Nixon Years
Vietnam POWs
Past Exhibit at the Nixon Library

Nixon Years

The War Continues Five More Years
PRE-WARJOHNSON YEARSNIXON YEARSPOST-WAR
VIETNAM EXHIBIT:PRE-WARJOHNSON YEARSNIXON YEARSPOST-WAR



VIETNAM EXHIBIT

Updated: October 2025
Posted: September 2025

1968

VIETNAM WAR
NIXON YEARS

Campaign 1968 Vietnam


1968
Americans were poised to choose a new commander-in-chief. President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek re-election. The next president would inherit the war in Vietnam.

Many consider 1968 to have been the most turbulent year of the 1960s.

  • The assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy left the nation reeling.
  • College campuses across the nation were rocked by anti-war protests.
  • In late August, protesters disrupted the Democratic National Convention meeting in Chicago. The protests turned violent as local police confronted demonstrators in the streets surrounding the convention hall.

More than 500,000 Americans were fighting in Vietnam.

  • 1968 would prove to be the deadliest year of the war, with 16,899 American lives lost.
  • Negotiations in Paris between the United States and North Vietnam, which began in May, were making no progress toward ending the conflict.
  • Hundreds of Americans were held under horrific conditions by North Vietnam as prisoners of war (POW). Many hundreds more were listed as missing in action (MIA).

On October 31, President Johnson announced an end to American bombing of North Vietnam. The South Vietnamese government did not respond to the bombing halt and did not agree to the announcement.

Five days later, Richard Nixon was elected president. Ending the war and securing the release of American POWs would soon become his responsibility.

POWSDuring the campaign, neither candidate directly discussed the issue of prisoners of war.
Shortly after taking office in January 1969, President Nixon made the return of all American POWs a non-negotiable requirement for ending the war. He also insisted on a full accounting of the missing in action.

VIETNAM WAR
NIXON YEARS

Requirements for Peace


The two major political party nominees campaigned on ending the war in Vietnam.

Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, sought an honorable end to the war. He opposed an immediate pull-out of all American troops. Nixon sought a negotiated agreement to end the war that would:

  • Train South Vietnamese forces so American troops could be withdrawn.
  • Secure the self-determination of the South Vietnamese people.
  • Maintain the sovereignty of South Vietnam.

Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, the Democratic candidate, also sought to end the war honorably. He pledged to:

  • Make a complete reassessment of the situation in Vietnam.
  • De-escalate the fighting and take "reasonable risks" to end the war.
  • Seek to withdraw American troops by the end of 1969.

Nixon 1968 Campaign
1968

Richard M. Nixon


Amherst, Massachusetts
Republican candidate Richard Nixon addresses a huge rally in Amherst, Massachusetts during his 1968 campaign for president.

Hubert H. Humphrey 1968 Democratic Nominee
1968

Hubert H. Humphrey


Salt Lake City, Utah
1968 Democratic nominee and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey stands with a large crowd of supporters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1969

VIETNAM WAR
NIXON YEARS

Richard Nixon Elected President


January 20, 1969

KIA in Laos Virgil Kersh Meroney III
MAR 1969

Virgil Kersh Meroney III


KIA near the Ban Karai Pass, Khammouane Province, Laos
Went missing in action on March 1, 1969. Bombardier / Navigator of an F4D Phantom assigned to the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. Hit by hostile fire and crashed.

Items recovered from the crash site in 2012 by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency while investigating Case 1396 on Air Force Captain Virgil Kersh Meroney III

  • Life Support Zipper
  • Rubber Tube from An Oxygen Hose
KIA in Laos Virgil Kersh Meroney III

Propaganda Poster Defend the Homeland

Propaganda Poster


Ready to Defend the Homeland

Excessive Torture James Stockdale
JUN 1969

James Stockdale


Naval aviator Stockdale's solemn expression during his time in the Hanoi Hilton: 1965-1973.
In 1969, Commander Stockdale beat his face with a wooden stool and slashed his scalp to prevent his captors from using him for propaganda purposes in front of foreign journalists. In addition, he cut his own wrists to show his captors that he would rather die than give any information. These acts would help lead to the end of North Vietnamese using excessive torture on POWs.

VIETNAM WAR
GENVEA CONVENTIONS

Alive or Dead?


