How did Pol Pot become leader of the Khmer Rouge?
What did prominent communists like Khieu Samphan do in Sihanouk’s Cambodia?
Were there limits to Sihanouk’s power and tightrope act?
Time Period Covered 1960-1963
We begin with a reflection on how Cambodian history can permeate even seemingly mundane spaces, before looking in on a secret communist seminar led by the new leader of the Khmer Rouge. This episode functions as a revisit of some loose ends left as the Cambodian communists began taking their own steps toward having an independent movement from the Vietnamese, as well as how the roles in that party began taking shape. We learn about the mysterious death of Tuo Samouth, as well as the circumstances that precede the vitally important year of 1963.
Apologies for some audio hiccups, this one was recorded in a different location.
Sources
Philip Short
Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare
David Chandler
The Tragedy of Cambodian History, Brother Number One, A History of Cambodia
Ben Kiernan
How Pol Pot Came to Power
Milton Osbourne
Sihanouk
Elizabeth Becker
When the War was Over
Norodom Sihanouk
My War with the CIA
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