CAST OF PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS

North Vietnamese

Le Duan - Born in 1908 in Quang Tri, he rose rapidly in the Communist Party hierarchy. By 1959, he was secretary- general of the Lao Dong (Workers Party); later succeeded Ho Chi Minh as the North Vietnamese Communist Party's First Secretary.

Le Duc Tho - Born about 1912 in northern Vietnam. Responsible for directing the insurgency in the South; at the same time, negotiated with Henry Kissinger to draft the Paris Agreements of 1973.

Tran Van Tra - Born in central Vietnam in 1918. Became a deputy commander of the Communist forces in the South; it is believed he was purged after 1975 for criticizing the Communist Party leadership.

Van Tien Dung - Born in 1917; became a protégé of Vo Nguyen Giap. Directed the 1975 offensive against Saigon; became defense minister of Vietnam after 1975.

Vo Nguyen Giap - Born in 1912 in central Vietnam. Chief Communist strategist during the Vietnam War. Retired from public life after 1975.

South Vietnamese

Bui Diem - South Vietnamese ambassador to the United States from 1966-1972; later served as roving envoy for President Thieu.

Cao Van Vien - South Vietnamese general who served as the last chairman of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff.

Duong Van Minh - Known as 'Big Minh' because of his size, he served as senior army officer under Diem and led the coup against Diem in November 1963, but was toppled shortly after taking power. Became President of South Vietnam in April 1975; surrendered unconditionally to the North Vietnamese on April 30, 1975.

Ngo Dinh Diem - South Vietnam's first President. Overthrown and murdered by his own generals in November 1963. His fall started the chain of events that led to full-scale American intervention in South Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Thieu - Born in 1924 in central Vietnam. Became President of South Vietnam in 1967. Led South Vietnam during Vietnamization and the Paris peace negotiations. However, because of corruption and incompetence within his regime, he was unable to maintain the popular support of the South Vietnamese people. He fled Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon in late April 1975, blaming the collapse on the lack of U.S. support.

Tran Van Don - Born in France in 1917. Served as a senior officer in the Diem regime and later became one of the organizers of the coup to overthrow Diem. Served as South Vietnam's last Minister of Defense and escaped to the United States in 1975 before the fall of Saigon.

Tran Van Huong - Born in 1903 in My Tho. Served as mayor of Saigon and Prime Minister of South Vietnam for a few months in 1964 and early 1965 and again in 1968 for a year. Served as Thieu's vice-president from 1971-1975. Became President of South Vietnam after Thieu resigned and served for one week; then he stepped down in favor of 'Big Minh.'

Pham Van Phu - Incompetent South Vietnamese general in command of II Corps in the Central Highlands. Vowing to defend what was left of his region to the last man, he abandoned his men and escaped by helicopter to safety in Saigon. He later committed suicide before the fall of Saigon.