Summer of 1969
The North Vietnamese refused to provide the International Red Cross with a list of the Americans held as prisoners of war. Some information would dribble out. The vast majority of family members were left in agonizing uncertainty. That would change for many of them in the summer of 1969.

I don't understand how the North Vietnamese can be so lacking in humanity that they won't even give us the names of the prisoners they have.
- Secretary of State William P. Rogers, 1969

The North Vietnamese refused to provide the International Red Cross with a list of the Americans held as prisoners of war. Some information would dribble out. The vast majority of family members were left in agonizing uncertainty. That would change for many of them in the summer of 1969.

The North Vietnamese released three prisoners of war on August 5, 1969. Among them was a sailor, Douglas Hegdahl. The POWs held there had made a "No Go Home Early" agreement and he did not want to go. But Hegdahl's commanding officer ordered him to do so that he could provide the U.S government with valuable information.

Using the childhood song Old McDonald Had a Farm as a memory device, Hegdahl could remember the names, dates of capture and arrival, and other personal information of more than 250 fellow POWs.

The information Hegdahl provided helped ease the minds of the families of those he accounted for. But due to North Vietnam's refusal to provide a complete account, hundreds more families remained in a sort of purgatory.

Propaganda Poster An Eye For An Eye

Propaganda Poster


An Eye For An Eye
Nixon must pay for our blood with his blood

VIETNAM WAR
DRNV

Ho Chi Minh Dies

President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Early 1969
Ho Chi Minh has a heart attack and is in bad health for the rest of the year

  • Died on September 2, 1969. 79 Years Old, Heart Failure

Ho Chi Minh Bust
SEP 1969

Ho Chi Minh Bust


Viet Cong
Small metallic bust of Democratic Republic of Vietnam President Ho Chi Minh. From 1945 to 1969, Ho was the face of the Vietnamese nationalist movement and is widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most prominent communist leaders.

Propaganda Murphy Neal Jones
SEP 1969

Murphy Neal Jones


Propaganda
U.S. Air Force Captain Murphy Jones is paraded around in a truck like a war trophy for the North Vietnamese media and public, September 26, 1969.

Propaganda David B Rehman
SEP 1969

David B Rehman


Propaganda
U.S. Navy Lieutenant David B Rehman, his arm in a makeshift cast, on a forced march on September 26, 1969.

Calendar Randy Zimmerman
SEP 1969

Randy Zimmerman


My Vietnam Holiday
Randy Zimmerman kept this short-timer calendar, titled "The Long Road Home," while he served in Vietnam. Locations such as LZ Sue, Horseshoe, and Bien Chon are included alongside certain dates. Additional entries for "My Birthday" and "Man Has Landed on the Moon" are in the margins. Along the bottom of the calendar are the words "My Vietnam Holiday."

National League of POW/MIA Families Paris Peace Talks
OCT 1969

Paris Peace Talks


National League of POW/MIA Families
Some of the members of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia traveled to Paris to advocate for American POWs.

Richard Nixon POW Wives
DEC 1969

POW Wives


White House
President Richard Nixon meets with wives of American POWs in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Such meetings helped raise the POW issue to national attention.
  • Carole Hansen
  • Louise Mulligan
  • Sybil Stockdale
  • Andrea Rander
  • Mary Mearns

Gerald L. Coffee Christmas Mass in Progress
DEC 1969

Christmas Mass in Progress


Camp of Detention for U.S. Pilots Captured in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Gerald L. Coffee's drawing of a POW's Catholic Mass for Christmas, made while in North Vietnamese captivity.

USA
HOME FRONT

Ross Perot's Christmas Delivery


United We Stand
Texas businessman H. Ross Perot was known nationwide as a strong supporter of the prisoners of war held in Vietnam and their families. The billionaire founder of Electronic Data Systems, Perot established a group he called United We Stand. Through this organization, he worked to raise awareness about the plight of the POWs.

United We Stand hit the ground running. In the fall of 1969, a wire service story reported on the group's efforts,

In one three-week period, Perot spent $1 million on 300 newspaper advertisements, 30 million postcards and a half-hour television program under the United We Stand banner." The ads called on the American people to unite behind President Nixon, " ...to insure the earliest possible return of the prisoners.

