The President through the Agency shall enter into negotiations 

with the Government of South Vietnam to facilitate the immigration to the 

United States for the purpose of adoption by U.S. Citizens of children in South 

Vietnam who are under 14 years of age. in accordance with Section 101(b) (1) (F) 

of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

Holt Adoption Program, Inc., 

Creswell, Oreg., March 31,1912. Hon. J. William F ulbright,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Chairman: Unfortunately Mr. Adams, Executive Director of the 

Holt Adoption Program. Inc., is out of the country and in all probability will 

not be back in time to attend the hearings on Senate Bill No. 2497 on April 5. 

Therefore, we respectfully request that the enclosed statement in behalf of the 

Bill be entered in the hearing record.
109

Mr. Adams and I spen t thre e weeks in Vietnam the l atter p art of J an ua ry and 

the first pa rt of Febru ary in order to obtain first-hand information regarding 

the needs of the children and the most mean ingful way in which Holt Adoption 

Program could be of help.

Sincerely yours,

(Mr.) II yung Bok Kim , ACSW,

Associate Director.

Statement in Support of Senate Bill No. 2497

Those aged one to fourteen make up over one-half the uprooted refugee population, and it is estimated that between 200,000 and 320,000 children have lost 

one or both parents. By any count, the ch ildren of Vietnam have suffered he avily 

in the fighting t ha t has take n place.

On the basis of our recent study of the situ atio n, those children who are lef t 

in orphanages are increa sing in number with a growth rat e of about 7% per year. 

This is in spite of the fac t that the mo rtality rate of infants abandoned is extremely high in the orphanages. The need is acute, and unless some minimal 

constructive measures are taken at this point, there is a dang er th at there will 

be a repetitio n of the Korean exi>erience, when the orphanage population more 

tha n tripled following th e fighting.

We would argue th at we as Americans have a moral responsibility to these 

children. It is not enough to wage a wa r and lay down the lives of many men 

to protect the right of self-determination and of political freedom, however this 

may be defined. The violence has not been limited to eith er side, and the plight 

of many of these children is the direct result of American fighting.

The Adm inistration admits that it is concerned about this problem and is trying to do something abo ut it. It also says th at it is doing what is needed hut 

our observations would indicate the contrary. What good does it do to allocate 

2 ^ million dollars for projects in child welfare for one calendar year, with no 

assurance of funds to be available for the succeeding year. This 2y> million 

dollars was not even gua ran teed to child welfare. It was only made available 

providing it could be justified aga inst other priority needs. We observed at firsthand the struggle of those responsible for atte mpting to put toge ther a responsible program. How does one plan meaningful programs using this amount of 

money, get them auth orized, enlist the necessary personnel, of sufficient quality, 

and execute the prog rams all with in the space of a few months. This is a 

patently self-frus trating approach to the program and the Administration position only underlin es the necessity for legislation setting up an ongoing program 

with adequate funding, long range planning, and continuity. We also observed 

th at the number of mixed race children in orphanages at present appears to be 

over twice as high as the figures reported by the Vietnamese government.

We urge the passage of S. 2497 on the basis of our personal observations in 

Vietnam during Janu ary and February of this yea r (1972). We (I) append the 

complete report of our survey trip for your information.

Report to the Board of Directors of the IIolt Adoption Program

VIE TN AM 1 9 7 2

The country

South Vietnam is a crescent-shaped land, about 700 miles long, ast rid e the 

mountain ranges th at form the eastern border of Indo-China. The country averages 100 miles in width between Cambodia and Laos and the South China Sea, 

except for the critical Fi rst Military Region in the nor th where it is only 40-00 

miles wide. The country is divided into four milita ry districts, numbered from 

North to South. 70% of Vietn am's 17 million (inc reas ing 2.7% annually) people 

live in th e southern third of the land, comprising all of MR 4 (the Delta) and most 

of MR 3 (Saigon ar ea ). Here the land is extrem ely fertile and a good deal of it 

is unused. The mountainous a rea s in the cente r and n orth ar e more sparsely populate d and prese nt more problems for security.

The whole c ountry is within the tropics, and even this p rese nt “cool” season of 

the year makes ai r conditioners welcome. The people live a more cheerful, relaxed, 

slower-paced life than we do in the United States.

Holt's interest in Vietnam

The idea th at Holt might come into Vietnam and do what it did in going into 

Korea has a natur al and obvious logic to it, and Holt has had innumerable inquiries and questions over the years. Besides consultations with those knowledge-
110

able about Vietnam, Holt representatives have made the trip to Vietnam twice for 

a personal stu dy ; in 1966 by Board Member Mrs. Volz, and in 1968 by Board 

Member Surdam and Adams, Director. After each trip the decision was made not 

to begin work in Vietnam at that time. Both times we determined tha t the work 

in Korea constituted an unmet need tha t was still a greater opportunity and a 

more urgent priority than work in Vietnam. On the second trip, we also determined that the situation in Vietnam would make our entry into the country at 

that time extremely difficult. But in the last three years, both Holt’s situation in 

Korea and the climate in Vietnam have changed materially, and the time for 

another look has arrived. The purpose of this trip, then, was to continue the study 

process begun in 1963 in the light of changes both in Korea and in Vietnam. It 

was to listen to knowledgeable people: in the governments of Vietnam and the 

U.S., in the Voluntary Agencies, and to others both Vietnamese and foreign. It 

was to view as much of the need for ourselves as time permitted. It was to make 

a more serious attempt to put together something workable in Vietnam, since 

Holt’s position in Korea is now far more favorable for this than before.

Attempts to establish cooperative work

Prior to this trip, the July 19 Conference on the Special Needs of Vietnamese 

Children in Washington, D.C. was attended, and contacts made with a number of 

persons knowledgeable about the situation in Vietnam. In particular, each adoption agency which might be interested in starting work in Vietnam was contacted 

with the possibility in mind of starting a cooperative work. Unfortunately, some 

were unable and others unwilling to go to Vietnam at this time. We felt that the 

needs were too urgent for us to wait longer, and so the trip was planned for the 

last two weeks in January.

Fifteen working days (out of seventeen in the country) were put in to gain as 

comprehensive a view as possible. Of th is time, ten days were spent in Saigon, 

three days in Danang, one day in Bien Hoa (near Saigon), and one day in Vung 

Tao, on the coast.

The current situation

Children have been hard hit by the war in Vietnam. Those aged 1-14 make up 

over one-half the uprooted refugee population. Glen Noteboom reports an estimated 200,000 children have lost one or both p arents; the U.S. Mission estimates 

the figure to be 320,000.

Child care hangs loose in Vietnam : children may be cared for by paren ts—or 

by grandparents, aunts or more distant relatives. The traditional hamlet structure is a close-knit cooperative, and it is reasonable to assume tha t even nonrelatives will care for children in this structure. The extended family has been the 

first line of defense for children without parents to care for them. It is also reasonable to assume that the extended family is weakening under the impact of war 

and forced migrations.

The orphanage population represents those children for whom the extended 

family has failed. This population, officially listed as of 1970 at 18,635 in 126 

orphanages. Catholic Relief Services are related in some way to over 100 of these 

orphanages. Based on a sample of ten orphanages we personally checked, we estimate a 7% or about 1,300 growth per year. Although U.S. and Vietnamese policy 

has been to permit the establishment of no new orphanages, the Ministry of Social 

Welfare estimates there may be 100 additional unregistered orphanages. The 

Ministry is now registering these orphanages at the rate of some ten additional 

orphanages every three months. Registered orphanages receive some 600 Piasters 

($1.45 at current rate) per child per month, which may be about one-third of 

what the care of these children actually cost.

Abandonments

Dr. Chakerian reports tha t abandonments are increasing. This points to the 

danger that the tragic history of Korea could be repeated in Vietnam. VN 

Christian Service has operated a highly successful abandonment prevention program at Tu-Du Maternity Hospital in Saigon, where babies are born at the rate 

of 100 per day. The monthly abandonment rate there has been cut from about 

fifty to five. Mothers frequently only need some counselling and some temporary 

assistance to keep their children. A similar program has now been started at a 

second hospital.

Return of children to parents

Once children go into orphanages, they rarely return to their homes. Many 

poor families see orphange care as a way to improve the lot of their children. 

We hear of possessive superintendents who refuse to let parents who had only
I l l

intended temporary placement have their children again. Vietnam Christian 

Service, at the request of the Ministry of Social Welfare, engaged in a two-year 

program to locate parents of children in orphanages and return children to them. 

Forty seven children were returned, but VNCS encountered strong resistance 

from orphanage superintendents and terminated the program, terming it a 

failure. We would disagree, and think this was a good beginning on a difficult 

but needed program to educate the superintendents.

It is commonly accepted in Saigon that over ha lf the children in orphanages 

have known relatives. However, in the few orphanages where we asked, we were 

told tha t the majority of the children were without known mothers or fathers.

