It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Côn Đảo. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that Pulo Condor Island be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Con Son Island is an island off the coast of southern Vietnam. The French colonial government called the island "Poulo Condore" and established a prison there in 1861, for the purpose of housing political prisoners. In 1954, it was turned over to the South Vietnam government who continued to use it for the same purpose. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Côn Đảo, also known as Côn SÆ¡n, refers to an archipelago off the coast of the Bà Rịa–VÅ©ng Tàu province, 179 knots away from the provincial capital VÅ©ng Tàu. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Con Son Island. ... French Indochina was a federation of protectorates in Southeast Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... -1... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ...

Investigation and photos

During the Vietnam War, prisoners who had been held at the prison in the 1960s said they were abused and tortured. In July 1970, two U.S. Congressional representatives, Augustus Hawkins and William Anderson, visited the prison. They were accompanied by Tom Harkin (then an aide), translator Don Luce, and USAID Office of Public Safety director Frank Walton. Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 1,250,000+ US dead: 58,226 US wounded... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... Augustus Freeman Hawkins (born August 31, 1907), a prominent U.S. figure in Civil Rights and Organized Labor history. ... There are several prominent individuals named William Anderson including: William French Anderson, the US geneticist and molecular biologist William Anderson (VC), a recipient of the Victoria Cross William Herbert Anderson, another recipient of the Victoria Cross William Anderson (naval officer), commander of the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, and... Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is the junior United States Senator from Iowa. ... Aide was the Basque numenistic deity of the air. ... Don Luce (born 2 October 1948 in London, Ontario, Canada) is a retired professional ice hockey centreman who played in the NHL from 1969 to 1982. ... The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

When the delegation arrived at the prison, they departed from the planned tour, guided by a map drawn by a former detainee. The map led to the door of a building, which was opened from the inside by a guard when he heard the people outside the door talking. Inside they found prisoners were being shackled within cramped "tiger cages". Prisoners began crying out for water when the delegation walked in. They had sores and bruises, and some were mutilated. Harkin took photos of the scene. The photos were published in Life Magazine on July 17, 1970. A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

Along with the earlier disclosure of My Lai massacre, and the later disclosure of the Pentagon Papers, the revelation of the conditions and purpose of Con Son Island prison led more Americans to believe that supporting the South Vietnam government was improper, and that they should oppose the war. Pro-war and pro-South critics claimed that the photos were misleading, claiming conditions in the prison were not unusual for political prisons in the region. Some claimed that the photos were "motivated" by Harkin's anti-war beliefs. The Island was also used by the U.S. Coast Guard as a LORAN station. Photographs of the My Lai massacre provoked world outrage and became an international scandal. ... The Pentagon Papers is the colloquial term for United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, a 47 volume, 7,000-page, top-secret United States Department of Defense history of the United States political and military involvement in the Vietnam War from 1945... Children run down a road near Trang Bang after an ARVN napalm attack on villages suspected of harboring National Liberation Front fighters in this June, 1972 photo by Huynh Cong Ut, which became a defining symbol of the international movement against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. ... Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti_war is a name that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ... LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters that use the time interval between radio signals received from three or more stations to determine the position of a ship or aircraft. ...

The prison on Con Son Island was closed in 1975, when North Vietnam (now unified as Vietnam) toppled the South Vietnam government, in the wake of the United States and its Coalition (South Korea, Australia) withdrawal from the Vietnam War. Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 1,250,000+ US dead: 58,226 US wounded...

Notable prisoners held at Con Son included Pham Van Dong and Le Duc Tho. Pham Van Dong (Vietnamese: Phạm Văn Ðồng, Chu Nom 范文同) (March 1, 1906 – April 29, 2000) was an associate of Ho Chi Minh who helped establish the Indochinese Communist Party. ... Lê Ðức Thọ (October 14, 1911 – October 13, 1990) was a Vietnamese revolutionary, general, diplomat, and politician. ...