A month later, Perot announced a bold and audacious plan. United We Stand would charter an airplane to fly Christmas gifts, holiday dinners, medical supplies, and other items to Hanoi for delivery to the POWs. Although North Vietnam had not yet responded to his request that the plane be granted permission to land in Hanoi, Perot said the flight would leave regardless.

Four days before Christmas the jet christened "Peace on Earth" left for Southeast Asia carrying 30 tons of gifts and supplies for the POWs.

The plane arrived on Christmas Eve, but the North Vietnamese refused to grant permission to fly to Hanoi. Instead, they would only accept the cargo if it was delivered through the Soviet Union. The Soviets refused to allow the jet to land in Moscow. None of the gifts and supplies would reach the POWs.

Nevertheless, Perot's Christmas delivery raised awareness about the plight of the POWs and according to a senior Pentagon official, gave

...hope and support to the families when they badly needed it.

Peace on Earth Ross Perot
DEC 1969

Peace on Earth


Ross Perot
Texan businessman Ross Perot and POW wives groups spearheaded civilian efforts to raise awareness about the plight of the POWs.

Operation Understanding Ross Perot
DEC 1969

Operation Understanding


Ross Perot
Perot's plane loaded with basic supplies prepares for a mission to North Vietnam. Boxes of supplies, food, and Christmas presents are prepared for loading onto the Christmas flight to North Vietnam.
North Vietnam Christmas Flights Ross Perot

Maxine Mccaffrey To Our Comrades Up North
SEP 1969

To Our Comrades Up North


POW Painting
POWs endured psychological abuse and torture at the hands of their North Vietnamese captors. A prison guard told one new arrival, "It's easy to die, but hard to live, and we'll show you just how hard it is to live." Isolation, starvation, and beatings were the norm. This painting of a POW slumped against a cell wall depicts the desolate and grueling nature of life inside a prison camp.

To our comrades Up North! Fighter pilots toast to over 1300 U.S. Airmen imprisoned and missing in Hanoi, North Vietnam since 1964.

To: H. Ross Perot
From the families of the Prisoners and Missing in S.E. Asia with much gratitude for your efforts on their behalf. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work.



1970

USA
HOME FRONT

Missing in Action


Never Forgotten
In every war, some members of the military are regrettably unaccounted for. Whether they were shot down, on warships lost at sea, killed in inaccessible terrain, or unidentifiable, these warriors are never forgotten.

During the course of the Vietnam War, 2,641 members of the armed services were listed as MIA. There remain 1,581 MIAs from the Vietnam War.

The United States is committed to leaving no one behind.

Through the work of the POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the Department of Defense honors that commitment. Its mission is simply stated but profound: Provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation.

The National League of POW/MIA Families, founded in 1970, is an effective advocate for making a full accounting of all Vietnam War MIAs and returning the remains of those who died during the war.

Family members and comrades-in-arms of the missing also conduct searches for evidence of their fates. Although it is unlikely that every Vietnam War MIA will be accounted for, the search continues.

POW Bumper Stickers

Bumper Stickers


POWs Never Have a Nice Day
Items like this bumper sticker were made to express growing displeasure in the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. The text along the bottom reads

Write a letter to the North Vietnamese Delegation, Paris, France. Ask for humane treatment and compliance with the "Geneva Convention." River Rats.

Don't Let Them Be Forgotten
Vietnam War-era bumper stickers and buttons helped bring awareness to the plight of the POWs.

POW Bumper Sticker

Bumper Sticker POWs Never Have a Nice Day
POW Buttons

VIETNAM WAR
HANOI HILTON

The Camps
Hell on Earth


13 Prisons


During the Vietnam War, 766 Americans are known to have been held as prisoners of war. Over the course of the war, North Vietnam operated 13 prisons. The POWs were held there in deplorable conditions, violating the Geneva Conventions.

In the camps, the POWs were subject to torture, held in isolation, denied proper medical care, given starvation rations, and subjected to constant abuse by their captors. The cells were small and poorly ventilated. The camps were overrun with rats, roaches, mosquitoes, and other vermin.

Most of the prisons were located in or near North Vietnam's capital, Hanoi.

President Nixon approved plans developed by the Department of Defense to liberate POWs at Son Tay, a prison 23 miles outside Hanoi. American forces launched the raid on November 20, 1970. They arrived at the camp at 2:18 in the morning. Unfortunately, the raiding party found the prison cells empty.

