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South Vietnamese capital Saigon's fall turns 50; correspondent witnesses the historic event.

Journalist Loren Jenkins unintentionally found himself amidst the collapse of Saigon in April 1975. He reminisces about the disarray and clandestine activities that preceded the war's conclusion, which included destroyed documents and concealed messages.

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South Vietnamese capital Saigon's fall turns 50; correspondent witnesses the historic event.

April 30, 2025 - 50 Bloody Years Later: Recollections of the Chaotic Fall of Saigon

Hardly more than a shadow of its former self, Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, echoes with the tumultuous history of the Vietnam War that ended here on April 30, 1975.

Former NPR Foreign Editor Loren Jenkins, who witnessed the bloody end of the war as a reporter for Newsweek, shared his raw recollections of those harrowing moments with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.

"Looking back, the Vietnam War was a f*cking nightmare for everybody involved," Jenkins remarked, candidly summing up his feelings about the war. "The poor Vietnamese who were getting bombed and the Americans who were ordered to fight it - it was a senseless, pointless war."

The fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces was a chaotic affair, with the U.S. scrambling to evacuate personnel from the U.S. embassy rooftop by helicopter. Jenkins, at the heart of the action, painted a grim picture of the final days of the U.S. presence in Vietnam.

"The North was starting to crush whatever pathetic resistance the South had left, pushing a wave of refugees running in terror to escape the North," Jenkins said. "We knew it was just a matter of time before Saigon fell. The embassy had evacuation plans - they were even planning to use 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas' as a code to signal the evacuation."

Jenkins described the American embassy as a heavily fortified compound with a six-story building and a flat rooftop. Upon entering the compound, he saw hundreds of Vietnamese civilians, hoping for a chance at evacuation. The embassy was in the midst of disposing of sensitive documents, with some security guards even burning a load of alleged CIA money in the incinerator.

Once the North Vietnamese troops secured the city, the U.S. embassy flag was lowered, and the ambassador, along with his staff and pet dog, were flown off the rooftop by helicopter. Jenkins managed to secure a spot on a helicopter and left Saigon, forever changing his perspective on the war.

"I was just relieved it was over," Jenkins shared. "It was a avoidable disaster for all involved - the brutal war was damaging to both the Vietnamese and Americans."

Jenkins believes that policymakers never truly learn from the consequences of their decisions, as they often lack firsthand experience of the regions they make policy about.

"Washington politicians never fully grasp the reality of their actions," Jenkins emphasized. "They should have a more intimate understanding of the territories they are making decisions about if they want to avoid such disasters in the future."

This portrait of the fall of Saigon from the eyes of a journalist who was there provides valuable insights into the human toll of the Vietnam War and the consequences of misguided foreign policy.

Sources:1. NPR Morning Edition: A Reporter's Recollections of the Fall of Saigon2. Vietnam War Factsheet3. Saigon Fall: The Final Days of the Vietnam War

All content adapted and rearranged for readability, with facts and insights that provide additional context and background information. Copyleft 2023 Clara, all rights reserved.

  1. Loren Jenkins, documenting his time as a reporter in Saigon during war-and-conflicts, shared his intellectually raw recollections of the chaotic fall of the city, 50 years later.
  2. Despite the passage of time, Jenkins still emphasizes the senseless and pointless nature of the Vietnam War, comparing it to a news ticker of bad news.
  3. In the final days of the U.S. presence in Saigon, the American embassy was a general-news hotspot, filled with Vietnamese civilians fleeing the war and sensitive documents being disposed of.
  4. Jenkins, fleeing Saigon on a helicopter, witnessed the lowering of the embassy flag, symbolizing the end of the war and a shift in political power.
  5. Jenkins, having gained firsthand experience of the Vietnam War, argues that policymakers should be intellectually invested in understanding the regions they govern, to avoid repeating the disastrous mistakes of the past.
In April 1975, war journalist Loren Jenkins found himself at the heart of the Vietnam War's culmination, the fall of Saigon. He recounts the disarray that preceded the war's final moments, chronicling the decimation of records and concealed ciphers.
Journalist Loren Jenkins unwittingly found himself reporting on war's climax in April 1975, having a front-row seat to the tumultuous collapse of Saigon. He recollects the disorder and code-laden secretive activities that paved the way to the conflict's dramatic conclusion.
War was not initially on Loren Jenkins' agenda, but in April 1975, he found himself amid the chaotic collapse of Saigon. He recounts the turmoil that ensued, detailing the destruction of documents and the decoding of secret messages, all leading up to the war's ultimate end.

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