The Beverly Deepe Keever Collection
Photos by Beverly Deepe Keever, 1968
Embassy Bombing
About three in the morning on January 31, as fireworks exploded throughout the city, a nineteen-man Viet Cong suicide squad in civilian clothes blasted through the wall surrounding the U.S. Embassy, situated near the office-residences of many journalists (except mine).
Embassy Bombing (363-0766)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street, some climbing over cars. Photo taken through the back window of a jeep. A man leans into the driver’s side window and another stands in the passenger’s seat.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0767)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. Two men in an ambulance attempt to drive around them.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0768)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. Men in uniform lift a man on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0769)
“Embassy Bombing” “A group of firemen in the street. Two firemen carry a wounded man on a stretcher.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0770)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. A military truck is parked in the middle of the street. Three men carry a body on a stretcher, looking to the right. A fourth man stands with one arm protectively over the body.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0771)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. A military truck is parked in the middle of the street. Two men carry a man with one half of his face bandaged on a stretcher.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0773)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in a debri-ridden street. Most are taking pictures of the wreckage. Some attempt to help or to avoid stepping on others on the ground. Two men carry a body on a stretcher away from the scene. A fireman stands with his arms out in front of the photographer.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0774)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two cars have collided in the steaming rubble. A crowd of people stands nearby to take pictures. Two bodies lay in the rubble beside the crowd.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0775)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two cars have collided in the steaming rubble. A crowd of people stand nearby. Men in uniform push the crowd away from two bides lying in the rubble.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0776)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. A group of people pass in front of a car.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0777)
“Embassy Bombing” “Three firemen carry a bag of limbs from the wreckage. Behind them, another fireman runs a hose from the back of the firetruck. People cluster in the right corner.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0778)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of civilians, U. S. Army and U. S. Navy officers. One civilian holds a rifle. Two men carry a severely burned body away on a stretcher.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0779)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two men take a statement from a man with a bandaged head. A second man holds the bandaged man up with one hand and holds a hankerchief to his mouth with the other. Behind them stands a ruined building and more people.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0780)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two men carry a body on a stretcher toward an ambulance. Other people and cars crowd the street.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0781)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two men lay a strecher beside a body, preparing to take it away. Firemen and officers keep the crowd off the debri-ridden street.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0782)
“Embassy Bombing” “A fireman carries a severely burned body from the building. A second fireman and a man in civilian clothes look on.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0783)
“Embassy Bombing” “Two cars have collided in the steaming rubble. Two men enter a ruined building. A man crouches in the debri-ridden street to take a photograph.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0784)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street, mainly officers scrambling to help. Two officers carry a body on a stretcher through the street. Beside them, a medic prepares to whistle for help. A military truck is parked behind them.”
Embassy Bombing (363-0785)
“Embassy Bombing” “A crowd of people in the street. Two officers carry a body on a stretcher past two cars. A military truck is parked in the middle of the crowd.”
American Help
U.S. officials needed a new label to define their efforts to win the hearts and minds of the peole. The Americans adopted the term pacification, despite warnings that the French had used it to describe their domineering colonial and military approach to the villagers.
Child Haircut (363-03336)
A child is having their hair trimmed by a soldier as he holds a cigarette in the other hand
Aid (363-03337)
Hibbs is seen helping a child with their nose by holding a cloth over it, other children are watching around them
Aid (363-03342)
Two soldiers are beginning to examine a elderly village man as others watch from the background
Aid (363-03343)
A soldier is seen comforting a child as in the background another soldiers appears to be examining a woman’s leg/foot
Aid (363-03345)
Hibbs helps a Vietnamese man adjust his shirt as a man holding a hat is seen in the foreground
Lighting a Smoke (363-03357)
Hibbs is helping a villager light his smoke, as the soldier smokes himself
Children on a Jeep (363-03362)
A group of children are sitting /standing on a Jeep, someone driving the Jeep is holding a child out of the side
Driving a Jeep (363-03364)
Hibbs is driving a Jeep as children hang on the front and side of the vehicle, one of the children is holding onto a map
Examining Fabric (363-03365)
Hibbs stands next to a parked Jeep surrounded by Vietnamese children while examining some type of fabric
Medical Bag (363-03366)
Hibbs is loading up a medical bag into a parked Jeep as he is surrounded by Vietnamese children
Vietnamese Children (363-03370)
Young Vietnamese children are seen standing in a field holding various objects
Exchange (363-03377)
Hibbs is exchanging some sort of supply to a villager, as another soldier examines another villager in the background
Soldier with Children (363-03381)
Two soldiers are standing in a line with many Vietnamese village children as the photo is taken
Soldiers Examining Villagers (363-03382)
Two soldiers are examining villagers near their parked Jeep, many villagers are gathered around to watch
Loading Supplies (363-03383)
Two soldiers are loading supplies into their Jeep, one is holding a box and the other a medical bag
Speaking with Villagers (363-03385)
Two soldiers are speaking with Villagers, Hibbs is looking at his hand
Aid (363-03386)
A soldier is digging through a box of bandaids to aide an injured woman, a second soldier is in the background
Showing Children (363-03388)
A soldier is digging through his medical bag as a young child closely watches
Thieu
“The Armed Forces as a well-organized and best-disciplined strength will continue to assume the present leadership role until a stable democracy is built.”
Thieu’s Wife (363-02937)
Thieu’s wife walks aboard the 7th Fleet, soldiers are seen saluting around her.
Thieu’s Wife (363-02938)
Thieu’s wife walks aboard the 7th Fleet, soldiers are seen saluting around her.
Thieu Aboard 7th Fleet (363-02939)
Thieu arrives aboard the 7th Fleet, soldiers are seen surrounding him
Thieu Aboard 7th Fleet (363-02940)
Thieu arrives aboard the 7th Fleet, soldiers are seen surrounding him
Thieu Aboard 7th Fleet (363-02941)
Thieu arrives aboard the 7th Fleet, his wife appears to be at his side.
Air and Sea
After my Bien Hoa trip I assessed that allied bombing, rocketing, and shelling of province towns and cities created a highly explosive political backlash so significant that it risked offsetting the short-term military advantages gained by killing numerous Communist forces.
USS Ranger (363-02793)
Photo of the USS Ranger out on sea. Photo is taken of the whole ship from the side.
Corsair II (363-02794)
An A-7A Corsair II, the Navy’s newest attack aricraft, comes in for a landing on the flight deck of the USS Ranger, with other A-7s being shown in the foreground.
Corsair II (363-02795)
The Navy’s new A-7A Corsair II being readied for launch from the deck of the USS Ranger.
Thieu Aboard Constellation (363-02798)
James A. Purl shakes hands with Republic of Vietnam President Nguyen Von Theiu aboard the San Diego-based attack aircraft carrier USS Constellation.
Aerial Photos
For the six years from the Americanization of the war in 1965 through 1970, the U.S., South Vietnamese, and allied forces woud expend 12.22 million tons of explosives. During one month alone in Vietnam, when the U.S. expenditure of munitions peaked in 1970, the 128,000 tons of air and ground explosives equated to the explosive force of 8.5 Hiroshima-size A-bombs, without the resulting long-lived radioactivity.
Shack (363-03409)
Several soldiers gather around a shack labeled “Dax’s” as a soldier sits out in front of the sandbag wall in front of the shack
Debris (363-03413)
Some debris is seen on the ground and in the corner of the photo some debris is seen hanging