Although the raid did not rescue any POWs, it produced some positive results. An official U.S. Air Force history explains:

Despite rescuing no prisoners, the raid proved a success in other ways. It caused North Vietnam to gather POWs in fewer locations to prevent similar raids, making POW communication and organization easier. POW morale soared.

Later, one recalled that

...the Son Tay rescue attempt dispelled all doubt: We were not forgotten; our country cared!!

The daring raid so close to Hanoi demonstrated that the U.S. had the will and means to carry out exceptional operations to ensure POW well-being.

Vietnam Prison Camp Son Tay
NOV 1970

Son Tay


23 miles outside Hanoi

Mike Mcgrath Map of Hanoi Prison Locations

Throughout North Vietnam:
US intelligence aerial photographs showing prison camps that held POWs.

Vietnam Prison Camp Alcatraz
Alcatraz
Vietnam Prison Camp
Vietnam Prison Camp Dan Hoi Barracks
Dan Hoi Barracks
Vietnam Prison Camp

Vietnam Prison Camp Briar Patch
Briar Patch
Vietnam Prison Camp
Vietnam Prison Camp Camp Faith
Camp Faith
Vietnam Prison Camp

Vietnam Prison Camp Dog Patch
Dog Patch
Vietnam Prison Camp
Vietnam Prison Camp Hanoi Hilton
Hanoi Hilton
Vietnam Prison Camp
  • Camp Unity
  • Little Vegas
  • Heartbreak Hotel
  • Stockyard
  • New Guy Village

Vietnam Prison Camp Plantation
Plantation
Vietnam Prison Camp
  • Citadel
Vietnam Prison Camp Rock Pile
Rock Pile
Vietnam Prison Camp

Vietnam Prison Camp Skid Row
Skid Row
Vietnam Prison Camp
  • Camp Hughey
Vietnam Prison Camp Cu Loc Zoo
Cu Loc Zoo
Vietnam Prison Camp
  • Annex

USA
HOME FRONT

POW / MIA Bracelets

America's Most Popular Piece of Jewelry

Voices In Vital America


If you were an American student in the early 1970s, you probably wore a bracelet bearing the name and rank of an American being held as a POW or MIA in Vietnam.

Carol Bates Brown and Kay Hunter were leaders of VIVA (Voices In Vital America), a student group from Los Angeles. The POW/MIA bracelets were the brainchild of these two young women attending UCLA.

Launched on Veterans Day 1970, nearly five million POW/MIA bracelets would be sold over the next six years. Priced at $2.50 - the average cost of a student movie ticket - the money helped pay for countless bumper stickers, buttons, and brochures to raise awareness and increase visibility of the POW/ MIA movement.

In addition to the millions of average Americans who wore the bracelets, celebrities including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, Sonny Bono and Cher also showed support on their wrists.

Ms. Brown, the National Chairman of the POW/MIA bracelet campaign, recalled that VIVA

...formed a close alliance with the relatives of the missing men.

Voices in Vital America POW / MIA Bracelets

POW / MIA Bracelets


Voices in Vital America
POW/MIA bracelets were created and sold by Voices in Vital America (VIVA) as a way to raise awareness about American soldiers missing, imprisoned, or unaccounted for in the Vietnam War.

POW / MIA Bracelets Sonny and Cher

Sonny and Cher


POW/MIA Bracelets
Popular entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, major advocates for the POWs, could often be seen sporting POW/MIA bracelets
POW / MIA Bracelets Norris Charles

Norris Charles


POW/MIA Bracelets
Lieutenant Naval nurse Patricia Anderson had worn a bracelet bearing the name of Lieutenant Junior Grade Norris Charles. She presents her bracelet to Charles upon his return home.

1971

Let's Get Well Norbert A. Gotner
FEB 1971

Norbert A. Gotner


Let's Get Well by Adelle Davis
Major Norbert A. Gotner's personal paperback copy of Let's Get Well by Adelle Davis. Major Gotner spent 785 days in captivity before being released under Operation Homecoming. His last assignment after returning home was at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, before retiring from the Air Force on April 1, 1978.
  • Taken Prisoner on February 3, 1971 after being forced to eject over Laos

RELATED: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1638230889]

USA
HOME FRONT

Write Hanoi:
Help the POWs Home


Letters to the North Vietnamese Government
Among the many grassroots efforts to raise awareness for American POWs in Vietnam was the "Write Hanoi" letter campaign. Hundreds of thousands of people wrote to the North Vietnamese government urging them to follow the Geneva Conventions.

