Shoes from a Child Transported During Operation Babylift
1975
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In April 1975, the North Vietnamese captured Saigon, taking control of South Vietnam and marking the end of the Vietnam War, two years after the Paris Peace Agreement and the last American troops left Vietnam.
During the chaotic final days before the fall of Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of Vietnamese orphans. The plan was controversial. There were questions about the administration’s political motives and whether the children would be better off in America, especially when it was discovered that some of the children weren’t truly orphans. There were rumors that the Communists would kill Amerasian children, so some desperate parents chose to send their children away to save them.
The mission, officially named Operation Babylift, began April 3, 1975. Tragically, the first flight’s plane malfunctioned, causing the pilot to have to make a crash landing and killing 78 children and 50 adults. More than 170 survived. In all, more than 3,300 children were evacuated to the United States.
During the chaotic final days before the fall of Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of Vietnamese orphans. The plan was controversial. There were questions about the administration’s political motives and whether the children would be better off in America, especially when it was discovered that some of the children weren’t truly orphans. There were rumors that the Communists would kill Amerasian children, so some desperate parents chose to send their children away to save them.
The mission, officially named Operation Babylift, began April 3, 1975. Tragically, the first flight’s plane malfunctioned, causing the pilot to have to make a crash landing and killing 78 children and 50 adults. More than 170 survived. In all, more than 3,300 children were evacuated to the United States.
This primary source comes from the Collection GRF-MCOLL: Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection, 1977 - 2016.
Full Citation: Museum Object 2007.65.8; Shoes from a Child Transported During Operation Babylift; 1975; Artifacts Relating to the Life and Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, 1977 - 2016; Collection GRF-MCOLL: Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection, 1977 - 2016; Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/operation-babylift-shoes, May 22, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