. Of the thirteen orphanages we observed, primarily in the Saigon and Danang

* areas, one had “excellent” over-all care for its children. We rated seven “good.” 

three “fair,” and two “poor.” But of these orphanages, ten had babies, and of 

those the baby care was rated “excellent” for none, “good” for only three, two 

“fair,” and five “poor.” As is to be expected, it is the babies for whom life is 

perilous in the institutions. From responsible sources we get estimates of in fant

“ mortality running from 80-90%. I n two days our personal schedules were delayed by three different babies needing emergency care. We took one baby from a 

particularly poor orphanage to World Vision’s Halfway House for intensive care, 

but it was too late, the baby died.

Mixed race children

Of the orphanages we visited, there were about 200 mixed race children out of 

3,163, or 6.4%. If these orphanages are typical, they would indicate over 1,- 

000 such children in orphanages, a figure considerably higher than the 400 reported by the government. But from the number of these children seen on the 

streets, it is obvious there are many more in the country, and it is our guess 

that given estimates of 5,000 to 10,000 are reasonable. No one can predict now 

how successful their mothers will be in keeping and raising them, but it is quite 

likely that a considerable number will be given up when troop withdrawal is 

completed.

Of these mixed race children, we saw black children in a ratio of perhaps 

7-3 over white children, indicating that these children are quicker to be given 

up and more vulnerable.

There are also reportedly some 500-1,000 Vietnamese-Korean children in the 

country. Some maintain they can be distinguished from Vietnamese children. We 

have no precedent on which to make a judgment as to whether these children 

will face problems as a group or not, but it is reasonable to assume they will 

not face as many problems as children with Western features.

Present resources

There are thirty Foreign Voluntary Agencies registered with the Foreign Voluntary Agency Council, and thirty-eight Vietnamese agencies are listed in the 

new Program Resource. Book. The l atter organization is only one year old, but 

is filling a serious need for better cooperation between the agencies. The Ministry f of Social Welfare, in existence only since 1966, only has sixty on its staff who

have had any professional training. It receives in the order of one-half of 1% 

of the national budget, so obviously it is very dependent on the voluntary 

agencies. General services are still oriented throughout to assistance and war 

victims; very little to self development and over-all programs. Child Welfare

* has had no priority except if it relates to military security.

Adoptions

Adoptions by Vietnamese are taking place. But they prefer to adopt within the extended family, and a primary purpose of adopting is to perpetuate the 

family. The beginnings of a child-centered practice, of taking an unrelated child 

and raising as their own, is happening among individuals here and there. However, this is, by and large, private and uncontrolled.

There is no agency doing local adoptions, and since using a private attorney 

is both expensive and time consuming ($2-300 U.S.), and it is very simple to 

obtain a child and register it as one’s own, adoptions take place this way. Beginning agency work in local adoption will be difficult, but the start should be made.

Unfortunately, this same method is used by many others to get children who 

become, in effect, indentured servants. When a mother abandons a baby, or 

indicates she does not want it. nurses or midwives make arrangements for the 

baby to be placed privately. Money often exchanges hands, with the going price 

ranging from $10-$25 U.S. for a baby. One estimate is that about one-third of 

these children find their way to an orphanage, the rest are given, sold, and even
112

re-sold with no protection for the child, and no real knowledge of what happens 

to him.

In inter-country adoptions, sixty-six children were granted visas to the 

U.S. in 1969, 123 in 1970, and less tha n 100 in 1971. The American Consul could 

offer no reason for the decrease in 1971. Children are also going to Europe. Only 

one agency is recognized in this area, namely ISS. In 1970 only 7 of the 123 

children were placed by them. The Halfway House of World Vision has indirect 

authorization to make a few placements, but they are not equipped to do it, and 

they very much wish to tur n over what they are doing to Holt. They have completed perhaps eight placements, and have about eighteen cases in process. They 

do not plan to take on any additional cases. Rosemary Taylor, an Australian 

schoolteacher, is the one who is completing most of the adoptions going. She has 

two •‘shelters” with about sixty child ren each and uses foster homes, has a 

foreign staff of half a dozen women. The paralle ls between her spirit and 

methods and those of H arry Holt are striking. She is not recognized by the Vietnamese government and in official discussions she does not exist, yet she receives 

substan tial suppo rt from Vietnamese and foreigners alike, including a number 

who are highly placed.

All three groups report tha t though the procedures are cumbersome. Vietnamese 

officials at the working level are cordial and cooperative. All three indicate 

there is unmet need and were cooperative and encouraging to us. World Vision 

in par ticula r hosted us and made staff and vehicles available to assist us.

Wha t services are needed?

From the beginning we did not think it was sound to come to Vietnam with 

one kind of service to offer re gardless of local situa tions. Service must be centered 

in the needs of children, and we attemp ted to determine these needs by listening 

to analysis from people on the spot and from our own observations. This need 

would then have to be analyzed from the stan dpo int of what Holt is able and 

competent to do.

The U.S. Government’s Executive Branch has recently OK'd the consideration of Child Welfare needs as a prio rity item for an amount up to $1 million 

to be spent or committed in calen dar 1972 only. But these projects must compete 

with other priorities before the money actually becomes available. As a result, 

lists of “priority projects” have been draw n up. We were given the benefit of this 

list, and urged to minimize adoptions work and concentrate on the list. Biggest 

items were assistance program to civilian widows and increase of payments to 

orphanages from 60 to 100 piasters a month. Most of the o ther items were equally 

inappropriate to what Holt can do, and adoptions was not even on the list. 

Though it had many good ideas, we concluded that the thin king behind it was 

more American than Vietnamese, and not too suited to the scope of a private 

agency such as ours. The up grading of child welfare to a prio rity program has 

been a significant step forward, but th e exercise of developing programs to spend 

a considerable amount of money responsibly in a few months without any assurance of funding the following year is largely self-defeating. Child welfare deserves more. The presentation was inconsistent since the A.I.D. had just granted 

$100,000 to ISS to strengthen adoption services in Vietnam, whereas there was no 

encouragement for a private adoption agency to provide this service at no cost 

to our government. We did make use of the list as fa r as we could, however.

When we approached the Ministry of Social W elfare to offer our help and ask 

what was needed, the answ er was that while work in adoptions was worthwhile 

and needed, it was politically sensitive and it would be most difficult for the 

Ministry to enter into an agreement with Holt to do adoptions alone. But on the 

other hand, the Ministry would welcome the arrival of Holt to do “Child Welfare,” of which adoptions could be one aspect. Dr. Anh, the Vice Minister also 

urged us to keep our service direct, simple, and practical—we should help people 

learn by doing. This corresponded with our appraisal of wh at was needed. 

Wha t Holt can do

With this in mind, we recommend that Holt begin work as soon as possible 

with in the following guidelines :

1. Use the name, "Holt Children's Sendee” or “Holt Intern ational Children’s F und” (the word “adoption” in the title would be an embarrassment 

to the governm ent).

2. Center our work around individualized services to children on the basis 

o f their specialized needs. (As over aga inst “mass” care in orphanages that 

depersonalizes children, and “mass” adoptions, which the Vietnamese oppose
113

but have not defined.) A broa d spectrum of such services is pla nned fo r 

the future as resources permit.

3. Initi al work should c oncentrate in these a re as: (a) An immediate effort, medically oriented, to cut down on the death 

rate of in fan ts in orphanages—initially in th e Saigon area.

(b) Development of fos ter home and good orp han age care ar ra ng ements for child ren being processed.

(c) Insti tutio n of adoptions work on a “case by case basis.” 

Interp ret ati on

We think it would be unwise and probably impossible for Holt, as a licen sed 

agency, to engage only in adoptions as Rosem ary Taylor has done. We hav e examined our motives to ask whether we really wa nt to help children and save 

lives or to simply “get children” for adoption. The re is a tendency for A merica ns 

to have but one thought in rela tion to Vietnam today, namely to adopt a child 

from there. We will need to educate our sup porters not to expect large num bers 

of children for adoption at lea st initially, and to support more than one way of 

helping these children. The plan is to have a variety of progra ms designed to 

stem the tide of infant deaths, and then to attack the problem of deg raded children in orph anag es with a variety of approaches at a practical level.

The timing is right. Problems will now intensify with the with draw al of A merican troops. And some agencies are pulling out, leaving a gap. The V ietnamese see 

this as proof th at these agencies were there for the Americans, not for the Vietnamese. We cannot rep eat in Vietnam what was done in Korea. The situation is too 

different. Bu t there is need, there is opportu nity to do even more than we dre am 

of, and the re is welcome if we appro ach i t in the rig ht way.

Testimony for S. 2497 by Mrs. Nancy Krivit of Edison, N.J.

My name is Nancy Krivit. I am 29 years old, married to Mark Kriv it for the 

past ten years, and the mother of f our children, two boys whom I gave birth to, 

a little girl whom we adopted, and a litt le girl in Vietnam who we ar e in the 

process of adopting now. I wish to tell the Committee of our personal exp erience 

in adopting a Vietnamese child, of the experience of some of the 75 fa milies in 

this country with whom I correspond who have adopted Vietnamese childre n, 

and of the work of hundreds of volunteers in our country who are try ing to al ­

leviate some of the suffering of innocent children by providing money, food, 

clothing, milk and medicines to orphanages in Vietnam.