Write Hanoi spread across the country. In Colorado Springs, 125,000 letters were penned. In Waco, Texas, more than 48,000 people wrote letters and signed petitions. Booths soliciting letters were set up outside stores in St. Petersburg, Florida. In North Carolina, more than 300,000 letters were collected. Congress passed a resolution supporting the Write Hanoi campaign.

One of the most successful Write Hanoi campaigns was led by Phyllis Galanti. Her husband, Lieutenant Commander Paul Galanti, was shot down on June 17, 1966. In February 1971, she launched the letter writing campaign in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

Mrs. Galanti's efforts resulted in 452,000 letters to the North Vietnamese government. Later that year she traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, and delivered the letters to North Vietnam's ambassador. Her trip generated international attention to the suffering of the POWs.

Although divided on the war, the nation universally supported bringing the POWs home and accounting for the MIAs.

Write Hanoi Protest Letters
FEB 1971

Protest Letters


Write Hanoi
The letter writing movement spread across the country, with thousands of letters pouring in to be sent to the government of North Vietnam.

Write Hanoi POW Protest Letters
FEB 1971

Protest Letters


Write Hanoi
Thousands of letters from wives, family members, and concerned Americans were written to the government of North Vietnam in protest of the treatment and continued captivity of the POWs.

USA
HOME FRONT

Live from Space:

Apollo 14 Remembers America's POW/MIA
Concern for American POWs and MIAs in Vietnam reached across the country, around the globe, and all the way to the Moon.
Alan Shepard, a Naval aviator, was the first American in space and the fifth American to walk on the Moon. Commander of the three-man Apollo 14 crew, Shepard's time on the lunar surface is best remembered for an extraterrestrial golf shot. Using an improvised six iron, Shepard hit what may be the longest drive in the history of golf.

Less remembered, but no less memorable, was the February 6, 1971 televised appeal he made on behalf of America's POWs and MIAs in Vietnam as Apollo 14 returned from the moon:

We are reminded... as we look at that shimmering crescent tonight, which is the Earth, on our way back, that there still is fighting going on...We are reminded that some of the people - some of the men who have gone to Viet Nam - have not returned, that are still being held there, listed as missing in action or as prisoners of war. And it is our wish, tonight, that we can, in some way, contribute, through our efforts to the space program, to promote a better understanding of peace throughout the World.

Apollo 14 Alan Shepard
FEB 1971

Alan Shepard


Apollo 14
Alan Shepard of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission standing on the Moon's surface, holding an American Flag.

1972

POW / MIA Bracelets Darrell Edwin Pyle
JUN 1972

Darrell Edwin Pyle


POW / MIA Bracelets
  • POW Shot down June 1966

1972 Annual Draft Lottery
FEB 1972

Annual Draft Lottery


Washington, D.C
Curtis Tarr, Director of the Selective Service System, turns the drum containing capsules of draft numbers at the annual draft lottery in 1972.

Oval Office NLFAPMSA

National League of POW/MIA Families


MAY 1972
Oval Office
General Brent Scowcroft, President Nixon, and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, meet in the Oval Office with POW wives representing the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
  • Maureen Dunn
  • Sybil Stockdale
  • Phyllis Galanti

VIETNAM WAR
NIXON YEARS

The Air War in Vietnam


Within months of taking office
President Nixon ordered the bombing of North Vietnam to resume. To disrupt enemy supply lines to South Vietnam, Nixon also ordered bombing of the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" through Cambodia. The enemy was using neutral Cambodia to move soldiers and supplies to South Vietnam.

Two major bombing campaigns against targets in North Vietnam occurred during the Nixon administration.

  • Operation Linebacker, initiated in May 1972
    Targeted strategically important enemy facilities. When peace talks seemed to be reaching a successful conclusion, President Nixon ended Operation Linebacker on October 23, 1972.
  • Operation Linebacker II, initiated in December 1972
    Talks with the North Vietnamese bogged down. President Nixon renewed heavy bombing of North Vietnam. Beginning on December 18, 1972, Operation Linebacker II continued until December 29, with a 24-hour truce on Christmas.

