Decision to act for justice
The world situation in the 1960s was very complicated, with a deep and comprehensive confrontation between two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the U.S., manifested in the arms race and the development of nuclear weapons, the Cuban missile crisis, the Algerian revolution, protest movements in Western Europe in 1968 with France’s May 68 as a highlight, large-scale strikes in France, and the strong rise of national liberation movements across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
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Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen speaks at the meeting with two Swiss citizens on November 17 in the city. (Photo: Ha Phuong) |
Notably, the resistance war against the U.S. imperialists of the Vietnamese people was in a fierce phase. The U.S. was expanding and escalating its destructive war to the North. World public opinion strongly supported the war of the Vietnamese people, but few believed that Vietnam would win due to the unequal confrontation between a superpower and a poor country devastated by war for many years. Thus, the news of the negotiation in Paris was highly appreciated by world public opinion.
In that circumstance, the planting of a flag of the National Front for the Liberation of the South was truly hot.
In 1969, three youngsters from Vaud state, Southwestern Switzerland, namely 26-year-old Bernard Bachelard, a teacher of physical education; 24-year-old Noé Graff, a student of law; and 25-year-old Olivier Parriaux, a student of physics, intended to do something to show solidarity and support to the Vietnamese people in their just war against the U.S. imperialists.
After discussions, they decided to raise a flag of the National Front for the Liberation of the South atop the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris when the four-side delegation made preparations for their meetings in Paris.
Regarding that decision, Olivier Parriaux said that the flag-raising would attract due attention from the world media and show the world's support for the struggle of the Vietnamese people. Additionally, this symbolic act did not involve violence, in line with the spirit of peace-lovers. Moreover, acting in a small group could help them keep their identities secret and limit the information being revealed.
The planned action date was the day of the preliminary meeting on January 18, 1969 to prepare for the first formal four-side talks on January 25, 1969 since Paris was then the focus of the world media. If everything went as planned, the flag would fly atop the cathedral just before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Richard Nixon on January 20, 1969, as a way to express opposition to the U.S.’s war in Vietnam just before the White House's major ceremony.
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, not the Eiffel Tower, was selected for the action because it was a leading tourist attraction in Paris, a sacred symbol of France, and a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage site.
Calculation and action
Under the plan, Noé Graff took on driving and guard duties; Olivier Parriaux and Bernard Bachelard climbed to the cathedral spire to plant the flag and drafted a press release for the French daily Le Monde.
Bernard Bachelard’s wife, who had just given birth, stayed up all night to sew the flag, 5 meter long, 3.5 meter wide. She sewed an extra border to insert a plastic string into it to ensure the flag could be stretched even when there was no wind. Other items they brought along for the action included a 20-meter long rope, a hacksaw, paper, pens, an envelope with the press release inside, and some French francs. “No flashlight, no smartphone, of course, because there were no mobile phones at that time,” Olivier Parriaux humorously added.
On January 18, 1969, the three youngsters left Lausanne, Switzerland on the Citroën 2 CV at 6 a.m. to reach Paris, some 500km far, at 1 p.m. As assigned, Noé Graff went parking in a nearby street corner and would flash the headlights to signal to his teammates at midnight. Olivier Parriaux and Bernard Bachelard wrapped the folded flag around their bodies, hiding the hacksaw and the rope under their thick coats. It was winter in Paris, and the weather was below 4 degrees Celsius.
The two youngsters later joined in the last stream of tourists to the Notre Dame Cathedral. They took the opportunity to hide in a hidden corner, waiting for it to get dark for action.
With careful calculation and preparation, especially good study of the cathedral’s design, the two youngsters, without protective equipment, groped their way up each step to reach the top of the 96-meter-high tower.
However, there were also heart-stopping moments. In the book “Le Vietcong au sommet de Notre-Dame” (The flag of Viet Cong on top of Notre Dame Cathedral), Olivier Parriaux recalled that there was a 2-meter-gap with a depth of 35 meters below on the way to the bell tower that they had to cross - something that was not included in the design they had studied. Bernard Bachelard jumped over without much difficulty. Olivier Parriaux jumped over, almost lost his footing, luckily Bernard Bachelard grabbed him back.
Asked if he considered the risk factor while carrying out that risky mission, Mr. Olivier Parriaux smiled and said that: “Yes, if everything goes smoothly, it will be fine, but if something goes wrong, like a slip of the hand while climbing to the top of the tower, it will be the worst outcome: death. And if we had been discovered and surrounded, we would have faced a prison sentence.”
The flag-raiser shared that they had anticipated all the possible situations and stood ready to face them. They even thought that when being caught, Bernard Bachelard would have been the one who would have had to work the hardest, for he would have lost his job while his wife had just given birth.
Did the flag-raising team encounter danger when climbing to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral and return safely? In the next part, the two Swiss guests will continue reveal their 30 hours of carrying out the “special mission” to support the just war of the Vietnamese people.
(to be continued)
By Phuong Thao - Linh Oanh
Translated by Mai Huong