French Left-Wing Press on the Fall of Phnom Penh

On April 17, the day Phnom Penh fell, it remains a major event in contemporary Cambodian history. Beyond the account of the events and their tragic aftermath, already recounted many times, it is also interesting to know what the French left-wing press said during the capture of the capital…

From the very day of the fall of Phnom Penh, numerous articles are devoted to the event: the pro-American government of Lon Nol has laid down its arms, and the Khmer Rouge inflict, indirectly, a defeat on the United States. Journalists then seek to convey the new atmosphere prevailing in the country, and from April 20 onward, they focus on the episode at the French embassy where many foreign nationals and a few Cambodians have taken refuge. April 17, 1975, the day of the “liberation.”

Le Monde remains cautious and publishes three articles, stating that “the Phnom Penh government is considering laying down its arms.” That same day, Libération runs six articles and features on its front page: “The flag of the resistance flies over Phnom Penh.” In reporting the facts, the newspaper specifies that the announced “bloodbath” did not occur, “quite the contrary, the protection of civilians appeared as the main concern of the liberation forces.”

Meanwhile, La Croix declares that “the leaders of Phnom Penh have proposed a ceasefire.” At the moment when these three newsrooms print their headlines, information from Phnom Penh is scarce and trickling in drop by drop, and it is not until the next day that articles written with complete information on the day of the “victory” can be read.

The next day, Le Monde and La Croix announce on their front pages, respectively: “Phnom Penh has fallen” and “Phnom Penh in the hands of the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian capital fell Thursday morning,” while Libération clearly displays its satisfaction with the headline “seven days of celebration for a liberation,” the same approach taken by other left-wing and far-left newspapers.

Le Monde devotes four articles to the event and publishes a boxed insert on the front page about the “popular enthusiasm” based on the testimony of Patrice De Beer:

“The city is liberated. (…) There was no republican resistance. Gunshots can still be heard in the city center, but the popular enthusiasm is evident. Groups form around the guerrillas, often carrying American artillery, young, happy, surprised by their easy success.”

Throughout the four articles published that Friday, April 18, by the Libération newsroom, the assessment of the Khmer Rouge's capture of the capital appears largely positive, even though no journalist from the newsroom is present in Phnom Penh at that time… as for L’Humanité rouge, the Maoist publication, there is no sophistication in its reporting or coverage of the event. For them, it is a ideological victory of the armed people (photo below).