VIETNAM WAR
NIXON YEARS

Operation Linebacker II


October 1972
It appeared the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong were getting close to concluding an agreement that would end the Vietnam War. With the end in sight, achieving final approval by all four parties was proving difficult.

As November unfolded, negotiations bogged down. By early December, the possibility of an agreement was slipping away. The North Vietnamese presented new demands the United States could not accept and withdrew some provisions to which it had previously agreed. According to President Nixon, Hanoi's chief negotiator Le Duc Tho,

...made it clear that he had no intention of reaching an agreement.

The following day, to bring the North back to the negotiating table, President Nixon ordered renewed bombing of North Vietnam. Beginning December 18, heavy aerial attacks on strategic targets in Hanoi and Haiphong - North Vietnam's major port - inflicted massive damage. The assault continued through December 29, except for Christmas Day, when the President ordered a 24-hour truce.

On December 30, the North agreed to resume talks.

President Nixon received heavy criticism both at home and abroad for the December bombings. But at the Hanoi Hilton, the response was jubilation.

It's a B-52 raid.... Pack your bags. We're going home
POW Harry Jenkins shouted to his fellow captives.

POW / MIA He Is Still Serving You

Operation Linebacker II B-52 Stratofortress
DEC 1972

B-52 Stratofortress


Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (USA)
One U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52G-125-BW Stratofortress from the 72nd Strategic Wing waiting, while another B-52 takes off for a mission bombing North Vietnam.

Operation Linebacker kicked off a new level of bombing against the North Vietnamese, featuring 24 hour strikes by B-52 Stratofortress. This round-the-clock operation was unprecedented in warfare.

1973

JAN 1973

Those Who Fought


All-Volunteer Military
President Nixon ended the draft in January 1973, creating an all-volunteer military. No men or women have been drafted into the armed forces since.

Tan Son Nhut Jungle Hat

Jungle Hat


Tan Son Nhut AFB near Saigon
Camouflage boonie hat adorned with nine patches and pins with "Viet Nam 72-73, Nov 19, 1972, Tan Son Nhut, Jan 28, 1973" stitched around the brim.

Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base
Tan Son Nhut was a Republic of Vietnam air force base located near the southern Vietnamese city of Saigon. During the Vietnam War, the United States used Tan Son Nhut as a major operations center and posted Air Force, Army, Marine, and Navy units on the base.

Hanoi Hilton Exterior
JAN 1973

Exterior


Hanoi Hilton
An exterior shot of the Hanoi Hilton, taken In January 1973 prior to the prisoners' return.

Hanoi Hilton Roof Tile

Roof Tile


Hanoi Hilton
Hoa Lo, or the Hanoi Hilton as it came to be known by POWs, was a French colonial-era prison built outside of Hanoi, Vietnam. Among the more well-known veterans held in captivity at the Hanoi Hilton were John McCain, James Stockdale, and Everett Alvarez. They, along with other POWs, were routinely interrogated and tortured by North Vietnamese prison guards, and were subjected to years of mental and physical abuse.

Hanoi Hilton Brick

Brick


Hanoi Hilton
This brick was manufactured by the French silversmith company Foret Collin and Company for construction at the Maison Centrale. Built in phases between 1886 and 1901, the Maison Centrale originally housed political prisoners during French colonial occupation in Indochina. The prison was known to locals as Hoa Lo, which translates to "Hell's Hole," in reference to the wood and coal-fire shops in the area.

1993
A significant portion of the prison was demolished to make way for new high-rise buildings. A Vietnam veteran who lived nearby collected several of these bricks, after being told by the construction crew that the rubble would be sent to the dump. These bricks were later given to Commander Everett Alvarez, Senator John McCain, and more than 100 other POWs.

Paris Accords Ceasefire Agreement
JAN 1973

Ceasefire Agreement


Paris Accords
North Vietnamese negotiators during the morning session of the Vietnam Peace Agreements in Paris, France. Nguyen Duy Trinh (Foreign Minister of North Vietnam) (seated center) signs the ceasefire agreement this day. January 27 1973.

NIXON LIBRARY VIETNAM EXHIBIT

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