Newspaper and archival materials

From personal newspaper articles addressing the aftermath of the Vietnam War to written letters between government officials, these documented archives explore Operation New Life—a pivotal movement that shaped the lives of many Vietnamese refugees, CHamoru native, and Guamanian residents. Here, you can find textual artifacts that provide a glimpse into the past, serving as a reflection of the events that transpired and led to the development of Guam as a processing center for Vietnamese refugees.

On March 18, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford directed the US attorney general to admit 130,000 Southeast Asian refugees to the United States as parolees. Starting in late March, Vietnamese subjects connected to the US military and embassy began to leave Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, Saigon—the capital of the southern Republic of Vietnam—fell to the northern People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Việt Công). Over 100,000 Vietnamese refugees would flee Vietnam in the following months by plane, ship, and boat. This first wave of refugees consisted primarily of anti-communist politicians of the fallen Republic of Vietnam, high-ranking officials of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), individuals connected to the US government, military, or embassy, and their families—in other words, those most vulnerable to political retribution after the Fall of Saigon. Compared to later waves of refugee migration from Vietnam, this first group was relatively highly-educated and well-connected.

Operation Babylift

On April 3, 1975, President Ford announced the beginning of Operation Babylift. From early April to May 6, 1975, US cargo planes transported hundreds of Vietnamese and Cambodian children and orphans from Southeast Asia to the continental United States, passing through US military bases in the Philippines, Guam, and Hawai‘i. Unfortunately, Operation Babylift began in tragedy: on April 4, one of the first military planes carrying 300 passengers from Tan Son Nhut Air Base crashed, killing half of those on board.

Scanned Pacific Stars and Stripes newspaper article, black headline bold reads “178 Die on Babylift: Suspect Sabotage in C5A Crash”. Below headline is a black and white photograph of two Operation Babylift mothers with pained expressions.

Newspaper and image courtesy of Andersen AFB, Guam, Archives.

Black and white photograph of two Operation Babylift babies sleeping on cots

In the months following Operation Babylift (April 3-26, 1975), American families located in the continental United States would write to Governor Bordallo expressing their interest to adopt Vietnamese refugee children. 

Scanned typescript letter to Governor Bordallo regarding a donation to a Vietnamese widow’s family

Document from the collection of the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center.

Guam served as the first major US processing centering for Vietnamese refugees in what became known as Operation New Life. Operation New Life commenced in Guam when a planeload of Vietnamese refugees landed at Anderson Air Force Base at 4:01pm on April 23, 1975. By midnight, fifteen flights from Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon had landed, bringing 2,487 Vietnamese refugees to Anderson Air Force Base and Naval Air Station, Agana. Pacific Command representatives initially calculated that a maximum of 13,000 people could be sheltered for a short period in Guam, but on May 15, 1975 the number of refugees in Guam awaiting transfer peaked at 50,430: an over fifty percent increase in the island’s population at the time. Roughly 15,000 Vietnamese refugees arrived by ship on May 7 alone, followed by another 15,000 on May 12. In sum, between April 23 and November 1, 1975, the US military processed over 112,000 Vietnamese refugees in Guam.

Scanned Pacific Stars and Stripes newspaper article, black headline bold reads “Guam Prepares for 50,000 as U.S. Shifts Refugee Bases”, subtitle below reads “Senate OK’s Aid with Strings-as House Ponders”. Map of Guam right of subtitle

Newspapers and images courtesy of Andersen AFB, Guam, Archives.

Black and white photograph stamped “unclassified” twice, depicts three male workers by refugee tent

Hardcover book, cover reads “Operation New Life After Action Report Guam 1975” with photograph of refugee camp tents below

After the conclusion of Operation New Life, the US military created this After Action Report, which includes executive summaries, photographs, and graphs.

Click on the left image to gain access to the full After Action Report.

The Pacific Daily News, Guam’s main newspaper, covered Operation New Life in detail. Journalists reported on human interest stories and photographers captured the refugees’ first days. In the following decades, the Pacific Daily News would have retrospective anniversary issues commemorating Guam’s efforts during Operation New Life. The first two newspaper images shown here are from June 1975 and the third one is from July 2005.

Continued newspaper article, two colorized photographs depicting refugee children lining up and seated.

Scanned The Sunday News Magazine newspaper article, subtitle reads “A Refugee Gallery” below a colorized photograph overhead view of refugee children surrounding boxes of clothing.

Scanned The Pacific Daily News newspaper article, headline reads “Operation New Life” over a black and white collage of refugee families with various expressions.

In this letter, President Gerald R. Fold thanks Governor Ricky J. Bordallo for Guam’s role in assisting Vietnamese refugees during Operation New Life.

Document from the collection of the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center.