In 1967 my husb and and I decided we wanted to adopt a Vietnamese orphan. 

Although we had no knowledge of the numbers of child ren in orphanages or the 

conditions under which they lived, we knew th at wa r creates orphans, we had 

room for a child in our home who needed a home, and we very much wanted 

a litt le girl in the family. We called several intern ational social agencies and 

were told it was impossible to adopt a child from Vietnam. In the process we 

learned of the many homeless children in this country, and proceeded to adopt 

a lit tle girl in 1970.

By the time we adopted Rory we had learned a gre at deal about the field 

of adoption. We are active in two voluntary paren t groups, Council on Adoptable Children and Frontiers in Adoption, whose functions involved rec ruiting 

paren ts for homeless children, and working to change laws th at hampere d children's chances for adoption. Both Mark and myself helped to cre ate Spaulding 

for Children, a New Jer sey licensed adoption agency whose purpose is to serve 

withou t fees the homeless children in this country for whom other adoptio n 

agencies have been unable to find homes. As members of the Board of Direc tors 

we increased our knowledge of adoption both from an agency and ind ividua l 

point of view.

Last yea r we learned of a family who had adopted a Vietnamese child. We 

called them and at t ha t point began actively trying to adopt a child. At the s ame 

time we became active in organiz ations which tried to encourage agencies to 

help with Vietnamese adop tio n; we helped to supp ort orphanag es th at were 

releasing children for ad op tio n; and we trie d through the legislation we are 

discussing today to involve our government in helping the youngest victims of 

the war.

80-61 9— 72------9
114

Last June, 1971, we began writing to several orphanages and agencies trying 

to locate a child available for adoption. We did not have any friends in Vietnam 

who could help us, so we had to use the mail. It took us seven months before 

we were notified by one orphanage that a three week old Vietnamese American 

baby was available to us. This long wa it is so incredible when one considers 

the thousand s of orphans in Vietnam who live in the 126 registered orphanages, 

on the street or in whatever shelter they can find. We are overjoyed with our 

daughter and are now in the process of adopting her, a process which will take 

about a yea r and is only possible because of the cooperation of individuals in 

Vietnam who volun tarily devote their time to helping people who cannot trav el to 

Vietnam to adopt. They arrang e the paper work with a Vietnamese lawyer and 

care for the children until they are able to leave the country.

Our daughte r is in one of the nicer orphanages in Vietnam, near a United 

States Air Force base. Over the years this orphanage has received help from 

soldiers who devote the ir time to assisting witli repairs and maintenance and 

playing with the children, of vita l importance to their development. They also 

accept packages and letters for the orphanage. Without the ir help many more 

children would die than the estim ated 80 to 90% mortality rat e th at now exists 

in Vietnam’s institutions.

From the most recent pictures we have received of our daughter it appe ars 

th at her legs are not developing properly. We are concerned th at we are unable 

to take her to a doctor and have the necessary diet and correction prescribed 

that would correct the condition. Instead we m ust again use the mail to look for 

a means to help her through people now in Vietnam. The medical care in the 

best of orphanages is minimal, and conditions like hers, which are not among 

the most serious, must be overlooked so that those critically ill children can 

receive care. Nevertheless, we know in the many months th at we must wait 

the condition will probably worsen. We also must live in the hope th at none 

of the common killers of babies, measles, tuberculosis, polio, and pneumonia, 

will be c ontracted by our very fragile baby, who alre ady is unde rweight for her 

age. We only wish there was medical care for our daughter, and for all the 

children, and that the time she must spend in a crowded orphanag e sharing her 

crib w ith a t least one other baby can be considerably reduced.

I am a co-founder of the New Jersey branch of Friend s of Children of Vietnam, an organizatio n that originated in Colorado some yea rs ago, and whose 

functions are prim arily to support those facilitie s th at a re involved in adoption, 

and to assist adoptive parents in the complicated paper work they must complete before they can bring the ir child home. As a member of Friend s of Children of Vietnam, I have received hundreds of letters from families who would 

gladly open their homes to a Vietnamese orphan. The homeless children in Vietnam are waiting for pa re nt s; the willing parents are waiting for children. The 

mach inery to bring them together has got to be simplified.

There have been eighteen Vietnamese children adopted in Colorado and at 

least ano ther eighteen adoptions started. The child ren are a great joy to the ir 

families. Each adoption has had some delay s and each has been a fru str ati ng 

wait for the parents. But for some the long wait involved in the adoption has 

had long-range consequences.

The Schlegals of Longmont, Colorado, had waited fou r months for their son 

when they received word he had died in the orphanage. Although the death of 

this child was difficult fo r them, they decided to accept a “replacem ent”, a baby 

boy close to the same age and in the same orphanage. The second boy was named 

Scott and they waite d ano ther eight months for him. Scott was twen ty months 

old when he arrived and could only crawl crab-fashion on the floor. He had 

had polio. Ili s legs were badly damaged. Afte r a year in casts and braces, 

Scott h ad ma jor su rgery on one leg. He faces a t least one more operation on the 

other leg and more years in braces. The doctors assure the Schlegals Scott will 

walk. Had his adoption taken a sho rter time, Scott needn’t have had polio. His 

IKirents now are just grateful to have him and consider him a special g ift to the ir 

family.

Lara Pau li Gra nt was born in the same village in Vietnam and on the same 

day as Scott Schlegal. She went to the same orphanage an d got polio at th e same 

time. Lara Pauli will alway s walk with a limp. A beautiful and loving two year 

old, Lara delig hts her paren ts who can’t get over the ir good fortune in having 

her. But sometimes when her weak leg gives way and she falls, they wonder 

why she had to have polio, why she couldn’t have come early enough to save her 

from being handicapped.
115

Kim Oanli Buchanan was five years old before she was chosen for adoption. 

Sister Anicet at the orphanage explaine d to Kim Oanli about a family of her 

own, gave her pictures of two brothers, two sisters and parents, and then she 

waited. Ten months is a long time for parents when they wonder every day if 

the ir child is being fed well. For the children waiting for a new sister, for 

the five year old waitin g for a promised home, it is long enough to turn a 

promise into a dream. Kim Oanli is a delight to her family but her speech is 

developing slowly. Con stan t untrea ted ear infections during her stay in the 

orphanag e have resulted in some loss of hearing. It is difficult to learn a new 

language when you can’t h ear it very well.

Van watched his fam ily die in a mo rtar attack . At age seven, he held his 

» sha ttered leg toge ther with one hand and dragged himself from mother to

brother to father to sister. A two year old sister was still alive but died as Van 

trie d to give h er the drink of wa ter she begged.

An American found Van in a hosp ital and heard his story. The American 

was so moved he promised Van to take him home to the U.S. and always take 

TM care of him. It took two years to get through the adoptive red tape. For two

years tha t little boy alterna tely hoped and dispaired.

Van is a happy American ten yea r old now. He is doing well with his artificial 

leg. His paren ts are very proud of him. But we wonder if, after all he had experienced, he really h ad to go through those two yea rs of waiting.

All of the adoptions are happy. The child ren are bright and beautiful. But 

many more families would like to adopt, and are unable to. At the same time a 

nun at one of the orphanag es writes “The babies are dying like flies. We have 

four to a tiny crib. The children are eating moths and ants. So many die.”

A family in New York located a child in an orphanage, and after seven m onths 

of loving her, they found out her paren ts were taking her back. Despite the ir 

sadness, they realized th at this was as it should be. They realized that adoption 

was a solution for a small number of the children in Vietnam who need help, 

but they also realized th at for these child ren adoption was their only hope for 

survival and a fruitfu l life. Soon ano ther child was located for them, but she 

died suddenly of measles. They were shocked and terr ibly grief strick en, but 

they knew of the need and they knew of their desire for a child, so they continu ed when a third child was located for them. Fourteen months after they 

heard about their first daughter, their thi rd dau ghter arrived, weak and thin, 

but alive and smiling. The doctors say her early malnutrition has left her in a 

weakened condition, but every day she gains stre ngth and even is a bit chubby 

today.

Every family with whom I correspond tell of the amazing capacity of their 

children to adjus t quickly, and of their eagnerness to learn and to enjoy the ir 

new environment. They tell of the intere st they have developed in the Vietnamese 

culture and history, as they learn about it in order to share their knowledge 

with all of th eir children.

The majority of the children who have come to this coun try are of mixed 

r , racial background, either Vietnamese-Caucasian or Vietnamese-Negro. A nun at

one of the orphanag es comments “Yes, there are many mixed American-Vietnamese in Vietnam who need a good home and good p arents. I am really very 

worried about their futur e.” It is acknowleged by most of the experts in child 

welfare that the mixed race child will have gre at difficulties as he grows older, 

* and partic ula rly the pa rt black child. Numerous studies completed in this country concerning the thou sand s of Korean child ren who have been adopted by 

Americans point out th at the adoption of children across racial lines has had a 

very high degree of success in term s of the child’s adjustment, the m utual satis ­

faction of paren t and child and the child’s capacity for a fulfilling life. It would 

seem th at adoption is a very important solution to some child ren in Vietnam 

whose fu tures are so unc ertain today.

