Diary Entry 103: Saigon, Saturday Night, 18 December 1965

                                                                         Saigon
                                                                         Saturday Night, 18 December 1965


Things have kind of hotted up here in Saigon. All US personnel are under a strict curfew where we can only be at our work or in our quarters beginning today. They are expecting some action apparently as our guards have greatly increased around the hotel. And they are all nervous. A few minutes ago a truck broke down nearly in front of the hotel and police and soldiers rushed all over it. Reckon they thought it might have a bomb on it. The MPs and police are so nervous that if the VC don’t shoot up the place, our own protectors are apt to have a shoot-out with each other!


I just went up to Grady’s room to talk to him and see if he knows anything about what is likely to happen but he wasn’t there. Reckon he is out with the "spooks" or the Vietnamese special police as that is where his job is. Maybe I’ll get to see him tomorrow evening after work.

Tomorrow I am on duty at the office, so perhaps I can get caught up on some things which need to be done. Sunday is often a good day as the phones don’t ring quite as much as they do during the week.

The radio just announced that some VC just threw a bomb at the Ambassador BOQ (which is right across the street from the Brink BOQ which they [the VC] blew up last Xmas Eve. They have had that area all blocked off for about a week now. Guess they were expecting something. The radio said 4 or 5 Vietnamese were injured but that no US people were involved. Well that is the way war goes. Reckon I’ll just sit up a while and see if any excitement develops. If I hear the MPs out front start something, I’ll dive under the bed!