Word: nhat
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Often clasping his hands in a gesture of prayer, the Buddhist priest spoke bluntly, but in a soft and hesitant English. "I am a messenger from the suffering peasants in South Vietnam," Nhat Hanh announced, "and I have come here to tell you that the war must stop...
...immediacy of Nhat Hanh's experiences in the war turned political cliches into moving arguments for stopping the war: "I was in a village outside of Saigon after the Viet Cong mortar attack on a U.S. airbase. Six Viet Cong passed through the village and retreated into the jungle. Then the bombing began. Many houses were knocked down and innocent people killed; a piece of rocket fell only a meter from...
...Nhat Hanh recounted how he traveled into the jungle for several days to talk with the villagers who were in contact with the National Liberation Front. He said that when asked if their sympathies lie with the government or with the Viet Cong, the peasants reply: "We follow those who keep us alive." If you tell them about Democracy and the evils of Communism, they reply: "How can we use Democracy if we're not alive...
There are few militants left among the people, Nhat Hanh continued, and many South Vietnamese soldiers desert because it is safer in jail than on the battlefield...
When asked what the ideal U.S. policy would be, the Buddhist emphasized that he was not a politician, but was willing to present his opinions. The vast majority of the South Vietnamese want peace, and the U.S. and the South Vietnamese governments could turn this to their tactical advantage, Nhat Hanh implied. By stating plans for reconstruction and a ceasing of the air offensive, the U.S. would gain the sympathy of the South Vietnamese people...