“The Nucleus of Craftsmen Needed to Build a Firm National Foundation”

During the Vietnam War, the US military and associated contractors employed hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and third country nationals. The U.S. Office of Civilian Personnel (OCP), charged with overseeing labor relations in Vietnam, introduced grievance processes, labor-employer councils, training programs, union-friendly policies, and other reforms—with the goal of serving U.S. war aims and modernizing the Vietnamese workforce. The results were mixed. Work stoppages, in particular, presented serious challenges, as did the U.S. demobilization completed in 1973. Still, U.S. labor policies in Vietnam hardly resembled the oppressive, racialized imperialism depicted by some scholars. The OCP’s story adds yet another level to our understanding of the complex American mission in Southeast Asia and the equally involved debates among South Vietnamese about democracy and modernization.