Fred Branfman
Encyclopedia
Fred Branfman is a US-American anti-war
activist and author of a number of books about the Indochina War. Working as the Director of Project Air War in 1969 he wrote about the U.S. bombing in Indochina
, purportedly directed at undefended civilians.
Branfman worked as a policy advisor for former California governor Jerry Brown
, Gary Hart
and Tom Hayden
. Branfman was working as an educational advisor for the U.S. government in Laos
, when in September 1969 thousands of refugees fled into the Laotian capital of Vientiane
. Working as a translator for international media, he began to interpret thousands of villagers' stories, telling of planes dropping bombs.
Told by U.S. officials in Laos that Americans had nothing to do with the bombs, Branfman became consumed with the desire to understand what was happening. Gathering details, he journeyed to Washington and spoke at a special session of the U.S. Senate Committee on Refugees, exposing the U.S. government's covert activities.
Today Branfman works as a writer, living in Santa Barbara. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Harper's, Playboy and the New Republic. He contributes to the Glendon Association
and works with Robert W. Firestone
He also contributed to the traveling exhibition Legacies of War, that was created to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos.
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
activist and author of a number of books about the Indochina War. Working as the Director of Project Air War in 1969 he wrote about the U.S. bombing in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
, purportedly directed at undefended civilians.
Branfman worked as a policy advisor for former California governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
, Gary Hart
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
and Tom Hayden
Tom Hayden
Thomas Emmet "Tom" Hayden is an American social and political activist and politician, known for his involvement in the animal rights, and the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. He is the former husband of actress Jane Fonda and the father of actor Troy Garity.-Life and...
. Branfman was working as an educational advisor for the U.S. government in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, when in September 1969 thousands of refugees fled into the Laotian capital of Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
. Working as a translator for international media, he began to interpret thousands of villagers' stories, telling of planes dropping bombs.
Told by U.S. officials in Laos that Americans had nothing to do with the bombs, Branfman became consumed with the desire to understand what was happening. Gathering details, he journeyed to Washington and spoke at a special session of the U.S. Senate Committee on Refugees, exposing the U.S. government's covert activities.
Today Branfman works as a writer, living in Santa Barbara. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Harper's, Playboy and the New Republic. He contributes to the Glendon Association
The Glendon Association
The Glendon Association is a non-profit organization that conducts research, publishes its research, and provides education about suicide and violence prevention.-Mission statement:...
and works with Robert W. Firestone
Robert W. Firestone
Robert W. Firestone is a clinical psychologist, author of a number of books about psychological defenses, and a visual artist.-Education:Firestone received his Ph.D...
He also contributed to the traveling exhibition Legacies of War, that was created to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos.
Books
- The Third Indochina War, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, ISBN 0851240488, ISBN 978-0851240480
- The Old Man: A Biographical Account of a Lao Villager.
- Voices from The Plain of Jars, Life Under an Air War, Harper & Row 1972.
- Life under the bombs, Project Air War, Harper & Row, 1972, ISBN 0060903007, ISBN 978-0060903008
- The Village of the Deep Pond, Ban Xa Phang Meuk, Laos, International Area Studies Programs, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1978, ASIN: B0000E92G5
External links
- Fred Branfman's Internet presence
- Fred Branfman: War Crimes in Indochina and Our Troubled National Soul Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 1998
- Fred Branfman: On Torture and Being "Good Americans" The Huffington Post, 29. April 2007
- Fred Branfman: Indochina: The illusion of withdrawal May 1973
- Fred Branfman: We Must All Be Prepared to Torture, Antiwar.comAntiwar.comAntiwar.com is a website devoted to opposing aggressive war, imperialism, and assaults on freedom associated with both. The editors describe their politics as libertarian. Their stated motiviation is, "to show how the imperialistic tendencies of the American government lead to a loss of civil...
, January 26, 2006