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Voice of America - Khmer

11 November 2009 

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Year Before Zero: Dean's Controlled Solution

In 1974 and 1975, a US ambassador battled Washington to support a negotiated solution to Cambodia's worsening conflict. Ambassador John Gunther Dean's document donation this April to the US National Archives paints a picture of failed diplomacy and holds lessons for today's statesmen. In this six-part series, VOA Khmer takes a detailed look at the final year of the Khmer Republic.

LISTEN to KHMER audio versions of any story below. First click on headline, then click on the speaker icon.

The Year Before Zero: Dean's Controlled Solution - Failure of Control  Audio Clip Available
In the year leading to the fall of the Khmer Republic, in 1975, an ambassador at the head of his first mission fought for a negotiated solution to a worsening conflict. PART ONE of a six-part series. (24 July 2007) [AP Photo]
The Year Before Zero: Dean's Controlled Solution - Assessment on Arrival  Audio Clip Available
As soon as he arrived in Phnom Penh in 1974, John Gunther Dean began assessing the Khmer Republic’s military situation. The outlook was not good. PART TWO of a six-part series. (25 July 2007) [AP Photo]
The Year Before Zero: Dean’s Controlled Solution - ‘Internationalization’  Audio Clip Available
In the summer of 1974 John Gunther Dean pushed for the “internationalization” of Cambodia’s crisis. PART THREE of a six-part series. (27 July 2007) [AP Photo]
The Year Before Zero: Dean's Controlled Solution - Mekong Convoy  Audio Clip Available
With efforts for an international Cambodian peace conference lost in 1974, the fight over the Mekong River would seal the fate of the Khmer Republic. PART FOUR of a six-part series. (31 July 2007) [AP Photo]
The Year Before Zero: Dean's Controlled Solution - The Death of Throes of Diplomacy  Audio Clip Available
With the Mekong River cut off in February, 1975, a US ambassador nearly pleaded with Washington to find a way to negotiate a settlement. PART FIVE of a six-part series. (01 August 2007) [AP Photo]
The Year Before Zero: Dean’s Controlled Solution - Reflections on the Future  Audio Clip Available
More than 30 years after evacuating Phnom Penh by helicopter, John Gunther Dean, last ambassador to the Khmer Republic, insists more could have been done to avert the Cambodian genocide. PART SIX of a six-part series. (03 August 2007) [AP Photo]