Long Binh Jail
Scope and Contents
The Currey Archive includes the personal papers and library of Dr. Cecil B. Currey. Most of the items pertain to military history with an emphasis on the American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnamese Conflict. Although most of the Currey Archive is in print, other types of media include microfilm, photographs, tapes, slides, artifacts, etc. Correspondence, memoranda, briefing papers, telegrams, officers’ reports, transcripts of interviews, declassified Army documents and many other documents add dimension to this unique collection. A particular highlight of the archive are two letters written by Benjamin Franklin.
Portions of this collection are available for access via our digital collections at the FHSU Scholars Repository. Links for individual items are included in the description for that item in the finding guide. A link to the entire group of digital materials available from this collection is below.
Digital Collections - FHSU Scholars Repository – Digitized Copies of Materials
Dates
- Existence: 1430-2012
Creator
- From the Collection: Currey, Cecil B. (Person)
- From the Collection: Currey, Laura G. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers, except for files marked as restricted as requested by Dr. Cecil B. Currey. The Special Collections librarians reserve the right to deny access to these particular files.
Portions of this collection are available for viewing in digital format via the FHSU Scholars Repository at https://scholars.fhsu.edu/library/. Or via this link https://scholars.fhsu.edu/currey/
Full Extent
1.67 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Long Binh Jail, a U.S. Army Installation Stockade established in 1966 by the U.S. Army, was located on the Long Binh Post in Đồng Nai Province, South Vietnam. Meant to hold 400 American prisoners, it soon overflowed to about 1000.
Dr. Cecil B. Currey’s research and book titled “Long Binh Jail: An Oral History of Vietnam's Notorious U. S. Military Prison” focuses on the riot that took place between August 29-September 7, 1968. A small group of African-American prisoners started setting fires to mattresses and trash, which later led to buildings being set on fire. Eventually around 200 prisoners joined in the riot which was fueled by racial tensions and rampant drug use. There were a number of injuries to both the Military Police and the prisoners with one fatality of a prisoner. The riot turned into a revolt against the U.S. Army which lasted about 1 week.
The base was turned over to the South Vietnamese in February 1973.
Repository Details
Part of the Fort Hays State University Special Collections Repository
Special Collections
Tebo Library
502 South Campus Drive
Hays KS 67601 United States
scua@fhsu.edu