Sunday, April 28, 1957
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Pna F~vn
undy, Aprl8,197HEMeCHvADL
Saigon Conflict Teeth
(Continued from Pae 5)
(continued from Page 7) YTh a cup of tea. A glass straw made
B TBE MIDDLE OF 1956, the things easier. About eleven, I de-
directorate consisting of four re- Vietnamese government was on cided to stake my life on the
presentatives from the sect "Unit- firmer ground than it had ever penicillin tablets also prescribed,
ed Front" and Diem. This would been. The Binh Xuyen and Hoa and one-sidedly consumed a hot
have placed control of the gov- Baa had been wiped out, Bay Vien fudge sundae and potato chips.
ernment squarely in the hands of and Soai having been chased into My jaw stopped moving about
the sects. neighboring Cambodia where they halfway through them, completely
Di e m refused to acquiesce, took political asylu on condition exhausted. The next few days
whereupon the sects presented an of god behavior. Ba Cut was cap- were easier, but my jaws were
ultimatum giving him five days to tured, tried for treason, and exe- locked almost entirely shut. It be-
comply with their demands, warn- cuted. came embarrassing: I kept push-
ing that they would pass to a Of the Cao Dai, Tac retired to ing food off the fork with my
"phase of action" at the end of Tay Ninh and General Phoung teeth.
that time. Diem repeated his of- was taken into the National Army. I went back the next Monday to
fers of government positions and Cao Dai troops were either lute- have the stitches removed. A dif-
troop integration but to no avail, grated into the army or demobiliz- ferent dentist pried open my
and on March 29, the fighting ed and given land to farm. mouth, then checked the record.
broke out. Trinh Minh The was killed in "I see by the record that three
combat in leading his troops stitches were put in, but there're
TfHE BINH Xuyen actually fired alongside the Nationalist Army in only two here. I guess they made
on the Premier's residence and the May battle. He was buried with a mistake." He pulled out the two.
were joined by Soai's Hoa Hao full military and state honors.
troops in fire fights in the south- Within a year, Bao Dai, voted THREE DAYS LATER, I felt
western section of Saigon. The into exile by the Vietnamese peo- something with my tongue,
PCao Dai, however, withdrew from ple, remained in parasitic luxury then looked in the mirror. A black
the sect coalition just before the on the French Riviera. Premier thread was hanging out of the
clash started, and remained in- Diem was elected first President side of a now-smooth gum, with
-decisively neutral for several days of the Republic of Vietnam under a neatly tied bow on the end.
to see what would happen. They a govrnmental revision. The last I waited about three weeks and
then integrated into Vietnamese vesitiges of French political influ- finally had it removed over spring
National Army after the latter ence disappeared when the Viet- vacation by my next-door neigh-
had made a surprisingly good namese negotiated for and re- bor, a Rockefeller Center dentist.
showing against the Binh Xuyen ceived the withdrawal of the I had the other two teeth out
and Hoa Hao. French Expeditionary Forces. a couple weeks ago. The total
The French interceeded on be- opeiation took 35 iiutes
half of the Binh Xuyen after it VIETNAM is still a partitioned The cost for tour extra lions,
became apparent that they were nation. Ho Chi Minh's Viet including drus, was $9.50.
no match for the National Army Minh rules north of the 17th par- It should be recognized, I sup-
and called a truce. It lasted a allel, backed by their neighbors pose, that the Department of Den-
month. further to the north, Communist tal Surery did a perfectly compe-
In the meantime, Diem rallied China. In the south, the Republic tent job as far as I am concernsed.
Cao Dai and other support behind of Vietnam, her internal diasen- Even the perfect job is accom-
him so that when the Binh Xuyen sion fading into the past, has the ponied and followed by some dis-
and Hoa Hao struck again in encouragement and support of the comfort. They can pull the rest
early May, the Premier was able United States in her fight for sur- of my wisdom teeth any time.
to retaliate swiftly and effectively. vival as a national entity. One other aftereffect: During
Despite covert French support, A once many-sided and fluid the height of the swelling, the side
the Binh Xuyen and Hoa Hao situation has crystallized into a of my .aw turned slightly bluish.
were soundly defeated by the Viet- two-part affair with the issues In true Michigan tradition, it be-
namese National Army. Retreating clearly outlined, the lines distinct- u to turn yellow, and then, in-
into Ba Cut's marsh to regroup, ly drawn. A unified Republic of ex,slicably, a yellow streak pro-
they were relentlessly pursued and Vietnam faces the north with hope Iessed from the jaw downward to
finally captured, annihilated or that the day of complete unity a point just above the collar )tone.
run out of the country by mid- under a free government is in the I wasn't fared: I took to cara-
summer. not-too-distant future. ing a blue sweater.
The most walked-abo t s uoes in town!
donderful colors
Many, many styles
I
CA PUS BOOT ERY
304 South State
||
DON'T BE CAUGHT
LIKE THIS!!!
Have all your
COTTON CLOTHES
clean and neat
when you need them!
LAUNDROMAT
510 Williams NO 3-5540
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5 . 5
BE COOL
Dress in a C-0-0-L
Saffell & Bush summer suit
CORDS . .. $28.50 and up
WOOL & DACRON ... $45 and up
SAFFELL & BUSH
On State Street
FOR OVER A QUARTER CENTURY
"