As I und erstand it, the long delay in the completion of the adoptions is caused 

primarily by the proxy adoption system now in use in Vietnamese courts, which 

requires a child to be legally adopted before he can leave the country, rather 

tha n having an agency assume legal gua rdia nship of a child, and bringing the 

child out of the country and placing him in a house unt il a final American 

adoption can be completed, at which point the agency would then give up legal 

guardianship. One pa rticular delay is caused by the need for a dispensation 

signed by the Pre sident of South Vietnam in the majority of cases when the 

following adoption requirements have not been fulfilled.

1. Pare nts must be married ten y ears or more.
Ilf)

2. Parents must have no natural children.

3. At le ast one pa rent must be over the age of 30.

Although the dispensations are granted regularly, there is a delay of up to 

several months in which time the adoption process is at a stan dstill. There is 

also a lengthy court process involving two hearings scheduled two months apart. 

Another delay is caused by the fact that abandoned children must be issued a 

birth certificate, which has taken up to five months in some cases. From the 

time a family first locates a child, abo ut a yea r will pass before th at child can 

join his family.

The pa rt of the Vietnamese adoption th at takes place in this country is basically the completion of home study by a qualified adoption agency and the filing 

of Petition 1-600 with Immigration and Naturalization. When the child enters 

the country, although he has been adopted legally in Vietnam, most of the children are readopted in their state and then file for citizenship two years later.

It h as been found that the Imm igration authorities have been partic ularly cooperative in filing Petition 1-600, and in many states the public welfare agency 

has been cooperative in perform ing the necessary home study.

However, in many states families have run into a gre at deal of resistance in 

obtaining a home study for a child not born in this country. It seems to me that 

the public agency is there to serve the public, which has not been the case for 

the many families who have been forced to pay fees to p rivate agencies in order 

that they could have a home study completed.

In some states a family can not ado pt a child unless the child has been seen 

by the family, which makes it impossible for some people to adopt a Vietnamese 

child. To date there has been little official agency involvement by those who are 

in a position to help people who wish to ado pt; thus there has been nobody to 

turn to when problems of this nature arise. It is hoped that this legislation will 

correct some of the weaknesses in Vietnamese adoption and enable agencies to 

assume a more clear cut and responsible position in helping Americans who wish 

to adopt.

The trag ic irony that exists today is just as the children suffered greatly 

when U.S. involvement was at its height in Vietnam, so the children will suffer 

even more as the troops withdraw . These children, who are our responsibility, 

need extensive child welfare sendee, including adoption, and they need them 

now, before too many more innocent children must die.

To sum it up my recommendations would be as follows:

1. To elminate the proxy adoption, and allow agencies to bring the children 

out of Vietnam on a case by case basis, under agency legal guardianship.

2. If this is not possible, a simplification of adoption procedures could be encouraged. which would eliminate the need for dispensation, and shorten the court 

procedure for adoption.

3. A more efficient method should be conceived to obtain a birth certificate for 

an abandoned child.

4. An education program in Vietnam, particu larly geared to those who run 

the orphanages which would help the people to better understand adoption and 

how it benefits children.

5. Strong and continuing financial supp ort to orphanages, so th at adequa te 

food and facilities and medical care can be provided for all the children, and 

easy accessibility to doctors and hospitals for the children who a re in need.

6. More cooperation from the agencies who are in a position to engage in 

Vietnamese adoption, and to assist parents in adopting a child.

7. Cooperation from each Sta te Welfare Depa rtment for completion of home 

studies for intercountry adoption and recognition of proxy adoption.

(Additional inform ation submitted by Mrs. Krivit is in the Committee files.)

Unit ed Ch u r c h of F a ulkton, 

Faulkton, S. Dak., March 27,1972. Senator J. W. Fulbright,

U.S. Senate,

Waihington. D.C.

Dear Senator Fulbright : It is my understanding th at on April 5tli writte n 

testimony concerning Senate Rill Number 2497 will be entered into the record. 

For that purpose I send you this letter.

We are the adoptive p arents of a 26 month old Vietnamese boy. Shaun Nguyen 

came to our home last September and one week ago today the court issued the 

final adoption decree. This was a most complicated adoption procedure, requiring
117

22 months before Shaun was able to leave Vietnam for the United States. 

We are aware of many in our are a who have adopted child ren from the sta te 

of South Dakota who would have considered adopting a Vietnamese orphan 

were the procedure more simple.

However, were the process simplified only a small fraction of the children 

in need in South Vietnam be aided. Therefore our major concern is the moral 

obligation we as a nation have for the children victimized by the ten years of 

conflict our foreign policy has foisted on the innocent.

This moral obligation includes first the Amer-Asian child ren of Vietnam. 

Mr. Don Luce (of “tiger-cage” fam e) estimated in August. 1971, th at the 

more tha n 2 million civilian and military men from America who have been in 

Vietnam in the past ten years have father ed 400.000 Amer-Asian children. 

Saigon and United States officials have at best adm itte d the re might be 400 

such children. The la tter figure is naively (or crim inally) low while the form er 

is probably an exploded figure. The fac t is that these children do e xis t: inherito rs 

of all the social stigmas atta che d to such legitim ate or illegitimate birth s.

Ju st as really, thi s moral obligation includes the full Vietnamese child who 

has been orphaned, maimed, or cas t into hell-holes called refugee or relocation 

camps. The orphaned are estimated at being around 266,000 by Associated 

Press p hotographer Jam es Bourdler a nd oth er sources indicate th at the mortal ity 

rate among these is extremely high—4 out of 5— because there is no program of 

preventiv e medicine again st the usu al childhood diseases inclu ding polio. The 

maimed include the victim s of our ai r wa r and ground patrols as well as those 

who have found “dud s” in the form of unexploded bombs, grenades, mines, etc. 

th at become lethal toys for innocent small hands.

A form er agric ult ural mission ary for Vietn am Christian Service who, last 

August, became pasto r of a neighboring congregation has shown slides of the 

plig ht of the child of the refugee camp—victims of malnutrition, poor shelter, 

inad equ ate clothing—children who have, regardless of the political technicalities, 

been moved by our troops following a policy established by our government. 

These also form a p ar t of the body of children for whom we are morally obligated !

Tn a day when foreig n aid, domestic aid for education and hea lth prog rams 

are being cut back, we dare not commit the moral crime of ignoring the plig ht 

of children from whom we have stolen the innocence and joy of childhood.

If these words of support for Senate Bill Number 2497 and the very real 

hum an need it is designed to meet should be expressed to the Senate Foreign 

Relations Committee thro ugh ano ther person, please see that th at person 

receives this th at it might be en tered into the testim ony the committee considers.

Sincerely yours,

Kenneth G. Moreland, Pa sto r.

2237 T rent R oad, Columbus, Ohio ,

March 31, 1972.

Dear Sirs : Having read Bill S.2497. I felt it quite necessary to subm it my 

writte n testimony for the passage of this bill.

I have been to the Republic of Viet Nam and have spent a year working very 

closely with the Vietnamese civilians. T was a registere d nurse on a 50-bed ward 

at the 36th Evac Hospital (Smbl) in Vung Tau. South Viet Nam. We cared for 

civilian casualties with ortho pedic injuries. I was stationed the re from August 

of 1968 to August. 1969.

During this year I also was able to do a small amount of work in the Vietnamese orphanage in Vung Tau. Needless to say. anyone who has seen these small 

children so greatly in need of the basic life-sustaining substances, such as. food, 

clothing, hea lth care, medications, and most of all. love, could not turn his back 

on them. During my year there. T was very inte rested in adopting a VietnameseAmerican orphan. T was unable to do so for personal reasons.

Tf I could attend the h earings for Bill S.2497. I could show picture s and slides 

of the orph ans and children with whom I was involved. I would like to be able 

to tell you of these little ones and the small chance of life for them. Our people 

have left so many homeless children in Viet Nam. and so very many people in the 

United States desire to adopt these children, it is a tru e pity a bill like this was 

not intro duce d several years ago.

The infant d eath rate in Vietnamese orphanages alone is over 80%. This is due 

simply to a lack of facilities , money and care. The many groups working to improve the lot of orph ans are at presen t doing an enormous job with their avail-
118

able resources but th eir job could be made much easier. I urge you to recommend 

this bill for passage.

I wish that as a private citizen I could be of aid to the Vietnamese civilians 

in upgrading the ir standa rds of living. My wife and I are both RN’s, and I am 

pursuing a course in pre-med with the sincere hope of spending time in Viet 

Nam aft er receiving my MD.

