The Good Governor: Robert Ray and the Indochinese Refugees of Iowa

by Matthew R. Walsh

Overview

 After the Americans withdrew from the Vietnam War, their Indochinese allies faced imprisonment, torture and death under communist regimes. The Tai Dam, an ethnic group from northern Vietnam, campaigned for sanctuary, writing letters to 30 U.S. governors in 1975. Only Robert D. Ray of Iowa agreed to help.
Ray created an agency to relocate the Tai Dam, advocated for the greater admission of “boat people” fleeing Vietnam, launched a Cambodian relief program that generated $540,000, and lobbied for the Refugee Act of 1980.
Interviews with 30+ refugees and officials inform this study, which also chronicles how the Tai Dam adapted to life in the Midwest and the Iowans’ divided response.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476669472
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	07/18/2017
Pages:	244
Sales rank:	421,297
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Matthew R. Walsh is a professor of history at Des Moines Area Community College. For his previous works, Walsh has received awards from Penn State, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Introduction 5

1. Beginnings and Endings at Dien Bien Phu 19

2. Bending the Rules of Federal Refugee Policy 39

3. The Growing Pains of the Iowa Refugee Service Center 61

4. Tai Dam as Professional Refugees 83

5. The Boat People Come to Iowa 109

6. Iowa SHARES and the Cambodian Refugees 133

7. The Littlest Victims 150

8. Children as Cultural Go Betweens 170

9. Robert Ray and the Indochinese Refugees 189

Chapter Notes 213

References 227

Index 231

Editorial Reviews

traces the Indochinese refugee resettlement during Iowa Governor Robert Ray’s term in office”—ProtoView; “Weaving oral history with state records and broader historical literature into a first-rate yet accessible, short narrative, Matthew Walsh effectively makes the case for Robert Ray’s greatness and Iowa’s unique role in the settlement of Southeast Asian refugees.”—The Annals of Iowa.

From the Publisher