Jane Fonda and ‘Hanoi Jane’ Controversy : Morgan Beaschler

Jane Fonda is an actress, writer, political activist, former model and fitness guru. Fonda was an anti-war activist. In July 1972 Jane visited Hanoi North Vietnam. She toured the country’s dike system, visited villages, hospitals, schools and factories that were damaged in the war. Fonda thought that America was unjustly bombing farmland and areas that were far away from military targets. Fonda said that she made several radio announcements over the voice of Vietnam radio to implore U.S pilots to stop the bombings. She said “I appealed to them to please consider what your doing. I don’t think they know”. She said this is a news conference when she came back home. So why did she get the nickname ‘Hanoi Jane’? There was a picture of her sitting on an anti-aircraft gun. This picture outraged a number of Americans and earned her nickname of ‘Hanoi Jane’. Her explanation of sitting on this gun was that she was exhausted and the translator told her that the soldiers wanted to sing her a song. As they sung she heard words like, ‘all men are created equal’, ‘they are given certain rights and among these are life, liberty and happiness’. She began to cry and clap. These young men were singing the same thing Americans are, and she thought that these men should not be our enemies. So how did she end up sitting on the gun? She said she was still clapping and singing and someone had led her towards the gun and she sat down without even thinking. Someone took a photo of her and now there is a huge controversy about why she was sitting on the gun. She says that she did not do this on purpose but some people think she did. Some people thought she should be charged with treason. She has apologized after this incident saying that she did not mean to harm anyone. Some people believe her and some people do not. 

This is a picture of Jane singing with the soldiers while sitting on the gun.

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