The Good Governor - Robert Ray and the Indochinese Refugees of Iowa

After the Americans withdrew from the Vietnam War, their Indochinese allies faced imprisonment, torture and death under communist regimes. The Tai Dam, an ethnic group from northern Vietnam, campaigned for sanctuary, writing letters to 30 U.S. governors in 1975. Only Robert D. Ray of Iowa agreed to help.
Ray created an agency to relocate the Tai Dam, advocated for the greater admission of "boat people" fleeing Vietnam, launched a Cambodian relief program that generated $540,000, and lobbied for the Refugee Act of 1980.
Interviews with 30+ refugees and officials inform this study, which also chronicles how the Tai Dam adapted to life in the Midwest and the Iowans' divided response.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

1.¿Beginnings and Endings at Dien Bien Phu

2.¿Bending the Rules of Federal Refugee Policy

3.¿The Growing Pains of the Iowa Refugee Service Center

4.¿Tai Dam as Professional Refugees

5.¿The Boat People Come to Iowa

6.¿Iowa SHARES and the Cambodian Refugees

7.¿The Littlest Victims

8.¿Children as Cultural Go Betweens

9.¿Robert Ray and the Indochinese Refugees

Chapter Notes

References

Index

About the author

Matthew R. Walsh is a professor of history at Des Moines Area Community College. For his previous works, Walsh has received awards from Penn State, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Product details

• Authors: Matthew R. Walsh
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 06.06.2017
• EAN: 9781476669472
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-6947-2
• No. of pages: 244
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 12 mm
• Weight: 336 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; USA, Vietnam, Ethnic Studies, History, HISTORY / United States / General, United States of America, USA, Asian History, History of the Americas, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, c 1955 to c 1975 (Vietnam War period), Refugees & Political Asylum, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War