I don't know why I have been asked. I know the communist methods and the fate of Vietnamese, betrayed by the USA. Even if the war was 'dirty', the life under Communists has been nasty.
Best regards,
Jerzy Pankiewicz, Poland, 38 years under Soviets
Jerzy,
Now that I know you have lived 38 years in Poland under Soviet domination, I
am even more interested in talking to you. I am trying to compile an anthology of
a difficult time in our country's history. I think the best (maybe the only) way
to heal from this difficult time is to persuade for as many people as I can find to
express the ways we felt about the controversy over Vietnam at the time. In America, we think
it's important to have a free exchange of ideas to help us learn the truth.
I would like to know more about your perceptions from the war.
What did you think America was doing at the time?
I was totally misinformed at that time, only about the US bombings, napalm and defoliants, anti-war protests, not about the Northern Vietnam aggression. N. Vietnamese studied at my university and they were quite nice people. Very polite, poor, so Poles liked them. They were much more human than the N. Koreans . I knew very few about the N. Vietnam involvement. I rather sympathised with Viet Cong. I think so, but I'm not sure, so many years... I have no diary to check my impressions.
Is your perception about what we tried to do any different now?
Certainly, after the boat people, concentration camps, economical stagnation in S. Vietnam. I think that the USA should have stopped the Communist aggression, more by economy than by war.
What were you told about the war under the Soviets? How different was what you read from the truth?
As I wrote above, everything was censored or fabricated. I don't know the truth because there are few books about it here. I read about the Polish history , which was also censored and manipulated. Vietnam isn't important for me.
You said that you think the US betrayed Vietnam by withdrawing from the country. What do you think the US should have done?
Before the war to help economically countries menaced by communists. When they were withdrawing they should have evacuated all allies.
Please note: Jerzy Pankiewicz was never an opponent of the Vietnam War.