I could no longer keep down my excitement. In VietNamese I blurted out,

"What are you doing here?"

He chuckled, "My youngest son goes to school here. He will graduate tomorrow."

"It can't be," I said stupidly. "How-- how old is your son?"

I couldn't stop. I kept asking him one dumb question after another.

Maeve was as excited as I was. She ran off to find the rest of our family. Soon Aileen and Maura and Maeve and Eirene and Perry were crowded around him. Some of Aileen's friends stopped by to be introduced to him and shake his hand.

President Thieu was curious about me. He wanted to know where I lived and what I did and who I knew back in VietNam. I was hesitant. I told him only a few things, not knowing what he would think. I told him I was from Quang Ngai in central VietNam, and that my Godfather was Nguyen Dinh Quat, the man who had ran for the Presidency against Ngo Dinh Diem in the 60's.

President Thieu said that, like me, he was from central VietNam. He also knew who my Godfather was, and asked where he was now. I told him that after Saigon fell the Communists had put my Godfather in prison and that he died there.

President Thieu said, "Quat didn't involve himself in politics for a long time. He never did anything while I was in power. Why did they jail him?"

I could only shrug, "They were Communist."

He looked puzzled. "Quat was from the North originally, before he came to the South. And you are from Quang Ngai. How did you know Quat?"

This man doesn't miss a trick, I told myself.

I explained plainly and clearly so he would not think I was lying.

Then I asked him where he had been and what he was doing now. He said he had been in England for ten years. "But now I just do a little fishing, a little reading."

I said, "Why don't you write a book?"

He laughed and said, "I let other people write them for me."

By now Brian had joined us and I introduced him to President Thieu. He asked Brian what he had done in VietNam. Brian told him he was an Annapolis graduate, that he had fought in river combat and later had been the director of `turnover' training for the Viet Navy, serving under Admiral Zumwalt and General Creighton Abrams. President Thieu nodded, he remembered them. As I watched President Thieu talking with my family, with all of them surrounding him, I was overwhelmed by his presence. Years had passed, and he was older, but he still had the same look.

Here I am, standing on the same grass, talking to the most powerful man of my life!

Then Perry suggested we should have a picture taken. Maura asked President Thieu if he would mind, that we would like to have our picture taken with him. He happily took off his cap and we all surrounded him and Perry took the pictures. I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to tell all my friends! I couldn't wait to tell my Viet Cong brother! He will not believe it when I say,

"Brother, I met my President. When did you ever see your `Uncle Ho'?"

I still couldn't believe it was happening. There are almost a million VietNamese in the United States, but only one ex-President, and there I was, standing beside him and talking to him. And my daughter went to the same college with his son. Only in America could this happen. In VietNam, I would have been shot before I ever got near him.

He is smarter than what the American reporters had written about him, which is not surprising, since too many American reporters in other countries look only for what they already know, what they already think. But when President Thieu took his sunglasses off and I first saw his eyes I could tell he was a very intelligent man. He had to be, to survive. And to stay in power that long in South VietNam's government, he must have been respected by his men, otherwise they would have overthrown him like all the other leaders. In my own opinion, there was no other leader of that time who was a better choice, or who did a better job to run South VietNam than Nguyen Van Thieu. He was more than an American puppet. He was much wiser and cooler than many people gave him the credit. The VietNam war and the South VietNam-American relationship were very complex. Thieu did his best to preserve South VietNam as long as he could.

He is still very keen, funny and witty. I wanted to ask him more questions but I thought I should not abuse his hospitality. We all thanked him for the pictures and his kindness. Brian and I congratulated him for his youngest son's achievement. I wished him peace and much happiness to come and we all left the reception.