The Vietnamese government at this time is very unrealistic as to its laws and 

regulations on adoption by US citizens, especially since many of the children have 

been fathered by our servicemen. With aid from our government these laws could 

be revised, such that children could be brought here by couples who so greatly 

desire to open their hea rts and homes to the homeless. The French government 

granted French citizenship to Vietnamese children fath ered by the ir soldiers, 

and provided for their assim ilation into French society; our government denies 

even the basics necessary for these child ren to survive.

The population of Viet Nam, a s a whole, needs our aid even more now tha t our 

medical installations are being with draw n. Personnel from our hospitals were 

able to visit the orphanages and province hospitals to do volunteer work, and 

instruct the Vietnamese workers. But now our assistance is dwindling.

We could do so much to save the child ren’s lives as well as giving the 15,000 or 

more orph ans a chance to grow up, and to become the future leaders of Viet Nam. 

In summary, T strongly recommend passage of Senate Bill 2497 as a small step 

in aiding the Vietnamese to care for the ir children.

Yours sincerely,

J erold M. Reis , 

Captain, U.8. ANC, Retired.

Gentlemen : T agree with my husband in strongly urging passage of the Williams-Hatfield-Hughes Bill, and I desire that my l etter also be entered into testimony in favor of the bill’s passage.

M.v husband and I are planning to adopt a Vietnamese orphan. We are now 

beginning to make some progress, after many discouraging months of letter 

writing.

What was the most discouraging for us was the ignorance of the State Dept. 

toward the Vietnamese orphans’ plight. I began to believe th at it is the policy 

of this administration to purposefully deny the innocent victims of this war. the 

children, and the POW’s, and to react callously and curtly to Americans who 

express compassion for these children.

According to a letter I received in Jan uary from the Sta te Dept. (in answer to 

one I wrote the President), it is explained tha t there are “10-15,000” children 

with American father s in Viet Nam, and “350-400” living in orphanages. The 

lette r continues to mention th at the Vietnamese government allots 600 piasters. 

(.$5) per month per child to its 120 orphanages and th at the State Dept. does not 

distinguish between those fath ered by Americans and those who are non-biracial.

I am so happy they do recognize some of the situation but the ir figures are 

totally unrealistic and naive. According to the Intern ational Social Service, a 

consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, there are a t lea st 

25,000 children in Vietnamese orphanages. Donald Luce, an American writer and 

Viet Nam expert, recently reported to the New York Times th at the figure of GI 

babies may be as high as 200.000. Other estim ates of the number of Vietnamese 

orphans go as high as 300,000. Revised data from the Vietnamese Ministry of 

Social Welfare shows that there are 160 Buddhist and Catholic orphanages in 

South Viet Nam.

As your own colleagues have stated. “I believe that such a child is an American 

responsibility. It is ns much a casu alty of war as the wounded soldier or a 

burned-out peasant. We cannot, we must not. leave these children to shift for 

themselves.” Senator Moss.

The mortality rate for children in Vietnamese orphanages is the highest in 

the entire world—greater tha n 80%. The little ones a re dying of measles, simple 

diseases tha t American children are vaccinated against, apathy and the lack of 

loving care. There is not one single internation al organization even attem ptin g to 

arra nge adoption services for these children.

Since 1928, part French children could claim French nationality. In 1954, as 

the troops were withdraw ing from Indo-cliina. they took with them 3000 pa rt 

French children, who were assim ilated into the French society. The US government denies knowledge of any children brought to the US for adoption; yet.
the re have been over 500 in the past five years. They are fu rth er unrea listic in 

requiring th at adoptive paren ts must go to Viet Nam to see their prospective 

child before adoption proceedings; this makes adoption a privilege of only the 

well-to-do.

I have read Bill S. 2497 and strongly urge its a pproval and ena ctment because 

I believe in the US peaceful responsibility and comm itment to Viet Nam. The 

freedom from communism of the Vietnamese people has been paid for by the 

blood of young men from America and Viet Nam. Now the land must be reclaimed, 

from the des truc tion of war, and the peoples lives rebuilt, in order to ma intain 

the principles of liberty. It is the children who have suffered gr ea tly; and, it is 

the child ren who will soon either continue the struggle again st the VC, or will 

bow to oppression and be overrun, allowing so many men's sacrifices to go down 

the drain.

Now is the time for the US to tak e an official sta nd on the p light and needs of 

the war victims, especially those fathered by our men. We have the unique 

opportunity of c orrecting 15 years of m ilitary effort an d establish ing ourselves as 

peaceful rebuild ers of a new natio n. Let us st ar t with the Williams Bill to help 

the children who need our help to exist.

Sincerely,

J oyce Rei s.

Descriptive Material Concerning Activities of F oster P arents P la n, I nc. 

in Vietnam

I. He adquarters: Saigon.

II. Estab lished: June, 1957.

III. Direc tor: Marian B. Guild.

IV. Current En rollm en t: 5,011.

V. Fa cilit ies: PLAN he ad qu ar ters; adm inistrative staff offices; and social 

workers offices.

VI. Personne l: 30 social worke rs; three doctors (all pa rt- tim e); one nur se 

(full-tim e) ; and 18 wareh ouse, adm inistrative, clerical and maintenance personnel (fre e lance tran sla tors used as needed).

VII. Pr og rams: In-service traini ng for PLAN social workers in Saigon and 

in the provinces and clinic to provide medical care for Foster Children and their 

families.

VIII. Fu ture Plan s: Establishment of a dis trict office to brin g PLAN closer 

to more child ren who need help.

The programs described on thi s sheet are in addition to the sustain ed guidance and counseling of social workers, medical and dental care and mon thly 

cash grant which are fea tur es of a ll PLAN programs. The greater the number of 

services and programs, which are funded by the Special Services Fund and 

Fo ste r Pa rents’ monthly contributions, the lower the cash gra nt given to each 

child. Dis tributions of useful goods are also pa rt of this program. The Special 

Services Fun d provides small amounts of money for emergency needs and loans 

for small businesses.

September 1, 1971.

To the B oards of Directors of F oster Pa rents’ Pla n In c. ; Foster Pa rents’ Plan of 

Canada ; and Foster Pa rents’ P lan of A ustralia.

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidating balance sheet and the relate d

consolidating statem ent of income, expenses and changes in fund balance and 

ana lysis of expenses pre sen t fairly the financial position of The Foste r Pa rents’ 

Plans at Jun e 30, 1971, and its income, expenses and changes in fun d balance 

and the supplem entary info rmation on analysis of expenses for the year, in conformity with generally accepted acco unting principles applied on a basis consistent with th at of the preceding year. Our exam ination of these statem ents was 

made in accordance with generally accepted aud itin g sta ndard s and accord ingly 

included such tests of the acco unting records and such oth er aud itin g procedures 

as we considered necessary in the circumstances. It was impracticab le for us to 

extend our examination of pledges, gifts, bequests and contributions received from 

the general public beyond accounting fo r am ounts so recorded.

Price Waterh ouse & Co.

New York, N.Y.
120

FOSTER PARENTS’ PLAN CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET, JUNE 30, 1971

Foster Foster

Foster Parents’ Parents'

Parents’ Plan of Plan of

Plan, Inc. Canada Australia Consolidated

ASSETS

Cash..........................................................................................

Investments, at cost less reserve for unrealized loss of

$45,000, which approximates m ark et...... .......................

Receivables:

Estimated unpaid pledges and gifts due from foster 

paren ts............................ .............................................

Foreign government refunds........ .................................

U S Government refun ds..... .......................... .............

Other receivables_____________________________

Prepaid expenses..................................... ......................

Land, buildings, and equ ipment, at nominal cost (note 2)_.

$495,419 

1,083,960

103,050

18.000 

3,495

20, 700 

33,334 

1

$146, 666 

246, 470

31,950

i,’323

1,867

$62,170

936

319

$704, 255 

1,330,430

135, 396

18, 000 

3,495 

22,342 

35,201 

1

LIA BIL ITIES AND FUND BALANCE 

Lia bilities :

Advance payments by foster parents (note 1). 

Accounts payable and accrued payroll taxe s.. 

Estimated statutory severance pay lia b ility.. .

Unremitted cash gifts to ch ild ren................... .

Interplan balances___________ _________ _

Total lia bilities................................................

Fund balance (deficit) (note 1) ............................... .

Total liabilities and fund deficit_________

1,757,959 428,276 62, 885 2, 249,120

1,395, 397 579, 453 17,108 1,991.958

38, 654 6,788 2,685 48,127

101. 180 ... 101,180

248,952 74, 362 1,081 324, 395

205, 405 (27 6,5 23) 71,118 ..

