The Patriot: The Double Life of Pham Xuan An, The Greatest Spy of the Vietnam War

media release: Fermat's Last Theater presents The Patriot - The Double Life of Pham Xuan An, The Greatest Spy of the Vietnam War

Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10 7:30 PM in the DuLuca Forum on the UW Madison Campus - Free admission

Pham Xuan An was a correspondent in Saigon for Time Magazine and said by his fellow correspondents to be the best connected man in South Vietnam during the years 1960 - 1970.  He counted as friends and sources the CIA, American diplomats and military intelligence personnel for the U.S. and South Vietnam - and he was an espionage agent for North Vietnam.  Never exposed during the war, he obtained secret information that affected the Battle of Ap Bac, the Tet Offensive, and final battle for Saigon in April of 1970.

When, after the war, his identity became known, most - but not all - of his fellow American journalists refused to condemn him, saying that he was a patriot and they understood why he did what he did.  His story raises questions about what is patriotism, to whom is it due.  Pham Xuan An said that he loved America (he studied and lived in the US for two years) and he loved Vietnam, but he loved Vietnam more.

This will be a multimedia show, with readings, images and video of the war and its key figures.  Our co-sponors are the UW Center for SE Asian Studies and UW professor of history Alfred McCoy (author of The Politics of Heroin in SE Asia) will lead a talk back after each show.  UW professor Nam Kim will play the role of Pham Xuan An, set design by Veronica Pham, script and direction by David Simmons.