Nrines
MAY 0 197..5.
U.S. Companies Aid
Evacuated Vietnamese mploye
By BRENDAN JONES
Ten American companies
have reported that they managed to get varying numbers
of Vietnamese employes out of
South Vietnam and have kept
them on their payrolls or plan
to help them find other jobs.
Three American banks that
had branches in Saigon reported
that nearly all of their staffs—
Americans and Vietnamese—
and a relatively large number
of dependents had escaped by
different means. The banks'
staffs totaled more than 200.
The banks, which began
moving out "vulnerable" Vietnamese a week or more before
the Saigon Government surrendered, were the Bank of America, the Chase Manhattan Bank
and the National City Bank
of New York. Spokesmen said
that most went out by private
plane, while some were included in the American Embassy's
helicopter evacuation.
Among other American companies that succeeded in bringing out largely Vietnamese
staffs and dependents well before the surrender were Pan
American World Airways and
the American Express Com-
pany.
Of the airline's staff of 46,
`Continued on Page 37, Column 2
Chase International executives arriving this week at Kennedy Airport after a flight from
California. They were meMbers of Chase's Saigon operation. John P. Mitchell, right, and
Paul J. Didier, tenter, .are second. Vice - presidents, Ralph - White, ,,rear,-treasurer at Chase's Bangkok branch, who 'helped with the move. The man at left,
unidentified, was also on the flight.
TH.
U.S. Companies Helping
Own Vietnam Refugees
Continued From Page 35 , to help these and any other
Vietnamese employes in obtainincluding 4 expatriates, 9 Viet- ing jobs with
Esso or elsenamese elected to remain be- where. He noted that a large
hind. The rest were flown out number of Vietnamese workers
along with 266 dependents. The had been trapped in Da Nang
travel agency brought out all when that city was captured.
of its 28 personnel and 34 A spokesman for Caltex, a
dependents.
joint venture of the Standard
All the banks said they had Oil Company of California and
maintained evacuated person- Texaco, Inc., said that the comnel on salary just as they would pany "just doesn't know now"
if they had been in the process how many of its 220 workers
of being transferred between may have been evacuated. He
branches in different countries. said that two American emMost of the Vietnamese staff ployes,' who had been brought
members, it was noted, were out, were being assigned to
trilingual, highly skilled and other posts.
could readily be relocated in
-A Mere Handful
any of the banks' worldwide
Two other American combranches.
panies — Foremost-McKesson,
Reassignment Due
Inc., and the Northrop CorporaAmerican Express also said tion, both based in California
it had kept all personnel on —also indicated they had been
payroll and planned to reassign able to get out only a handful
them to British or other branch- of Vietnamese workers.
es. Pan American said that two R. M. Cleveland, director of
American managers and 11 international personnel for
Vietnamese staff members P.17 Foremost-McKesson, said that
ready had been reassigned, but the company had given the
that some who had served as American Embassy a list of Vi-'
baggage handlers and in other etnamese recommended for
unskilled jobs 'would have to evacuation. While it is believed
that perhaps six or seven embe helped to find other jabs.
Early last.month Exxon, Mo- ployes were lifted out, he said,
bil and other American .01m= the company is', still trying to
panies that had been exploring confirm whether more escaped.
for oil off the southern Vietna- - The -American company had
mese coast removed rigs, and a-50per cent partnership with
their. American crews. HoweV- a French company in a milk
er, two American oil comps' canning plant near Saigon that
vies, Esso Eastern, Inc.;. and employed 300 Vietnamese
Caltex, were not so fortunate workers. Mr. Cleveland comin getting out many of their mented that "It's not going to
Vietnamese workers. Each of be easy, but we will try hard
these Companies had chains of to relocate those Vietnamese
more than 100 service stations employes who did get out."
Northrop, which had a conin South Vietnam.
tract with the South Vietnamese
Exxon Subsidiary
Government for maintenance
Esso Eastern, a subsidiary of its air force, had been phasof the Exxon Corporation, had ing out its program, a spokes700 employes, almost all Viet- man said. The company, which
namese and nearly all service, had 100 Vietnamese employes
station workers. A spokesman last fall, had only 20 when
said yesterday that, in addition hostilities ended, he said. So
to six American managers who far, he added, only one of them,
had been evacuated, about 20 along with his wife and sevVietnamese employes and 110 eral children, was known to
dependents had been taken to have reached the refugee base
the Guam refugee center.
Of Camp Pendleton in CaliThe company, he said, plans forma.