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| ===Vietnam War=== | ===Vietnam War=== | ||
| Laurence was sent to ] in August 1965 as a radio correspondent. He transitioned to television reporting, beginning with an exclusive report on the arrival of the ] advance party in South Vietnam. He covered ], the ], the ], the ] and ]. | Laurence was sent to ] in August 1965 as a radio correspondent. He transitioned to television reporting, beginning with an exclusive report on the arrival of the ] advance party in South Vietnam. He covered ] with the U.S. Marines, the ], the ], the ] and ]. | ||
| Laurence was initially supportive of U.S. policy in Vietnam and gave favorable or neutral coverage in what was referred to by the U.S. Army public information officers as "being with the program".<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|123-5}} However, as he witnessed more and more of the war--seeing the deaths of Vietnamese civilians, the mistaken bombing of a village in neutral Cambodia, coming under fire from friendly forces, and seeing the corruption endemic in South Vietnam--he became more critical of the U.S. presence and what might actually be achieved there.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|293}} | Laurence was initially supportive of U.S. policy in Vietnam and gave favorable or neutral coverage in what was referred to by the U.S. Army public information officers as "being with the program".<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|123-5}} However, as he witnessed more and more of the war--seeing the deaths of Vietnamese civilians, the mistaken bombing of a village in neutral Cambodia, coming under fire from friendly forces, and seeing the corruption endemic in South Vietnam--he became more critical of the U.S. presence and what might actually be achieved there.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|293}} | ||
| Through his friendship with UPI photojournalist Steve Northup, Laurence became a regular visitor at 47 Bui Thi Xuan, Saigon, the home of Northup and fellow correspondents ], ], Joe Galloway, ] and ]. It was known as "Frankie's House" after the resident Vietnamese houseboy. Frankie's House became a social club for a small group of young correspondents |
Through his friendship with UPI photojournalist Steve Northup, Laurence became a regular visitor at 47 Bui Thi Xuan, Saigon, the home of Northup and fellow correspondents ], ], David Stuart-Fox, Joe Galloway, ], Tom Corpora and ]. It was known as "Frankie's House" after the resident Vietnamese houseboy. Frankie's House became a social club for a small group of young correspondents from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia who gathered there between field assignments.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|295-314}} | ||
| On 10 March 1966 |
On 10 March 1966 during the ] in I Corps, Laurence interviewed Marine Lt. Col. Charles House, commander of ], the unit which had evacuated survivors of the battle and who had himself been shot down and rescued from the battlefield. House stated that panicking ] troops had overrun the evacuation helicopters and the crews and ] troops. The Americans had to fire on the South Vietnamese to establish order, killing and wounding several. When broadcast, the story led to an investigation by ] (MACV) and ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shulimson|first=Jack|title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1966, an Expanding War|publisher=History and Museums Division, USMC|year=1982|url=https://archive.org/details/AnExpandingWar|page=62-3}}</ref> | ||
| Laurence left Vietnam in late May, 1966, returning to the U.S. and working out of CBS' bureaus in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|421-5}} | Laurence left Vietnam in late May, 1966, returning to the U.S. and working out of CBS' bureaus in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|421-5}} Over the next several years, he covered the urban riots in Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit, Newark and Kansas City. | ||
| Laurence went back to Vietnam in mid 1967.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|435}} He covered the , ], the ] and the ] before leaving Vietnam again in May 1968.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|432}} | Laurence went back to Vietnam in mid 1967.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|435}} He covered the , ], the ] and the ] before leaving Vietnam again in May 1968.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|432}} | ||
| In March, 1970, Laurence returned to Vietnam to produce and report a documentary that would later become '']''.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|527}} Along with his cameraman, Keith Kay, and sound technician James Clevenger, they spent four months recording the daily lives and experiences of Charlie Company, ], in ] in ] near the Cambodian border. Laurence and his team joined Charlie Company as they conducted a helicopter assault into ] at the start of the ] in April 1970.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|763}} | In March, 1970, Laurence returned to Vietnam to produce and report a documentary that would later become '']''.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|527}} Along with his cameraman, Keith Kay, and sound technician James Clevenger, they spent four months recording the daily lives and experiences of Charlie Company, ], in ] in ] near the Cambodian border. Laurence and his team joined Charlie Company as they conducted a helicopter assault into ] at the start of the ] in April 1970.<ref name=Laurence/>{{rp|763}} The documentary received many awards for broadcast journalism including the Columbia-duPont Award and the George Polk Memorial Award of the Overseas Press Club of America for "outstanding achievement requiring exceptional courage and enterprize abroad." | ||
| ===1970s=== | ===1970s=== | ||
Revision as of 14:04, 15 February 2018
| John Laurence | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Laurence 1939 Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, war correspondent |
| Notable work | The World of Charlie Company (1970) The Cat from Huế (2001) |
John Laurence (also known as Jack Laurence) (born 1939 in Bridgeport, Connecticut) is an American journalist best known as a CBS News correspondent during the Vietnam War.
