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George Mason University Libraries
2011 By George Mason University Libraries. All rights reserved.
Processed by: Special Collections and Archives Staff
Collection is open to research.
There are no restrictions.
Vietnam Military Assistance Advisory Group Team 58 photograph collection, Collection #C0196, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University.
The collection of photographs was purchased from Between the Covers in August of 2011.
Processed by Kristen Korfitzen in November 2011. EAD created by Kristen Korfitzen in November 2011.
MAAG (Military Assistance Advisory Group), Vietnam, was an organization of military personnel, sent to train and assist South Vietnamese armed forces. Originally, the delegation was sent to support the French military in the First Indochina War and named MAAG Indochina. With the withdrawal of French troops from Vietnam, MAAG shifted its focus to the training of South Vietnamese forces in an effort to stem the rising influence of Communism. MAAG Vietnam was in operation from 1955-1964. At the time the photographs in this collection were taken, Team 58 was stationed in Vi Thanh in the former Chuong Thien province. Throughout its inception MAAG Vietnam was under the control of three generals; Lieutenant General Samuel T. Williams, November 1955-September 1960, Lieutenant General Lionel C. McGarr, September 1960-July 1962, and Major General Charles J. Timmes, July 1962-May 1964. In 1964 MAAG was placed under U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) and had grown from a few hundred advisors to over 3,000.
The collection contains 104 black and white photographs measuring 3.75 x 2.5 inches, of MAAG Advisory Team 58. Photographs in the collection show the day-to-day life in the camp with no images of combat. The majority of photographs feature portraits of MAAG Team 58. Photographs of advisors include personnel working in offices, eating meals and enjoying down time, and preparing for a USO show. Several photographs document an assembly with Vietnamese speakers attended by both military advisors and local residents. Photographs also include scenes of the town of Vi Thanh, and several photographs taken from an airplane.
Series 1 contains photographs taken from an assembly in Vi Thanh. The photographs show one main speaker addressing the crowd from a platform with several other persons sitting behind him. Photographs of the crowd show both soldiers and civilians in attendance. Though the purpose and issues discussed at the assembly remain undocumented, soldiers in the audience carry banners with Vietnamese slogans printed on them which could provide further insight.
Series 2 contains photographs of the MAAG Team-58 camp. Photographs document the interiors and exteriors of the camp, showing soldier common areas and images of several buildings that make up the camp complex. Interior shots show the living quarters of MAAG Team 58 including bedrooms and common areas used for meals and recreation. Interiors also depicted include rooms used for meetings and office space. Exterior views of the camp include several shots of different kinds of buildings. Large multipurpose buildings as well as small living quarters are shown. Images of several roofs show that buildings were marked with MAAG Team 58, Vi Thanh.
Series 3 includes Aerial views of Vietnam and images of the camp's runway and pilots. Four images in this series are shot from the back of a cargo or transport aircraft. The other four images in the series show planes taking off from the camp's makeshift runway and aviation crew members.
Series 4 contains images of Vi Thanh,the capital of what was then called Chuong-Thien Province. Photographs of Vi Thanh include the main town area and areas of local recreation. Several photographs show a local tennis court being used by both civilians and possibly soldiers. Images of Vi Thanh town center include shop fronts with local residents, and a main street populated with cars and residents.
Series 5 contains portraits of MAAG Team 58. Portraits in the series contain individual as well as group portraits. Only one of the portraits in the series is labeled, documenting place and date. None of the figures in the portraits are identified. Images show the soldiers working at their desks, sitting in common areas, eat meals, congregating outside and solitary against a non-descript background.
The photographs in this collection are arranged by subject.
Series 1: Vi Thanh Assembly, 1955-1965 (Box 1) Series 2: MAAG Team 58 Camp, 1955-1965 (Box 1) Series 3: Aviation and Aerial Photography, 1955-1965 (Box 1) Series 4: Vi Thanh, 1955-1965 (Box 1) Series 5: Portraits, 1955-1965 (Box 1)Special Collections and Archives also hold the Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection which includes photographs related to the Vietnam War. The French Communist Party poster collection and the Edwin W. Lynch Vietnam War protest collection both contain anti-Vietnam War materials.
Images in this series depict an assembly held in Vi Thanh.
Man delivering a speech, viewed from behind.
