The Spy Who Loved Us_ The Vietnam War and Pham Xuan An's Dangerous Game ( PDFDrive )

The Spy Who Loved Us 89
writing reports in secret ink. “He would growl softly when he
heard a patrol moving through the neighborhood. He was very
good at warning me in advance when danger was approaching.”
One day when their paths crossed, Lansdale mentioned to
An that he was headed to California on leave and asked if he
wanted anything from the United States. An mentioned one
gift that would be very special but also very hard to obtain. It
would require Lansdale’s swimming with the seals off the California
coast.
“Oh, yeah?” Lansdale said, beginning to smile.
“You cut off the testicles of a male seal and put them in a jar
full of whiskey,” said An. “I need an aphrodisiac. I am weak in
this area, and this is a very good one.”
An guffaws on remembering his conversation with Lansdale
about seal testicles. An was versed in astrology and folk medicine,
the training of dogs and fighting cocks, the breeding of
birds and fish. His knowledge of aphrodisiacs and domestic
lore provided the subject matter for his jokes. It made him intimate
with everyone. These were the amusing diversions of his
life, while at the same time they were his methodology. He
had mastered the art of putting someone like Lansdale at ease
while joking about his personal foibles.
Daniel Ellsberg used to say that there were “three Lansdales,”
different personas he donned for different audiences.
“The first was the Lansdale who was reputed to have a magical
touch with foreigners. . . . What I saw him do with the
Vietnamese—and I learned from him—was to listen to them instead
of lecturing or talking down to them, as most Americans
did. He treated them respectfully, as though they were adults
worthy of his attention.” Lansdale coached his Asian clients
through public appearances; he wrote their speeches and organized
their schedules. When President Diem presented Tom
Dooley with Vietnam’s highest civilian award, the event was
scripted by Lansdale, with Diem doing nothing more than toeing
the line for a photo opportunity.