Full disclosure: I received an e-galley copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am amazed at Ralph White's tenacity and daring duties to take care of the bank employees who were working the the Saigon Chase bank. While he certainly had luck and help along the way, most 27-year-olds would not have such quick thinking skills.

Recommended for public libraries and history collections in academic libraries.

Told from an extremely misogynistic POV, a privileged white guy explains why he was a hero during the Viet Nam war.

There’s a little tongue-in-cheek ditty that goes like this: “Jesus puts his money in the Chase Manhattan Bank. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Jesus saves.” In this instance, it is not Jesus who does the saving but Ralph White. It’s hard not to admire Ralph White. He starts out as a naïve young guy looking for risk and a little adventure but instead finds the fog of war, bureaucratic incompetence, nonsense, and delusion. Yet he also learns some important lessons like how to work the system and how to feel compassion for fellow humans. White’s basic philosophy is not unfamiliar to those working in complex bureaucracies: “if you thought you couldn’t do something, you were probably right, whereas if you thought that you could, you stood a decent chance of pulling it off."

White was working as a banker in Bangkok when the Chase Manhattan Bank dispatched him to the doomed city of Saigon in late April 1975. Carrying a briefcase filled with cash and a loaded revolver, White’s job was to keep the bank open as long as possible and then assist the senior employees and their immediate families to escape before the fall. It seemed that the bank had a reputation for cutting and running gained in Korea and did not want that to happen again in Vietnam. Moreover, if caught, the bank’s senior staff would likely be punished and even executed for collaborating with the enemy.

White quickly realized that the situation in Vietnam was much more dire than anyone at Chase realized. The troop disparities between the two armies were overwhelming and the senior American diplomats were deluding themselves about America’s chances for a successful outcome. In the face of American obstructionism and incompetence, White explored his options. These included stealing a plane and/or floating barges down the Saigon River. Eventually he connected with several middle-level Americans who were preceptive about the situation and willing to bend rules to save our Vietnamese allies and their families.

The memoir tells a riveting story that reads like a fictional thriller. While being both witty and humble, White’s narration also captures a sense of the moment’s history. However, his tight focus on the rescue of Chase employees loses the scale of what was clearly a monumental and dangerous time for both the Vietnamese and their American patrons throughout the country. His failure to maintain any but the most cursory contact with his charges also seems curious and was a huge disappointment for what was otherwise a superb memoir.

When Ralph White was asked to head up the Chase Manhattan Bank in South Korea he knew it wasn’t because of his great mathematical skills or because of his long career it was because they couldn’t get anyone of a higher rank to do it. Being up-to-date on the politics and atmosphere in Seguin he was a little leery. Being young and either brave or stupid he decided to do it when he arrived in Seguin he soon learned he was at the mercy of a delusional ambassador named Gram Martin who thought even taking down the flags would be a slight to the people in Seguin and until he said go Ralph White had to stay he found a like minded thinker in his superior in whose job he was filling Mr. core unfortunately he would be leaving soon and Mr. White would be on his own. I did find it funny that he had time to go to Lou Rawls a nice dinners but I guess you keep doing what you do until you can’t having never been in such a situation I am totally not judging him doing that. getting Out Of Sagan by Ralph White is a male biting account of him not just trying to get his self out of the country but his employees because when the general rolled into town he would kill all of those who work for foreign companies and any foreigners they found. Ralph Waite had lived in the area for years right after college when he worked for American Express but things are much different then and his account this event is so good and he is such a good writer not to mention he seems very intelligent and seem to know more than the authorities he was forced to listen to that I have a Lotta respect for him and the employees that stayed with him until the end. This whole situation is a scary proposition knowing military forces that I would love to take your life is only a days ride away and you’re just waiting for them to come so you can leave it’s all a nervous nailbiter that’s why Mr. White signing up to do this for those he called “his people“ more of a hero than anyone in the military at the time. Kudos to you Mr. White for a great book and a great feat! This book deserves five stars if not more what a great great book! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I just finished reading this powerful book and wanted to share how much I enjoyed it. The book follows the real-life story of a banker who saved a group of Vietnamese civilians. From the very beginning you will want to turn the page to see how the rescue began, played out and was completed. Some people may not be into reading historical books, but this book is really about a difficult situation and how it was overcome. The writing was moving, and the story flowed quickly. It was an excellent book and is definitely worth reading!

Mr. Ralph White was tasked with an incredibly difficult job at the Saigon Branch of Chase Manhattan Bank in 1975. His mandate was to close the branch and evacuate all senior-level Vietnamese employees at the branch. Mr. White like most people was woefully unaware of how close to the end of South Vietnam existing as a country was. He quickly would learn and have to make incredibly difficult decisions with minimal guidance. This is an excellent book that all people of high-level responsibility should read, if only our own government would have taken this lesson to heart in the summer of 2021 during Afghanistan pull out.

This was a fun and fascinating book to read. This one is destined to become a classic in the Vietnam War era genre.