Lachlan answers a common question about the Khmer Rouge regime:

"What happened to the cities after the evacuation in 1975?"

as well as another question about the terrible practicalities of life once the country was liberated in 1979:

"How did people get their houses back once the Khmer Rouge were gone?"

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Why was Duch released from prison on April 3rd, 1970?

How did Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge transition from small guerrilla enclaves to administering huge areas of Cambodia?

What exactly was “Independence Mastery,” and why was it so central to the Khmer Rouge mindset? 

Time Period Covered: April 1970 – July 1971 

In this episode, we pivot from Lon Nol’s takeover to the Cambodian communist perspective, exploring how Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge navigated the chaotic months following the coup. We follow Duch’s unexpected release from prison, track Pol Pot’s return journey from Beijing and Hanoi, and see how the Khmer Rouge began absorbing millions of Cambodians into so-called “liberated zones.” Along the way, we delve into the principle of Independence Mastery, the uneasy alliance with the Vietnamese, and the early precursor to S-21 known as M-13. We also uncover the paranoid mindset driving the Khmer Rouge’s suspicion of outside influence, including alleged assassination plots and forced confessions, shadows of the horror to come. 

Remember, if you can, to please support the show at www.shadowsofutopia.com/support. 

Sources:

Chandler - Tragedy of Cambodian History and Voices From S21

Short - Pol Pot

Kiernan - How Pol Pot Came To Power

ECCC Archives - Duch Trial 2009

Heder - Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model

Edwards - Cambodge

Harris - Buddhism Under Pol Pot

Why did Nixon invade Cambodia in May 1970?

What impact did the 'Cambodian Incursion' have on the war in Vietnam?

How did this effect Cambodia?

Time Period Covered: May - June 1970

In part two of our discussion about the situation in Cambodia after the coup which pushed Sihanouk from power, we see how the Nixon Whitehouse responded to the crisis facing Cambodia.

Lachlan asks whether the decision that Nixon and Kissinger made was the right one, or whether there was a correct answer. We look at the circumstances which brought about the decision, what options were on the table, and the impact that Nixon's speech which announced the 'incursion' had. Then we look at the 'Cambodia Campaign' itself, discussing the fighting which overtakes much of the country, and the outcomes this had in the short, and long term.

Remember, if you can, to please support the show at www.shadowsofutopia.com/support

Sources:

Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History”

Short “Pol Pot”

Shawcross “Sideshow”

Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”

Sak Satsukhan “The Khmer Republic at War”

Wilfred Deac “Road to the Killing Fields”

Walter Isaacson “Kissinger”

Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came to Power”

Etcheson “Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea”

James Sterba "G.I's in Cambodia" (New York Times)

What was the crisis facing the new Cambodian Government in April 1970?

Why were the Vietnamese communities subjected to massacres?

What circumstances led to a US invasion into Cambodia?

Time Period Covered: April 1970

In this episode Lachlan explores the horrible aftermath of the coup against Sihanouk, a panicked new regime produced a pogrom against an innocent group of civilians. The Communist Vietnamese armies take much of the countryside. Journalists disappear as they report on the Vietnam War which had spilled over the border. The Nixon Whitehouse faces a decision.

Apologies for the abrupt ending, part two is basically done and will be out soon!

Please consider supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia  

Check out https://www.mekongriverpress.com/mekong-river-press 

Sources

Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History”

Short “Pol Pot”

Shawcross “Sideshow”

Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”

Sak Satsukhan “The Khmer Republic at War”

Wilfred Deac “Road to the Killing Fields”

Walter Isaacson “Kissinger”

Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came to Power”

Etcheson “Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea”

Lachlan takes you back through the more than 30 hours of Season 2's storyline that took us through 15 years of Cambodian history.

Support the show at https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html 

Were the CIA responsible for the coup against Sihanouk?

Why did Lon Nol and Sirik Matak finally make a move against the prince?

What did Sihanouk’s removal from power mean for the Khmer Rouge?

Time Period Covered 1969 - 1970

In the final episode of this season, Lachlan covers the circumstances that surround the plot to remove Norodom Sihanouk from his position as head of state. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak will take advantage of the problem of Vietnamese troop presence on Cambodian land and turn it into a political necessity to oust the Prince. They would make several miscalculations which would mean that this plan would largely backfire, as Sihanouk joins a resistance front with who he thinks are the Khmer Rouge, as well as the Vietnamese and recieving Chinese aid. Lon Nol’s new government will have to resort to terrible measures to try and deliver on their promises.

Please consider supporting the show at https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia 

Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History” and “Brother Number One”

Short “Pol Pot”

Shawcross “Sideshow”

Heder “Cambodian Communism”

Sihanouk “My War With The CIA”

Osbourne “Sihanouk”

Jagel “Khmer Nationalist”

Haing Ngor “Survival in the Killing Fields”

Kamm “Report from a Stricken Land”

How did Cambodia become the ‘key’ to Nixon’s plan to end the Vietnam War?

