"White Christmas" is classic Yuletide ditty that's loved by many. But did it actually play an important role in one of histories most famous wars?
SOME songs are tied to a particular time of the year or season, especially those meant to celebrate a particular festival such as Christmas – which is generally associated with winter and snow-blanketed grounds, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.
As such, it can be said that hearing a song like "White Christmas" on the radio in April would be jarring and likely to get anyone’s attention at how odd it is.
Over the years since the fall of Saigon – now Ho Chi Minh City – in April 1975, it has been said online and in print regularly that the song "White Christmas" was used to signal the evacuation of all United States and other foreign nationals from Vietnam.
Is this true, or is it an urban legend?
Verdict:
TRUE
Yes, this is in fact true, as the Bing Crosby version of "White Christmas" was in fact used as the signal to all foreign nationals in the capital of South Vietnam that an evacuation was underway and that it was time to get ready and run.
The need for such preparations was evident as throughout March and April 1975, an ongoing offensive by the North Vietnamese Army was in full swing and was capturing more and more cities in South Vietnam.
This prompted an exodus of refugees, which picked up after the fall of the second-largest city in South Vietnam, Da Nang.
At the time, approximately 5,000 Americans remained; this included diplomats still working in the US embassy in Saigon.
It was with this in mind that a more discrete signal was set up, as the playing of the "White Christmas" on US government-run Armed Forces radio was preceded by a line that would have seemed odd to those not cued in to the fact that it was a coded signal, that "the temperature in Saigon is 105 degrees and rising."
Of course, those who were to be evacuated knew this ahead of time as it was all detailed in the 15-page booklet called SAFE (Standard Instruction and Advice to Civilians in an Emergency).
This booklet was issued by the American Embassy and contained among other things the information on what to listen for on the radio, as well as points for civilians to assemble to be evacuated by helicopter.
Ultimately, the temperature in Saigon rose to 105 degrees and "White Christmas" hit the airwaves on April 29, 1975 – signalling the very end of America’s involvement in Vietnam.
This evacuation was ultimately completed when Ambassador Graham Martin was evacuated at 4am on April 30.
References:
1. https://calendar.songfacts.
2. https://americacomesalive.com/
3. https://diplomacy.state.gov/
4. https://time.com/3838802/fall-