Man giving a speech, viewed from right.
Man giving a speech, viewed from right.
Man delivering a speech, viewed from the point of view of the crowd behind him.
Man delivering a speech, viewed from the point of view of the crowd behind him.
View of the crowd at the assembly including military personnel and civilians.
Alternate view of the crowd at the assembly.
Crowd at assembly with banners displaying Vietnamese slogans.
Soldiers at assembly with Vietnamese banner.
Soldiers at assembly with Vietnamese banner.
Images in this series show buildings and areas of the MAAG Team 58 camp in Vi Thanh.
Weapons hanging on the wall.
Wall of a camp bedroom with dresser and clothing hanging on wall.
Camp bedroom with a bed, table and chairs, dresser and nightstand.
Two images of an assembly area of camp with maps on a easel.
Camp building made of corrugated metal.
View of the entrance gate to MAAG Team 58 Camp.
Building in the camp seen from the side.
Aerial view of the camp including several different complexes of buildings.
Army jeep parked in the camp behind reinforcements made of sandbags.
View of buildings in the camp shot from an army jeep.
Large building in the camp.
Two images of a building in the camp seen from the side.
Same building as previous photo shot from a different angle.
Building in the camp with corrugated roof.
Small building in the camp with army personnel inside.
Building in the camp with corrugated roof. A military advisor on a ladder makes repairs to the building.
Three military personnel stand outside several buildings in the camp.
View of the entrance gate to MAAG Team 58 Camp.
Overhead shot of corrugated roofs with camp name and location printed on it.
Four images of a meeting in the MAAG Team 58 Camp.
Three images of USO preparations.
Military personnel in a large hall.
Small building in the camp with army personnel inside and army jeep.
Military personnel outside buildings working on automobiles.
Military personnel working at desks in hall.
Military personnel in uniform outside camp building.
Photographs in contain aerial views of Vietnam and images of aviation.
4 images of land, taken from an aircraft.
3 Images of camp runways and aircraft.
Three military personnel standing at the back of an aircraft.
Photographs in series 4 contain images of village life in Vi Thanh.
The names of MAAG Team 58 written in the sand.
3 Images of a tennis court in Vi Thanh with local children and military personnel playing tennis.
A river bank in Vi Thanh.
3 images of store fronts in Vi Thanh with local residents and military personnel.
Street scene of Vi Thanh features local residents and military personnel.
Photographs in series 5 include individual and group portraits of members of MAAG Team 58.
Two army personnel posed in uniform in the camp.
Military personnel taking a picture in the mirror.
Military personnel on look out tower.
2 images of a military advisor on a lookout tower.
A man sitting in the camp.
Two men sitting behind sandbags in the camp.
Army personnel sitting at his desk behind a type writer.
Several army personnel sitting in a camp common area.
Man sitting at a desk or table.
Man sitting at a desk with a map of Vietnam behind him.
A man standing in a court yard in the army camp.
Photograph of a man in a stripped shirt.
Two men sitting outside in the camp.
Man reading something in bed.
Man driving a jeep stopping to have his picture taken.
Group portrait of army personnel eating a meal.
Two men sitting in camp in uniform. One man in the foreground faces away from the camera.
A man getting his haircut in the camp.
Man at his desk in the camp.
Photograph of a man in a white tee-shirt.
Man working with a shovel in the camp courtyard.
Two men at there desks in the camp.
Group portrait of army personnel playing volleyball in the camp.
Two men sitting in the camp behind sandbags.
Two army personnel in uniform sitting at a desk in the camp.
Young man posing with several cars.
Three men sitting around a table in a bedroom.
Man posing with a Boa constrictor.
Military advisor on look out tower.
Two men posed with military jeeps.
Photograph of a man in a white shirt in front of a building.
Group portrait of military advisors at a party.
Two men in a camp common area. One reading and one at a desk.
Two men, one seated and one standing, in front of a camp building.
Man in uniform posed in a courtyard.
Man outside in the camp posed in front of sandbags.
Photograph of a man making coffee in the army camp.
A man sitting at his desk with a map of Vietnam behind him.
Group portrait of several military advisors sitting outside.
Four military advisors sitting outside the camp.
Two men in uniform sitting at a desk.
Two men standing in a courtyard talking.