The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-07-06
BY D. ELAINE SELLERS

story in the Charleston, South
Carolina, News and COurier.)
The fashionable capital OF
South Wet Nam is relatively I'M
touched by jungle warfare to
the north, according to a Citadel
professor.
The wars pressure isn't often
felt in Saigon. said Col. Frank
Durham, professor of English at
the military college. He and his
family returned Sunday from
the Southeast Asian country,
where he taught American lit
erature at Saigon University
and observed the country, its
people, problems and customs.
Of course. the sound Of artil-
lery is heard fairly regularly.
and every now and then a ru-
NOR causes some tenseness. DR..
Durham said, but Saigon re-
mains a beautiful city with
shepsr boulevards and an active
social life.
Americans aren't allowed to
go GU t. i d e the city. Some
French were accidentally shot
outside Saigon because some
members of the Wet Cong guer-
rilla force thought they were
Americans, said. the English pro-
feSSor.
When people leave the city,
the Communist guerrillas ask if
they are American. If they an
sWer in English, the guerrillas
assume they are and shoot
them.
Killing Scene
DR.. Durham said that he and
his family and some friends
went on a cruise up the Saigon
River the day before they left
for home. The next day, in the
same area, a French family was
killed, he said. The Wet Cong
probably thought they were
American. said Dr.. Durham.
In March police guards Of the
South Wet Nam government
were posted outside the Dur
hams apartment after the pal
ace = only a few blocks away
was bombed.
The explosion from the bomb
ing of the palace shook the Dur
hams house. Later police
searched the Durhams apart
ment thoroughly and then left.
DR.. Durham said the South
Wet Nam military is made up
of a military police. an army.
air force. navy, and paramili-
tary groups.
Members of the military po-
lice wear white uniforms and
have duties similar to our city
police One of their duties is pro-
tecting Wet Mans president,
he said.
The paramilitary, groups are
made up of men and women,
who wear blue uniforms and
drill with wooden guns. DR..
Durham said he thought these
worked at some types of civil
service jobs.
Villages Fight
On the village level, defense
groups are set up. The men
work on their farms during the
day and for the military at
night.
There is great evidence of
regular and volunteer defense
groups. said DR.. Durham.
In our sense of the word.
only a small percentage of the
people are conscious commun-
lists, said the professor. cal
though communicated, the rank
and file are fighting because
they are threatened or for what
is promised them"
Of United States aid to South
Wet Nam, DR.. Durham said,
MANY Vietnamese are grateful
and understand it Others wish
we had started sooner. And,
there are some who feel that
we are taking the place of the
French, but l think these are in
the minority"
The hand-shake, the United
States symbol of aid, can be
seen everywhere : on farm and
industrial equipment and sacks
of food. he said.
When asked to what Wet
Mans poor economic conditions
could be attributed, DR.. Durham
said that in its entire history,
the country has had less than
300 years of peace. They have
fought China, Cambodia and the
French.
Peace Scarce
"Viet Nam has never been a
unified entity" he pointed out.
The country is divided into
North and South Wet Nam now,
but at one time, it was divided
into three parts.
Civil wars and bandits are
nothing new to Wet Nam. The
bandits just happen to be com
munists now - threat to the
world said the professor.