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Dayan, Moshe - Original Manuscript of His Vietnam Diary

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:20,000.00 USD Estimated At:40,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
Dayan, Moshe - Original Manuscript of His Vietnam Diary
<Our item number 109795><B>Dayan, Moshe.</B> 1915-81&#41; Israeli general and statesman., The original manuscript of Moshe Dayan&#39;s Vietnam Diary, approximately 200 pages, in Hebrew, most 11&#34; x 8½&#34;, Vietnam, 1966. Some pages are dated at upper right. Here and there he writes in English the names of individuals with whom he spoke. The condition is overall fine. These notes constitute the largest amount of Dayan&#39;s handwiting in private hands. So far as we know, this is a complete manuscript. It is housed in a custom-made white leather case, with the notes on one side and a copy of the book which was pubished in 1977, containing his Hebrew-language articles, on the other. The exterior of the case has a black eye patch &#40;Dayan&#39;s trademark&#41; on one side; on the other side is the Israeli flag. The raised spine has gilt lettering: &#34;Vietnam Diary / Moshe Dayan / The Original Remaining Manuscript In His Hand /1966.&#34; The case fits into a leather-covered blue slipcover, the whole making a most attractive presentation.<BR><BR>In 1966 when he was asked by Maariv, the most important Israeli newspaper of the time, to go to Vietnam as a war correspondent, Dayan eagerly agreed. His articles would be published in Maariv as well as the British and French press.<BR>Before going to Vietnam, he interviewed French, British, and American generals to gain their perspectives on the war. In Vietnam he actually went on patrol with American troops and observed the fighting first-hand. He concluded that the Americans would lose the war in spite of their superior technology because the Vietcong had gone underground, and even the most advanced aircraft could not see the trenches and tunnels in which they were hiding. He also concluded that lack of intelligence was a major factor in the lack of progress. While he was impressed by the discipline and commitment of the American fighting men, and by the forces at their disposal, he realized that American leadership had no clear idea of how to win the war or even why America was in the war. What he learned was how not to fight a war.<BR><BR>Moshe Dayan was born in Deganya, Palestine. He played a key role in four wars and helped negotiate the historic treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979. At the age of 14, he joined the Haganah, which defended Jewish settlements from Arab attacks. In 1939 the Haganah was outlawed by the British and Dayan was arrested. After his release in 1941, he served with the Allied forces that liberated Lebanon and Syria from the Vichy French. During this campaign, he was wounded and lost his left eye, thereafter adopting the black eye patch that became his trademark. During the war of independence &#40;1948-49&#41; Dayan was commander on the Jerusalem front, and in 1952 he became chief of operations at General Headquarters. In 1953, he was elected Chief of Staff of the armed forces, and, consequently, supervised the Sinai campaign of 1956.<BR><BR>In 1959, Dayan was elected to the Israeli Parli ament and served &#40;1959-64&#41; as minister of agriculture in the government of David Ben-Gurion. Named defense minister just before the Six-Day War of 1967, Dayan was still blamed for Israel’s unpreparedness in the Yom Kippur Was of 1973 and he subsequently resigned &#40;1974&#41;. In 1977 he became foreign minister in Menachem Begin&#39;s government and played an important role in negotiating the peace treaty with Egypt, signed in 1979. He resigned later that same year in protest against Begin&#39;s policies regarding the disputed West Bank territory, and launched a new center party in 1981. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;40,000-60,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 109795<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://64.60.141.195/photos/40jpegs/109795.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>