During the next two days, the North Vietnamese showed their American visitors propaganda films and photos of dead civilians and gave long lectures on what specific areas the American military had bombed. Since Joan had long been protesting the war, she was annoyed with these enforced activities and longed to explore Hanoi on her own.
On the third evening, December 18, she was feeling sick from watching yet another graphic propaganda film and was about to retire to her room for the night when the electricity in the building failed. Two long, loud sirens range out. One of the Vietnamese men excused himself calmly, saying it was an "alert."
All the hotel guests walked toward a nearby bomb shelter. Because everyone seemed so relaxed, Joan thought she must be the only nervous on in the group. Then she heard the roar of planes. Everyone jumped and ran down the narrow flight of stairs. An explosion shook the walls.
When the bombing stopped, someone joked that, because it was December, perhaps the raid was an early Christmas present to Hanoi from President Nixon. Everyone laughted. But this series of raids--technically referred to as Operation Linebacker II and spedificalyl designed to intimidate the NOrth into recommencing peace talks--would actually become known as the Christmas Bombings.
Ten more bombing raids occurred that night...
In 1979, five years after the United States had withdrawn from Vietnam, Joan spoke out publicly against the new Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In a letter published in four major US newspapers, she criticized the brutal reeducation centers that were forcing a Communist worldview upon the people of South Vietnam. She wrote, "Instead of bringing hope and reconciliation to war-torn Vietnam, your government has created a painful nightmare." She maintained that her new protest was perfectly consistent with her previous antiwar stance, saying, "My politics have not changed. I have always spoken for the oppressed people of Vietnam who could not speak for themselves."
From "Joan Baez: Protest Singer" from Courageous Women of the Vietnam War.
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