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Let's talk about Cam Ne and how it relates to coverage of war crimes allegations against American troops in Vietnam. It set the tone of such coverage until Seymour Hersh broke the My Lai story. 1/
In July 1965, the Marine security forces at Da Nang extended their security perimeter past the Cau Do River after attacks on the base destroyed aircraft on the ground. 2/
Marine from the 1/9 took fire from insurgents near the village of Cam Ne over the course of the month. On 3 August D Company, 1/9 went to Cam Ne with orders to destroy insurgent fortifications and were again shot at. 3/
Cam Ne appeared to be fortified and entrenched with a variety of booby-traps. They reacted by burning over 50 huts, and a variety of trenches and other fortifications. They withdrew at dusk, were fired on and reacted with artillery strikes. 4/
This, of course, is the account of the Marines of the 1/9. Morley Safer of CBS News accompanied the Marines with a Vietnamese cameraman named Ha Tue Can. They had a different version of the incident. 5/
Safer reported that the Marines were ordered to burn any village they received any fire from. The video accompanying his report showed a Marine using a Zippo lighter to burn a hit. No opposition was apparent on screen. 6/
It did show villagers pleading with Marines to save their homes and their possessions. Everything, including food stores (rice) was torched and four old men detained. 7/
After his report hit the air, a Marine officer declared that “if that sonofabitch comes up here again he better not turn his back,” while another threatened him
with a pistol while drunkenly shouting about the “Communist Broadcast System.”8/
with a pistol while drunkenly shouting about the “Communist Broadcast System.”8/
Attacks on Safer’s professionalism began immediately after CBS broadcast his report from Cam Ne. 9/
Lyndon Johnson personally called CBS President Frank Stanton to complain about the report, accusing the Canadian Safer of being a Communist and bribing a Marine lieutenant to have his men burn Cam Ne on camera. 10/
This was just the beginning of the Johnson
administration’s smear campaign against Safer. Johnson insisted that the CIA, FBI, and the RCMP investigate Safer for ties to Communism, and was confounded to learn that he was “only a Canadian.” 11/
administration’s smear campaign against Safer. Johnson insisted that the CIA, FBI, and the RCMP investigate Safer for ties to Communism, and was confounded to learn that he was “only a Canadian.” 11/
Three prongs of the effort to delegitimize Safer: either he was a Communist sympathizer; or he had staged the event; or his Canadian nationality kept him from believing in the American mission in Vietnam. 12/
Asst. Secy. of Defense Arthur Sylvester falsely claimed that in Canada Safer was a well-known opponent of the military, and Marine General Lewis Walt banned him from the I Corps area of operations to punish him for his reporting 13/
Safer’s treatment was a harbinger of things to come.
In 1966 Harrison Salisbury reported that American bombers had attacked civilian areas of Hanoi, DoD spokesmen claimed he was a dupe of Communist propaganda. 14/
In 1966 Harrison Salisbury reported that American bombers had attacked civilian areas of Hanoi, DoD spokesmen claimed he was a dupe of Communist propaganda. 14/
So effective was the critique that the Pulitzer Prize advisory board overturned Salisbury’s award in favor of a less controversial figure. 15/
Profit motives also prevented widespread reporting of atrocities because media outlets couldn't afford to alienate subscribers or advertisers. Battlefield heroics and good GI PR were popular, but anything focusing on civilians hurt ratings. 16/
When the New Yorker's editorial policy shifted to show the war more negatively in 1967, it led to a shift to younger readers, which hurt its ad rates. 17/
As the example of Safer and Cam Ne showed, critical reporting could also lead to threats and denial of access. Reporters in Vietnam relied on the military for access to the field, and alienating them made it impossible to do their jobs. fin/