1,989,588 384,080 91,992 2,4 65,660

(23 1,6 29) 44.196 (29,10 7) (216, 540)

1, 757, 959 428,276 62,885 2, 249,120

V

FOSTER PARENT’S PLAN CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME, EXPENSE AND CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE 

FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1971

Foster

Parents’

Foster 

Parents' 

Plan of

Foster

Parents’

Plan of

Plan, Inc. Canada Austra lia Consolidated

Income:

Pledges for ch ild ren____ _______ _______________ $6,841,499 $2, 203, 248 $28, 952 $9,073,699

Gifts from foster pa rents.. ........ ............. . ............. 1,267,734 245, 383 592 1,513,709

Contributions, endowment gifts, and bequests (note

1 )~ ______ _________________________________ 332,398 190,183 1,710 524,291

Contribution from th e Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Inc_______ ___________ ________________ 5,000 . 131,500 136,500

Government re fu nd s.._____ ______ _____ _______ 82,000 .. 82,000

Investm ent and miscellaneous income____________ 59, 362 13, 757 619 73,738

8, 587, 993 2,652,571 163,373 11,403,937

Expenses(notes 2 and 3):

Material aid and services to childre n........... . ......... . . 6,279,233 1,903,497 22,792 8,205,522

Supporting operations............. ....... ............................... 1,742,604 528, 536 81,578 2,352,718

Promotion and a dv ertis ing............................................ 425, 576 69, 902 88,110 583,588

8, 447,413 2,501,935 192,480 11,141,828

Income (lo ss ) before reserve for unrealized loss on

investm ents____________________________________ 140,580 150,636 (29,107) 262,109

■Reduction in reserve for unrealized loss on investm ents,

no longer required............................................................... 87,248 4.586 . . . 91,834

Net income (lo ss )___________________ ________ 227,828 155,222 (29,107) 353,943

Fund balance (d eficit) beginning of the year...................... (459,457) (1 11,0 26)... (570,483)

fu nd balance (d ef icit) end of the y e a r.. ______ _______ (231,629) 44,196 (29,107) (216, 540)
**»

FOSTER PARENTS’ PLAN, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, ANALYSIS OF EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1971

Total New York Canada Australia Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador

Mate rial aid and services to children:

Monthly cash grants............... . .............................................

Gifts from foster parents.......................................................

Purchased goods....... ........... . ...............................................

Shipping and warehousing of purchased goods and gifts.

Health services.......................................................................

Special se rv ic es...................................................................

Community deve lopment......................................................

Education and group w ork ...................................................

Special projects and programs.............................................Social workers........................................................................

Translation costs______ _______ ___________________

Total.....................................................................................

Supporting operations:

Rent, maintenance and repairs, vehicles and equ ipment. 

Administrative expense, postage and office su p p lie s.. ..Correspondence......................................................— ...........

Bookkeeping and accounting ..............................................

Management and en rollm en t...............................................

$4,316,532 _________ ______ ______ ___________ ____ $68,007 $199, 642 $541,683 $452, 823

1,460,996 _______________ ______ _________________ 14,766 40, 256 142, 889 102, 141

636,097 ............................................. _________________ 8, 178 49, 317 107,614 111, 313

145,826 ___________________ _ ........ ................... . 5,702 5, 343 17,615 16, 981

649,708 ______________________ 29,632 38, 181 157,849 72, 761201,783 _____ _________________ ........................... .. 2,525 25, 495 39, 441 3,122

38,544 .......................................................... . ..................... 13,351 ...................... ...........................................................38,023 .................................................................................. 1,749 .......................... 10,6 17...........................

27,106 ................ ............................................................ ................................................ . ...................... .......................................

471,269 .................................................................................. 13,589 36,616 64,780 56,468219,648 ...................................................... . ......................... 7,585 24,366 33,222 25,754

8,2 05,522 .................................................................................. 165,084 419,216 1,115,710 841,363

426,616 $171,129 $28,867 $13,998 22,661 17,614 22,019 21,523

1,102,819 379,383 162,737 60,412 30,282 33,960 56,197 34,907

152,484 142,736 ............................................................................................................................... . ......................... ..........

451,072 374,313 ...................................................... 6,810 7,227 6,865 8,749

219,727 219,727 ............................. ......... ............................................................................................................................

LO

Tota l......................................... .................................................... . ...............

Promotion and advertising ( inc lud ing and allocation of rent and utilities ).........

Grand total........... ............................................................................................

Average number of c hild ren ...................i .................................................................

Employees at June 30,1971.......................................................................................

2,3 52,718 1,287,288 191,604 74,410 59,753

583,588 425,576 69,902 88,110 ..........................

11,141,828 1,712,864 261,506 162,520 224,836

49,199 .......... ......... ............................................................... 870

854 120 24 6 32

58, 801 85, 081

478, 017 1, 200, 791

2, 404 6, 858

63 111

65,179

906, 542 

5,428 

74
FOSTER PARENTS' PLAN, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, ANALYSIS OF EXPENSES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1971— Continued

Material aid and services to children:

Monthly cash gran ts..............................................................

Gifts from foster parents..... ............. ..................................

Purchased goods...................................................... .............

Shipping and warehousing of purchased goods and gifts

Health services.......................................................................

Special services,............................................. .....................

Community dev elopment,................................ ...................

Education and group work ,...................... .........................

Special projects and programs............................................

Social workers.............................................. ......................Translation costs............................................ ......... .............

Total.....................................................................................

Supporting operations:

Rent, maintenance and repairs, vehicles and equipment,

Ad minis tra tive expense, postage and office supplies........Correspondence........................................... . ........................

Bookkeeping and acc oun ting,..............................................

Management and enrollment................................................

Total Greece Hong Kong Indonesia Korea Peru Philippines Vietnam

$4, 316, 532 $510,133 $474,971 $23,718 $671,180 $240, 700 $653,040 $480,635

1,460,996 242, 486 120, 805 6,147 366, 055 111.901 234, 532 80,018

636, 087 107,267 ._ . 16,310 22,100 31,112 85, 779 97,097

145, 826 34, 694 6,999 2, 146 19,679 15,856 14, 281 6, 530

649, 708 8,053 76, 867 6, 447 89, 354 96, 054 68, 303 6, 207

201, 783 15,193 17, 293 1,782 27, 850 20, 842 32, 308 15,932

38, 544 11,449 7,496 .. 6,248 ..

38,023 .. 14,958 . . . 7, 238 3, 461

27,106 . . 306 8,479 .. 18,321 ..

471, 269 9, 541 97,019 2, 568 72, 253 48, 557 37,903 31,975

219, 648 30, 502 30, 672 697 30, 519 16, 331 13,161 6, 839

8, 205, 522 956, 869 851,033 67,617 1, 307, 469 587, 601 1,164, 866 728, 694

426,616 8, 331 21,719 17, 142 22,968 27, 644 13, 271 17, 730

1,102,819 72, 073 46, 397 19,412 68, 852 48,174 42,161 47, 872

152, 484 9,748

451,072 9,4 34 11,932 850 6,296 8, 591 5,121 4, 884

219,727 ..

toIO

Tota l___ ______________ _______ _____ . ___________ ____ ______

Promotion and advertising (inc ludin g an allocation of rent and utilit ie s), .........

2,352,718 99,586 80,048 37,404 98,116 84,409 60,553 70,486

583,588 ................................................ . .......................................................... ................. . ............................... . ....................

Grand to ta l________

Average number of children Employees at June 30,1971.

11,141,828 1,056, 455 931,081 105, 021 1, 405, 585 672, 010 1, 225, 419 799,180

49,199 5, 508 4,950 697 6, 895 3, 378 7, 241 4,970

854 31 50 49 77 87 79 51
123

NO TE S TO FIN A N C IA L ST ATEM EN TS— JU N E 3 0 , 1 9 7 1

Note 1: The fund deficit represe nts the cumulative excess of expenses over 

income. T his deficit lias been reduced from $572,962 at Jun e 30, 1969 to $216,540 

at Jun e 30, 1971. “Advance paym ents by Foste r Pa rents” has provided the p rin ­

cipal means to finance curre nt operations and other expe nditures such as the 

purc hase and development of real property used by Pla n in its operations. Advance paym ents represent pledges for children, applicable to periods subsequent 

to Jun e 30, 1971 which were paid to Pla n by foster paren ts prio r to th at date.

Pla n has received as contributions certain amounts from “Miles for Millions” 

and oth er organizations, and has designated such funds for specified projects. 

¥ These amounts have been included in the Statem ent of income, Expenses and

Fun d Balance. At Jun e 30, 1971 unexpended funds for these projects received in 

fiscal ye ars 1970 and 1971 approxim ate $113,000. Note 2: It is Plan’s policy to charge to expense the cost of furniture, fixtures, 

and equipm ent in the period acquired. This policy is also extended to the cost of 

T real estate used by Pla n in countries where Pla n operates. Accordingly, real

estate acquired at a cost of $14,820 during the fiscal yea r ended Jun e 30, 1971 

was charged to expense. Note 3: Foster Pa rents’ Plan currently provides aid and service to child ren in 

eleven countries with funds provided by fo ster p are nts in the United States, Canada and Austra lia. Central administrative and reporting functions are performed 

by the intern ational headquart ers in New York and such expenses are apportion ed to each of the three countries. Fos ter Pa rents Plan , Inc., 352 Pa rk Avenue South, New York, New York 

10010:L. Sidney Launitz-Schurer, Chairman, Intern ati onal Board of Directors. 

