The Vietnam News Agency announced on April 28 that it has the publication rights to Larry Berman's book Perfect Spy, about PhamXuanAn,  in Vietnamese.

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01BOO280407

What does this mean to Vietnamese in America?  It means that the questions about PXA as a double agent will be swept under the rug.  No questions allowed--if the Communists publish it, he must have been a true Communist agent.  Good move for the Communists.

It also means that Berman's very cogent analysis of Henry Kissinger's betrayal of South Vietnam at the Paris Peace Accords has more legitimacy. (see pages 196-200 for this.) Another good move.  Bad America. 

Or is it a good move if you follow the logic?  Larry Berman has shown that the invasion of South Vietnam was indeed in violation of the Paris Peace Accords.  The statements of the Communist regime that reunification and independence desired by the Vietnamese people were through Communism are false.  They provided this through armed force, arms provided by Russia and manned military backup on the border by Chinese troops.  They keep power today through intimidation and political imprisonment of dissidents.

As well as the sentence of eight years to Father Van Ly last month, sentences of three, four and five years in prison were imposed by a Ho Chi Minh City court in a trial lasting just four hours on cyber-dissidents Huynh Nguyen Dao, Nguyen Bac Truyen and Le Nguyen Sang, respectively, for propaganda against the communist regime.

Another Bloc 8406 member, Tran Quoc Hien, who is the spokesman of the United Workers-Farmers Organization (UWFO), is to appear in court on 15 May on charges of "sabotaging" national security, as well as defaming the state and anti-government propaganda under article 88 of the criminal code.

An English language review by Bui Van Phu and a link to his Vietnamese language review are published on this blog:  http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/5/5/2928517.html

Is there anyone who will read the Vietnamese version published by the Communists and see if the analysis critical of Hanoi remains as it is in the original English? 

Jean Libby, editor
VietAm Review