Biography
Laurence attended Fairfield College Preparatory School and then Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he started working at the campus radio station, WXPN which led to his career in broadcast journalism. He worked at WWDC in Washington D.C. for a year and then at WNEW in New York from 1962-64. He joined CBS as a radio correspondent in January, 1965. He covered the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War in April-May 1965.
Vietnam War
Laurence was sent to South Vietnam in August 1965 as a radio correspondent. He transitioned to television reporting, beginning with an exclusive report on the arrival of the 1st Cavalry Division's advance party in South Vietnam. He covered Operation Piranha with the U.S. Marines, the Battle of An Ninh, the Siege of Plei Me, the Battle of Ia Drang and Operation Masher.
Laurence was initially supportive of U.S. policy in Vietnam and gave favorable or neutral coverage in what was referred to by the U.S. Army public information officers as "being with the program". However, as he witnessed more and more of the war--seeing the deaths of Vietnamese civilians, the mistaken bombing of a village in neutral Cambodia, coming under fire from friendly forces, and seeing the corruption endemic in South Vietnam--he became more critical of the U.S. presence and what might actually be achieved there.
Through his friendship with UPI photojournalist Steve Northup, Laurence became a regular visitor at 47 Bui Thi Xuan, Saigon, the home of Northup and fellow correspondents Tim Page, Martin Stuart-Fox, David Stuart-Fox, Joe Galloway, Simon Dring, Tom Corpora and Sean Flynn. It was known as "Frankie's House" after the resident Vietnamese houseboy. Frankie's House became a social club for a small group of young correspondents from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia who gathered there between field assignments.
On 10 March 1966 during the Battle of A Shau in I Corps, Laurence interviewed Marine Lt. Col. Charles House, commander of HMM-163, the unit which had evacuated survivors of the battle and who had himself been shot down and rescued from the battlefield. House stated that panicking CIDG troops had overrun the evacuation helicopters and the crews and Special Forces troops. The Americans had to fire on the South Vietnamese to establish order, killing and wounding several. When broadcast, the story led to an investigation by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) and III MAF.
Laurence left Vietnam in late May, 1966, returning to the U.S. and working out of CBS' bureaus in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Over the next several years, he covered the urban riots in Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit, Newark and Kansas City.
Laurence went back to Vietnam in mid 1967. He covered the , siege of Con Thien, the Battle of Khe Sanh and the Battle of Huế before leaving Vietnam again in May 1968.
In March, 1970, Laurence returned to Vietnam to produce and report a documentary that would later become The World of Charlie Company. Along with his cameraman, Keith Kay, and sound technician James Clevenger, they spent four months recording the daily lives and experiences of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, in Tây Ninh Province in War Zone C near the Cambodian border. Laurence and his team joined Charlie Company as they conducted a helicopter assault into Memot District at the start of the Cambodian Campaign in April 1970. The documentary received many awards for broadcast journalism including the Columbia-duPont Award and the George Polk Memorial Award of the Overseas Press Club of America for "outstanding achievement requiring exceptional courage and enterprize abroad."
1970s
In 1970 Laurence moved to London to take over as bureau chief from Morley Safer. He and Keith Kay covered the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 from East Pakistan.
In 1977 Laurence quit CBS and began working on his autobiography and in 1978 joined ABC News.
In July 1982 Laurence returned to Vietnam for the first time since 1970.
References
- ^ Laurence, John (2001). The Cat from Hue. Public Affairs. p. 425. ISBN 1586481606.
- Shulimson, Jack (1982). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1966, an Expanding War. History and Museums Division, USMC. p. 62-3.