Calley Offered a Chance to Speak to Vietnamese People

Former Army Lt. William Calley, the only American convicted for participating in the My Lai massacre,  can speak directly to the Vietnamese people if he chooses.  He can go there, or he can be interviewed on the Voice of America. 

Voice of America radio studio (Courtesy: Voice of America)

Judy Nguyen, who is Senior Editor of the Vietnamese Service for VOA,  contacted this blog and asked for help in contacting Calley.  We haven’t had success with that. 

She wants to let him know that VOA will interview him and beam the interview to Vietnam where it will be heard by a lot of people.  The interview will be translated into Vietnamese.

She says,  “We believe our listeners in Vietnam would be keenly interested in hearing what Mr. Calley has to say, especially if it is different from what they have heard or been told by their own media. If ever Mr. Calley wanted to say anything that would be heard by the people of Vietnam, the Voice of America would be the appropriate channel.”

He has also been invited to come to My Lai by the director of the memorial museum there.  According to the Canadian website “Media with Conscience,” Pham Thanh Cong,  who saw both his mother and brothers killed during the massacre,  wants Calley to return to see how things are there now. “Maybe he has now repented for his crimes and his mistakes committed more than 40 years ago.”  He also said he accepts Calley’s public apology, with a condition. He wants Calley to send him a letter or email apologizing for his part in the My Lai massacre.

Tags: Calley, Lt. Calley, My Lai, My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, VOA, Voice of America