What was the secret bombing of Cambodia?

How many bombs did the US drop on Cambodia?

What factors led to the end of Sihanouk’s leadership of the country?

Time Period Covered 1968 - 1969

In this episode Lachlan looks at the gradually degrading situation in Cambodia, and the destabilization prior to a change in the Whitehouse that will only make matters worse. We look at Sihanouk’s movies, the Cambodian economy, and the Khmer Rouge as they continue their ‘armed struggle’ across the country. Nixon’s ascension to power in the USA is explored, his plans for a quick end to the Vietnam War, and the role that Cambodia could play in producing this. Bombing, done in secret, is explained, as well as some comments on the general discourse around the idea of ‘bombs over Cambodia’.

Check out the YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/8QdRvpbMr_w?si=vTEurMs6dDEmjjHI

Sources

Short “Pol Pot”

Chandler “Tragedy of Cambodian History”

Shawcross “Sideshow”

Mark Atwood Lawrence “Concise History of the Vietnam War”

Kiernan “How Pol Pot Came To Power”

Osbourne “Sihanouk”

Heder “Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model”

Article Links

https://quillette.com/2023/12/07/kissinger-and-cambodia/

https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/cambodian-genocide-program/us-involvement/united-states-bombing-cambodia-1965-1973

Support

https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia

How many journalists were able to set foot in Cambodia before the revolution, during the revolution and after the revolution?

Not many.

Elizabeth Becker is one of those people. In 1973 she began covering the war in Cambodia, in 1978 she was part of a three person delegation which saw the first western journalists to enter into Democratic Kampuchea. There she was witness to, as she describes it a "Twilight Zone" version of Cambodia.

She also met Pol Pot.

The end of her trip ended in tragedy as one member of the delegation was murdered the same night.

A fictionalised version of that story is the subject of Rithy Panh's new film Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot, and I got to speak to Elizabeth about her newest book "You Don't Belong Here", as well as her story and work in Cambodia, witnessing the effects of the 1973 US bombing campaign, her tour of Democratic Kampuchea and much more.

At the beginning of the interview, Elizabeth references a review by David Chandler from 1987 and what it meant to hear this critique in the Khmer Rouge Tribunals. She also gives her reasoning behind why she thinks that criticism was given. I had failed to mention to her before the interview or at the time that I had worked with David previously, which I regret. However, I feel it is necessary to mention that Chandler had later recommended "When the War Was Over" in his 'top five books' that someone should read about Cambodia. This was amongst high praise and the reasons he gave for his initially critical review in the late 80s:

"She manages to tell the dramatic sides, the painful aspects, she builds up a very clear and moving picture. She worked in Cambodia in the early 1970s so she got a feel for the country, she understood what had been damaged and how people were affected. It is a very effective book and I believe that it will stand up to the test of time. I had reservations initially because she wasn’t an insider, and like so many writers she goes into the story through the dark side of the Khmers, the spooky nature of the land and people- in this way foreshadowing Philip Short. I don’t buy into that at all. It’s a small reservation I have, but otherwise this is a wonderful book."

That recommendation can be found at https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-books-cambodia/

Please visit https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia to watch the video of the interview.

What role does the Tet Offensive play in the My Lai Massacre?

What circumstances in troop deployment and officer training influenced what happened?

Why were more than 500 civilians murdered by Charlie Company?

Time Period Covered December 1967 - March 1968

In this episode, Lachlan confronts the horrors that occurred in My Lai on the 16th of March 1968. He attempts to answer why more than 500 civilians were killed, what the context of these killings were, as well as the role that officers such as William Calley had in producing the My Lai Massacre. 

Please visit https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html 

For Photos and Maps of the My Lai Assault please visit https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/episodes/tet-part-two-the-my-lai-massacre

** Be advised of a mistake in the episode. Hugh Thompson did not receive the "Medal of Honour", but a US Army Soldier's Medal. I meant this as a generality but forgot there is a genuine "Congressional Medal of Honour". Apologies. **

Sources

The Peers Inquiry of the Massacre at My Lai 1970

Edward Miller The Vietnam War: A Documentary Reader

William Thomas Allison My Lai

The Vietnam War Geoffrey War and Ken Burns

The Vietnam War Mark Atwood Lawrence

Anatomy of US and South Korean Massacres In the Year of the Monkey Heonik Kwon

Lachlan sits down with Matt Madden, translator of Chan Samoeun’s Prisoners of Class. The book, having been recently released in English for the first time, is an amazing example of a Khmer Rouge survivor memoir.

They discuss Matt’s journey in finding the original book, meeting the author and translating it over many years. The book itself, including amazing details and descriptions of the world of the ‘life slave’ in Democratic Kampuchea, are discussed and thought about, as well as the contributions to the work that Matt has produced.

Please go out and get yourself a copy of the book, the best place to do so is from https://www.mekongriverpress.com/ where you can preview the book, get access to the supplementary material, as well as purchase various editions. 

 

Please take the time to leave a rating or review wherever you get it from!