http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5367906.stm
Last Updated: Thursday, 21 September 2006, 19:07 GMT 20:07 UK
Wartime Vietnam double-agent dies
Bill Hayton
BBC News, Hanoi
Mr An died of emphysema at a military hospital in Ho Chi Minh City
A Vietnamese spy who worked for the CIA and Western news organisations
during the Vietnam War while remaining a communist agent, has died aged 79.
Pham Xuan An was the first Vietnamese full-time staff correspondent for a
major US publication, working primarily for Time magazine.
Yet at the same time he was feeding information to communist guerrillas.
Mr An's double life remained a secret for almost 30 years, from 1959
until his confession in the 1980s.
During the 1960s and '70s he was one of the most influential journalists
working in Vietnam.
His network of contacts gave him access to almost every part of the
government and military of the former American-backed regime.
He said he never reported any false information in all the years he
worked as a journalist. However, after the victory of the Vietnamese communist
forces in 1975 he was regarded with suspicion by his bosses.
Double life
Born in 1927, he joined the communists as a teenager and fought against
the French colonial administration.
After the defeat of the French, his bosses directed him to spy on the
Americans. He gained their trust and was hired by the CIA and also advised the
South Vietnamese intelligence services.
At the same time he worked for British news agency Reuters and Time
magazine. It was a huge surprise to his former colleagues when, in the 1980s,
he announced his true allegiance.
Although he had studied in the United States and had a great respect for
the country, he said working for the communists had been the only way to ensure
Vietnam's independence.
After the war ended, Mr An was regarded with suspicion by the communist
authorities and was sent to a re-education camp. He was denied permission to
visit the US.
Last year he told former journalist colleagues he regarded Vietnam's
current leaders as more corrupt than the regime which he had helped to bring
down.
A chain-smoker, Mr An died of emphysema in hospital in the former
Vietnamese capital of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:
1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi
4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
