A Saigon Journal: Inside Television's First War

Ron Steinman

Oct 2013 · KCM Publishing

About this ebook

A Saigon Journal, Inside Television’s First War, recounts Ron Steinman’s tenure as bureau chief for NBC News in Saigon. It is an intimate and deeply personal recounting of many of the Vietnam War’s most difficult and harrowing days. These include the huge American buildup of troops, the famous hill battles in the Central Highlands, heavy fighting along the DMZ, the siege of Khe Sanh, riots against the government in the streets, Buddhist monks burning themselves to death in protest of the government and the Tet Offensive, the centerpiece of the book, when Hanoi attempted to take over South Vietnam but failed. The book also recounts the personal story of Steinman’s romance with Josephine Tu Ngoc Suong, his future wife, and her near fatal accidental shooting. During this period television news learned to cover the war with correspondents and camera crews working alongside the troops, giving people at home an intimate view of what war was really like. Dubbed the living room war, people at home watched it unfold on TV over dinner and in their living rooms, something, until then that had not been possible.

About the author

Ron Steinman was with NBC News for 35 years.  He was a writer on the Huntley-Brinkley show and worked on documentaries before going to Saigon as bureau chief in 1966.  He served as South East Asia bureau chief based in Hong Kon and then London bureau chief.  He was a general manager of special programs during Watergate.  He was Washington producer for Today and he had other senior positions on Today, Early Today and in the news division.  He is currently a partner, producer and writer at Douglas/Steinman Productions where he directed the documentaries, “Luboml: My Heart Remembers,” and “My Grandfather’s House.”  He is the author of The Soldier’s Story, Women in Vietnam and a novel, Death in Saigon.  He writes political and media commentary for various web sites.