John F. Mullady. S ecretary.

Robert J. Sullivan, Tre asu rer.

Gloria C. Matthews, Inter natio nal Executive Director.

George W. Ross, J r., Inter natio nal Deputy Executive Director.

Fo ste r Pa rents Pla n of Canada, 153 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto 7, Ontario : Paul S. H. Lindsay, Chairman, C anad ian Board of Directors.

L. Sidney Launitz-Sch urer, Vice Chairman, D. W. Middleton. SecretaryTreas ure r.

E. Munro A shkanase, Nation al Director.

Fo ste r Pa rents Pla n of Australia, 36 Pa rk Stree t, South Melbourne, Victo ria 

3205: Frede ric W. Thomas, Chairman, A ustralian Board of Directors.

John L. Coller, National Director (Secretary of the Board) .

Don D. Roose. Director in Bolivia.

Rob ert H. K. Walter, D irector in Brazil.

E. Glenn Rogers, Directo r in Colombia.

Ric hard M. Cabrera. Director in Ecuador. 

j|/ Gerald M. Casad.v, Director in Peru.

Keith R. Tu rner, Director in Greece.

Frank W. Ryan, D irec tor in Hong Kong.

J. Nevin Wiley, D irec tor in Indonesia.

~ John G. Anderson, Director in Korea,

r Robert W. Sage, Director in the Philippines.

Marian B. Guild. Director in Viet Nam.

Fo ste r Pa rents Plan does family welfare work with emphasis on the children 

in the family. One child is selected as the Fos ter Child, and he is the represen tative of a family receiving assistance. PLAN aims to stre ngthen the family 

so th at child ren are raised with secu rity and love in a family situatio n. Even 

where a child’s own paren ts are dead, PLAN seeks to give aid within a family 

setting and urges relativ es or friends to provide th at setting for an orphaned 

child. The Fo ste r Child has the one responsibility of maintaining a correspondence 

with the Foste r Parent. The latte r is a person or family or group in the United 

States, Canada or Australia who wishes to hold out a helping hand, using this 

personal and human approach. The Foste r Pa rent provides $16.00 a month, and 

this income provides the aid and administrative supp ort th at enables PLAN to 

reach approxim ately 50.000 Foster Children and their families around the world.

Foste r Paren ts Plan has been work ing in Viet Nam since 1957. It is currently
he lping 5.000 fa m ilie s or ab ou t 30.000 Vietnam es e peo ple. Th e ai d co ns ists of 

gu idan ce from PLAN 'S Viet na mese social w or ke rs, med ica l he lp fro m l’LAN’s 

cli nic , re gula r mon th ly cash as si stan ce , addi tional em erg ency he lp wh en re ­

qu ired , an d oc ca sio na lly dis trib utions of m at er ia l goods. Th e social w or ke rs he lp 

to see th a t al l yo un g ch ild re n are ke pt in school, an d th e grou p work am on g 

wi dowe d m ot he rs he lps them ad ju st to an d cop e w ith th eir dif ficult situ at io ns. 

Th e aid is re la tive ly lon g-ter m aim ed a t get ting ch ildr en an d th eir fam ilies in 

a po sitio n w he re they ca n be self-sufficie nt an d no t de pe nd en t up on PL AN or 

an y oth er w el fa re or ga ni za tion in th e fu tu re . This is es pe ciall y dif fic ult in a w ar 

si tu at io n, bu t it is clea r th a t th e su pp or t PLAN re nd er s pr ov id es th e kind of 

he lpin g ha nd t h at en ab les c hi ld re n to su rv iv e th es e s ad y ea rs.

The re is a vi ta l nee d th a t th is so rt of as si st an ce be co ntin ue d an d ex pa nd ed , 

an d th a t th e pe rson al hopes o f American s fo r th e we ll-being of th e Vietnam ese 

people ha ve ex pr es sion in a m ea ni ng fu l concern fo r th e ch ildr en of Viet N am.

Biograp hical Data on Don Luce, I ndo china Mobile E ducation Proje ct

Don Lu ce is a 36 ye ar-old agri cult ura l ec on om ist wh o has sp en t mos t of th e 

la st tw elve ye ar s of his life in So uth Viet Nam. He mad e world he ad line s la st 

yea r wh en he alo ng w ith tw o American Co ng res sm en dis co ve red th e no to riou s 

“tig er ca ge s” in one of So uth Viet Nam ’s la rg es t prison s. Be cause of th is an d 

su bs eq ue nt pu blicatio n of his fin din gs his visa was w ithdr aw n by th e So uth Vietna mes e go ve rnmen t in May 1971, f or “s pecia l re as on s.”

A ft er re tu rn in g to th e United S ta te s Luce testifi ed be fore th e Sen at e Fo re ig n 

R el at io ns Co mm ittee in W ashing ton. He ha s also w ri tt en widely on Vi et Na m in 

va riou s na tiona l pu blicatio ns an d is th e co -a ut ho r of a book . Vi et Na m : Th e Un ­

hear d Voices.

Lu ce grew up in E ast Calaias , Vermon t an d was tr ain ed as an agri cult ura l 

ec on om ist a t Ve rm on t an d Co rne ll U nive rsiti es . He firs t w en t to Viet Nam in 

195S. Sin ce th a t tim e he ha s been us in g his sk ills to br in g life to th e Vietnam es e 

co un trys ide. Fr om 1961 to 1967 h e was dir ec to r of In te rn ati onal Vol un tary Se rv ­

ice s in So uth Viet Na m un til he resign ed th a t po sitio n a ft e r a re appra is al of th e 

American role in So ut he as t A sia.

He sp ea ks Viet namese flu ently an d ha s closel y iden tif ied hi m se lf w ith th e Vietna mese people. Th is often led to tro ub le. When he pro te sted th a t th e Viet na mese 

w or ke rs on an ag ri cu ltura l pr og ra m ha d been de pr iv ed of six m on th s’ pa y by a 

Vietnam es e prov incia l adm in is trat or, he was told by American an d Viet na mese 

officials it was none of bis af fa ir. When an en ti re is la nd w as de fo liat ed by U.S. 

plan es. Luce aske d fo r $10,000 re st itution. A U.S. offic ial tol d him : “T he wh ole 

da mn c ou nt ry is n ot w or th $10,000.’’

Sin ce h is resign atio n as d ir ec to r of I VS. L uce has t urn ed hi s ta le nts t o jo u rn alism an d re se arch on Vi et Na m. He was en ga ge d as Res ea rc h Se cr et ar y by th e 

W orld Counc il of Ch urch es in 1969 to get her w ith a yo un g Viet na mese econ om ist. 

Th ey ha ve p rodu ce d a re po rt on how po st-w ar de ve lopm en t m ig ht be ap proa ch ed . 

He is cu rr en tly lead in g a mo bil e ex hib it on In do ch in es e art . ph ot og ra ph s an d 

art if a cts th a t i s t our in g a nu m be r of cities in Am eri ca.

Statem ent on S. 2497 of J am es R. Dum ps on , Dean, Graduate School of Social

Service. F ordham Unive rsity , New York, N.Y.

Mr. C ha irm an a nd m em be rs of the C om mitt ee on F or ei gn R el at io ns Com mittees. 

I re gr et th a t my ab senc e from th e co un try mak es it im po ssi ble fo r me to ac ce pt 

th e in vi ta tion to ap pea r pe rs on ally be fore th e Com mittee to te st ify co nc erning 

Se na te Bill 2497. I we lcome th e op po rtun ity, howe ver, to su bm it th is w ritten 

st at em en t. Th e ob se rv at io ns I su bm it to you grow ou t of my lon g pr of es sion al 

ba ck grou nd in th e field of social welfare, part ic ula rl y in child welfare. Pr ec ed in g 

my sev en ye ar s te nure as Com miss ione r of W el fa re fo r th e Ci ty New York. I 

w as th e Dire ct or of th e C ity's B ur ea u of Ch ild W elfa re . More in tim at el y, they 

ref lec t insigh ts I ga ined on tw o as si gn m en ts to So uth Viet na m. In Ju n e 1967, 

I ac ce pted th e C ha irm an sh ip of a Socia l W elfa re Tas k Fo rc e to So uth Viet na m, 

au th orize d by th e Agency fo r In te rn ati onal Dev elo pm en t of ou r go ve rnmen t. 

