SOUTH VIET NAM: The Last Warlord

Not long ago, young (32) General Ba Cut declared that he would behead Viet Nam's Premier Ngo Dinh Diem as a warning of the power of the Hoa Hao, the piratical "religious" sect that once boasted an army of 20,000 and ruled large areas of Viet Nam as a feudal fief. The threat was characteristic of Ba Cut's fanatic life. At 17, hot-eyed Ba Cut swore he would fight to the death against the French, and he cut off the tip of his forefinger to seal his oath. At 21, he switched, began fighting the Viet Minh. The Geneva...

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