Bernard B. Fall | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | February 21, 1967 | (aged 40)
Nationality | Austrian French American |
Alma mater | University of Paris University of Munich Syracuse University (MA; PhD) Johns Hopkins University |
Occupation(s) | War correspondent and historian |
Years active | 1953-1967 |
Spouse | Dorothy Winer Fall |
Children | 3 daughters |
Bernard B. Fall (November 19, 1926 – February 21, 1967) was a prominent war correspondent, historian, political scientist, and expert on Indochina during the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Austria, he moved with his family to France as a child after the Anschluss. He started fighting for the French Resistance at the age of 16 and later for the French Army during World War II.
In 1950, he first came to the United States for graduate studies at Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University, returning and making his residence there. He taught at Howard University for most of his career and made regular trips to Southeast Asia to learn about changes and their societies. He predicted the failures of France and the United States in their wars in Vietnam because of their tactics and lack of understanding of the societies. He was killed by a landmine in South Vietnam while he was accompanying US Marines on a patrol in 1967.