T hat Tas k Fo rc e su bm itte d it s re port to USA ID in W as hi ng ton and USA ID 

in Viet na m in Au gu st, 1967.
In November. 1970, I returned to South Vietnam at the requ est of the Un ita ria n 

Un iversalist Service Committee to e valuate that agency’s program in Saigon and 

to recommend the specific steps and actions th at would be require d following 

the withdrawal of th at agency's operation of the prog ram. The objectives an d 

programs outlined in S. 2497 are of particular int ere st to me and I welcome the 

opportunity to comment on them. Let me sta te at the outset th at I urge the 

Committee to approve the Bill and subsequently, vigorously to suppor t it on the 

floor of the Senate. I would certainly pre fer to see all ass istance channeled 

through the ministry of social welfare and other appropria te minis trie s of the 

Vietnamese government rather than set up an American agency in Vietnam 

to operate services. I question whether the capa bility exists at this point to 

achieve immediately the objectives of the Bill. The intent mig ht well be expressed that when th at capa bility is assured, the program should be so tran sferred. But children so sorely in need cann ot wait for this development. Commitm ent to the goal and planning to achieve can proceed while the proposed 

agency moves into operation.

The Bill is most significant in its state ment of intent which affirms th a t: “the 

United States has a moral responsibility to ass ist the Government of South 

Vietnam in the care a nd protection of all South Vietnamese child ren, particular ly 

those orphaned or aban doned.” It is urgently important, not only for hum anitaria n reasons but in the intere st of future peace particular ly in Indo-China, 

th at the United States provide the leadership with the Government of South 

Vietnam and the financial resources for the development in th at country of a 

rationally planned, practic ally implemented prog ram of social development, th at 

involve the people of the country. In no other way can the re be a maxim atio n 

of the human return on the human investment and sacrifice th at has been made 

through the war, hopefully in the inte res t of freedom of choice and self-determ ination on the pa rt of the Vietnamese people. The needs of all the children in 

South Vietnam must have the highest prio rity in this effort.

Our casualties in South Vietnam are not only those counted and reporte d in 

the daily press. Those families and their children who have been killed, maimed, 

or left homeless by the war, in which we have been a ma jor participant, ar e the 

unre ported casualties of the war. The disru ption of family life caused by the 

massive dislocation of the population has destroyed the very fabric of Vie tnamese life. It has taken a horrible toll within the child popu lation. The social 

needs of millions of children, those still clinging to wh at little is lef t of their 

own families in the villages and cities : those whose existence, is supported in 

overcrowded institution s, shockingly sub stan dard when measured by the most 

elementary requirem ents of child care; and those who are completely homeless, 

neglected or abandoned to the streets of Saigon, presen t a sta rk and dis turbin g 

pictu re. They represe nt a th re at to the fut ure well-being of the Vietnamese nation ; they represent a potential for defe at of the possibility of the Vietnam ese 

people to achieve the goal stated by President Nixon in May, 1969: “. . . to de termine their own political future without outside interfe rence.” They rep res ent a 

social cost th at neither Vietnam nor the res t of the hum an society can ever 

afford.

The statem ent of intent of S. 2497 as a public policy position, if fully imp lemented. would represe nt an enormous contribution to the reversal of the effects 

and long range consequences of c ontinued neglect of millions of Vietnamese children an d their families.

In 1967, the A.I.D. Social Welfare Task Force of which I was the Cha irman, 

pointed out th at our government, as reflected by the absence of a sus tained commitment. an app ropriate allocatio n of funds, and provision of qualified personnel 

.commensurate with the need and shared responsibility of o ur nation for m eetin g 

it. had abdicated all respo nsibility for developing lead ership and capability on 

the pa rt of the Vietnamese government to address itse lf to social development. 

The Task Force Report emphasized its conviction th at “sound social policies and 

prog rams a re tools in winning the w ar and in Vietnam’s n atio n buildin g efforts.” 

We failed to gain acceptance of thi s position on the pa rt of A.I.D. following our 

tou r of duty in 1967.

During my 1970 visit to Vietnam, I found th at th at position still had not been 

accepted. From information ava ilab le in official reports, inclu ding those from 

A.I.D., the proposals advanced provide no indication th at a change is likely to 

occur on the initiative of the Adm inistration. Indeed, wh at is indicated, and consistently advanced, is a crisis-oriented approach to hum an problems in South 

Vietnam, a narrow perception of human need, and a short-ran ge, inadeq uate alio-
cation of funds that fail to reflect any intent on the part of our government to 

shar e with the Vietnamese our technical and financial capability for the pursu it 

of social as well as economic development. This is particu larly tru e in tlie case 

of children and their families whose homes and tradition al forms of supp ort we 

have so effectively destroyed. I understand that a request for sub stan tial assistance to supp ort social welfare was made by the Ministry of Social Welfare sometime last fall. I understan d furth er that the AIDVN Mission approved ear-m arking some 500 million 

piasters for social welfare. Only now, in March, has agreement been reached 

within the Administration to make available some 300 million of the allocated 

500 million piasters. Beyond this delay, i t must be emphasized that w hatever sums 

have been ear-marked or actu ally approved for use, this is an approval for this 

calendar year only. These facts must be viewed w ithin the context of two apparent policy postures of the administration: 1) th at it has no long range responsibility for social welfare supp ort in South Vietnam; and 2) th at A.I.D. will continue not to be involved in a supporting assistance program in South Vietnam. 

Question must be raised then concerning the creditibility of the Adm inistrations 

position that no existing legislation or additional governmental structur e are 

necessary. The state ment of intent of S. 2497 would reverse this disgraceful posture of 

our government in this are a of human need. I f for no other reason, the Bill warran ts the enthusiastic support of the American people.

The second stateme nt of inte nt of the bill, affirming responsibility for assisting 

“in facilitating the care or adoption of children in Vietnam whose father s are 

United States citizens and who are not living with the ir Vietnamese families,” 

also m ust be supported.

The provisions of the bill designed to implement th is statement of public policy 

on the part of our government are sound and prac tical. The experience of the 

French in dealing with this problem in Indo-Cliina before us; and th e social cost 

of our ineptness as a people, in dealing with many of the children in Germany 

and Korea whose fathers were American citizens, should provide us the understanding and know-how for effective, humane handling of sim ilar children in 

South Vietnam. Who be tter than we Americans know the crippling effects in the 

development of children of the stigma of difference based on color and mixed 

ethnic parentage? Who b ette r tha n we should provide the choice for children to 

escape that stigma and its damaging effects on the individual and the society of 

which he is a member.

In addition to the public policy commitments on the pa rt of our government 

set forth in S. 2497, there a re a numbei- of provisions concerning which I wish to 

submit a few’, brief comments.

I urge par ticu lar support of provisions in Section 2 th at set up a Vietnam 

Children’s Care Agency and that broadly and appropriately defines children who 

are to be beneficiaries of its service as all children sixteen years of age or younger 

whose needs stem from war rela ted circumstances. My preference for direct 

assistance to the Government of Vietnam and my reservations about it have already been stated. This Committee should be clear that such a definition will 

include a great majority of Vietnamese children, and that establishing and maintaining a program for their care and protection in the ir own homes, in insti tutional care, or through adoption cannot and must not be perceived as a sh ort-term, 

emergency type development. It is in this respect that I stress the long-range commitment feature of the bill’s leg islative intent and the requirement for provision 

of funds to implement th at long-term commitment.

The bill is eminently sound in recognizing the differential needs of children by 

authorizing provision for assistance to children in the ir own homes, in institutions, in day care centers, in hostels, and adoption. The recognition of the differential needs of children is furth er reflected by provision for the training of child 

care personnel for the variety of services. This is an essential provision of the 

bill and must not be lost in furth er Congressional consideration. Indeed, the 

effectiveness of the provision of services authorize d under the bill are almost 

completely dependent on the qua ntity and quality of personnel, American and 

Vietnamese, engaged in the program.

I wish to stress support, fur ther, for th at provision in Section 2 th at authorizes 

the Agency “to provide, on such terms and conditions a s it considers appropriate, 

direct assistance to public or priv ate nonprofit organizations . . .” Again, this 

provision is in accord w ith a recommendation made by the aforem entioned A.I.D. 

Task Force on Social Welfare that “a dynamic partnership between government
127

and citizen effort may evolve, and th at joint planning and mutual colla boration 

In the int ere st of human well-being and social reconstruction may be achieved.” 

I would urge th at the Committee’s discussion clearly indicate to the admi nis tration of the proposed agency its intent th at there be built-in the public-nonprofit 

orga niza tion relatio nship acceptable sta ndard s of child welfare services, reflecting the cultural tradition s of the Vietnamese people, and a degree of accountability for perform ance th at not only is acceptable to them a t this period of th eir 

social development, but th at contributes to furth er adva nces in child and family 

welfare service delivery in Vietnam.

In closing I would strongly emphasize again th at soundly conceived, effective 

programs for child ren and their families cann ot be esta blished on an ad hoc 

_ basis. Short range and long rang e planning for the aspe ct of social development

< dea lt with in the Bill, if it is to meet the objectives of the legislation, requires a

long term comm itment buttressed by Agency funding on at lea st a three to five 

yea r basis. No othe r ap proach can be defended in term s of child need in Vietnam. 

No o ther approach can possibly satisfy the responsibility th at the United States 

inescapably has in helping bind the social wounds suffered by the assault th at 

* has been made during the wa r to the social fabric of the Vietnamese society.

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