Honorable Exit

By Thurston Clarke

Subjects: Diplomatic history, Foreign relations, Evacuation of civilians, Vietnam War, 1961-1975, Campaigns

Description: In a riveting account of one of our nation's finest hours, an acclaimed historian reveals how Americans, in a thrilling race against time, helped more than one hundred thousand South Vietnamese escape communist revenge in the last days of the Vietnam War. In 1973 US participation in the Vietnam War ended in a cease-fire and a withdrawal that included promises by President Nixon to assist the South in the event of invasion by the North. But in 1975, when North Vietnamese forces began a full-scale assault, Congress refused to send arms or aid. By early April of that year, the South was on the brink of a defeat that threatened execution or years in concentration camps for the untold number of South Vietnamese who had supported the government in Saigon or had worked with Americans. In Honorable Exit, Thurston Clarke narrates the little-known story of Americans who refused to abandon their friends and allies to that grim fate. In the weeks before the last US personnel were evacuated, scores of ordinary heroes -- diplomats, businessmen, soldiers, missionaries, contractors, and spies -- risked their lives, some returning to Vietnam from the United States, to assist their current and former translators, drivers, colleagues, neighbors, friends, and even perfect strangers in escaping. Clarke draws on unpublished memoirs and written accounts, oral histories and new interviews to narrate these dramatic final days with meticulous fidelity and striking detail. By the time Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, Americans had helped to spirit 130,000 South Vietnamese to US bases in Guam and the Philippines. From there, the evacuees were resettled in the United States 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 reinforcing the delusions of the US ambassador in Saigon, who, at the last minute, refused to depart. Rich in indelible characterizations of Americans both legendary and forgotten and building to a devastating climax on the roof of the American embassy, Honorable Exit tells a deeply moving and unexpected tale of American honor redeemed. - Jacket flap. 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. - Publisher.