Sky Is Falling: An Oral History of the Cia's Evacuation of the Hmong from Laos

by Gayle L. Morrison

Starting in 1960, Hmong guerrilla soldiers, under the command of General Vang Pao, functioned as the hands and feet of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s secret war against communist forces in Laos. Operating out of Long Cheng, the Hmong soldiers allowed the CIA to accomplish two to maintain the perception of United States neutrality in Laos and to tie up North Vietnamese troops in Laos who would otherwise have been sent to fight in South Vietnam. The U.S. government had quietly pledged to General Vang Pao and the Hmong that the Americans would take care of them in the event that Laos fell. In May 1975, this promise was redeemed when the CIA generated an air evacuation that moved more than 2,500 Hmong officers, soldiers and family members out of their mountain-ringed airbase. Fifty or so Hmong and Americans involved in the evacuation provide herein a firsthand account of the 14-day evacuation and the events leading up to it. Their accounts document both the political and human aspects of this unusual historical event.

Genres: History

220 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am far from an expert in Hmong history and culture. I am merely a humble student, interested in learning the complex history and culture of the Hmong. From my outside perspective, Hmong history seems to be a series of forced exoduses from anywhere they tried to call home - from China to Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, and then to the US. Despite this turmoil, the Hmong have a rich history, culture, and language they continue to display and take pride in.

During the so-called Indochinese wars, Hmong people in Laos fought the communist forces of Laos and North Vietnam with the veiled assistance of the CIA. After South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos fell to Communist forces, the CIA stopped assisting the Hmong in their fight. Over a period of a few days, some 2,500 Hmong people were evacuated from Long Cheng, their base of operations in Laos and taken to Thailand. Many more Hmong people would flee Laos on their own in fear for their lives.

This book compiles numerous interviews with both Hmong people and Americans who participated in the CIA’s covert evacuation of Long Cheng. It gives a general overview of the Secret War and then a detailed exploration of the ins and outs of the evacuation. These interviews include people from all walks of life, civilian and military. It is clearly a labor of love and a gesture of respect to a people whose history and culture does not get the attention and honor it deserves.

I heartily suggest this book to anyone with an interest in this time period and anyone who would like to open their horizons and broaden their knowledge base.