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Author:

Clarke, Thurston, author.

Title:

Honorable exit : how a few brave Americans risked all to save our Vietnamese allies at the end of the war / Thurston Clarke.

Edition:

First edition.

Publisher:

Doubleday,

Copyright Date:

2019

Description:

xii, 430 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrationsm maps ; 25 cm

Subject:

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Vietnam (Republic)--Evacuation of civilians.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Campaigns.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Diplomatic history.
Vietnam (Republic)--Foreign relations--United States.
United States--Foreign relations--Vietnam (Republic)

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-406) and index. Maps on endpapers.

Contents:

420. Prologue: The man in the white shirt -- Omens -- Walter Martindale's convoy -- Who lost Vietnam? -- Designated fall guy -- "I'd tell the president that!" -- "In the shadow of a corkscrew" -- Palpable fear -- Operation Babylift -- "People are going to feel badly" -- "No guarantees!" -- Playing God -- "Godspeed" -- "Make it happen" -- "I won't go for that" -- Kissinger's cable -- Richard Armitage's courageous silence -- Eighteen optimistic minutes -- Frequent wind -- Ken Moorefield's odyssey -- Into the South China Sea -- The 420.

Summary:

"In 1973, the Vietnam War ended in a cease-fire and a U.S. withdrawal that included promises by President Nixon to assist the South in the event of invasion by the North. But in early 1975, when North Vietnamese forces began to attack, Congress refused to send arms or aid. By April 5, the South was on the brink of defeat, spelling execution or years in a concentration camp for the untold number of South Vietnamese who had supported the government in Saigon or worked with Americans. Clarke launches into a narrative that is both a thrilling race against time and an important corrective to the historical record. For what is less known is that during those final days, scores of Americans--diplomats, soldiers, missionaries, contractors and spies--risked their lives to help their former translators, drivers, colleagues, neighbors and friends escape. By the time the last U.S. helicopter left Vietnam on April 30, 1975, these Righteous Americans had spirited 130,000 South Vietnamese to U.S. bases in Guam and the Philippines. The evacuees were resettled in the U.S. and became American citizens, the leading edge of one of America's most successful immigrant groups. Into this tale of heroism on the ground, Clarke weaves the political machinations of Henry Kissinger advising President Ford in the White House while nursing the delusions of the U.S. Ambassador in Saigon, who refused to depart. Groundbreaking, pageturning, and authoritative, Honorable Exit is a deeply moving history of Americans at a little known finest hour."--Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

0385539649
9780385539647

OCLC:

(OCoLC)1048446443

LCCN:

2018029232

Locations:

USUX851 -- Iowa State University - Parks Library (Ames)

FYPI314 -- Dubuque County Library - Asbury Branch (Asbury)

TNPD062 -- Belle Plaine Community Library (Belle Plaine)

KSPG296 -- Burlington Public Library (Burlington)

TYPH572 -- Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids)

DBPE173 -- Clear Lake Public Library (Clear Lake)

OJPC027 -- Corning Public Library (Corning)

XXPH787 -- Council Bluffs Public Library (Council Bluffs)

BAPH771 -- Des Moines Public Library (Des Moines)

FXPH314 -- Carnegie-Stout Public Library (Dubuque)

ALPE516 -- Fairfield Public Library (Fairfield)

GKPC851 -- Huxley Public Library (Huxley)

OVUX522 -- University of Iowa Libraries (Iowa City)

S1PD771 -- Johnston Public Library (Johnston)

YEPF572 -- Marion Public Library (Marion)

GOPG641 -- Marshalltown Public Library (Marshalltown)

GUPF501 -- Newton Public Library (Newton)

LAPH975 -- Sioux City Public Library (Sioux City)

GEPG771 -- West Des Moines Public Library (West Des Moines)