“Viet Cong” Army Victories Propaganda Poster
ca. 1963
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Inflated body counts became a contentious issue in the U.S. later in the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese Communists also focused on numbers of killed and wounded. Le Duan, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was obsessed with them, setting ridiculously high goals for each campaign.
This Communist propaganda poster celebrates army victories in 1962 and the first three months of 1963 with some questionable numbers. Below is a partial translation of the text followed by actual numbers where available.
This Communist propaganda poster celebrates army victories in 1962 and the first three months of 1963 with some questionable numbers. Below is a partial translation of the text followed by actual numbers where available.
- 19 million people united to struggle against “My Diem” or “America’s Diem.” (the population of South Vietnam in 1962 was 14,650,000)
- We fought 19,711 battles
- We killed 28,108 enemy including 222 American advisers. (10,122 ARVN and 109 Americans were killed between 1962 and the end of 1963)
- We wounded 26,011 enemy including 102 American advisers (18,683 ARVN and 41 Americans were wounded in 1962 between 1962 and the end of 1963)
- We captured 5,118 enemy including 4 Americans
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Information Agency.
Full Citation: Vietcong Geneva Agreement Commemoration Poster; ca. 1963; Viet Cong Information [CR]Service Posters 1963; Propaganda Country Files, 1953 - 1991; Records of the U.S. Information Agency, Record Group 306; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/viet-cong-army-propaganda, September 9, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.