The Five O'Clock Follies is a

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

press briefing A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organi ...

s that occurred during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. Richard Pyle,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

Saigon bureau chief during the war, described the briefings as, "the longest-playing tragicomedy in Southeast Asia's theater of the absurd." The briefings occurred in Saigon's

Rex Hotel The Rex Hotel Saigon ( vi, Khách Sạn Rex, french: Hôtel Rex de Saïgon) is a famous luxury and business hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The 286-room, five-story building is located in District 1 of the city, close to the Saigon Notre-Dame ...

, and journalists alternately cracked cynical jokes and shouted at officials, often complaining about a credibility gap between official reports and the truth. Public affairs officer

Barry Zorthian Barry Zorthian (1920–2010) was an American diplomat, most notably press officer for years during the Vietnam war, media executive and lobbyist.Pyle, Richard"Barry Zorthian dies at 90; U.S. diplomat and press spokesman in Vietnam War" ''Associate ...

led the briefings. He once lamented that where the US government's word was once true until proven false, in Vietnam, it would be questioned until proven true. Journalists updated the name during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. Press briefings at that time were unofficially known as the "Four O'Clock Follies."

References

{{reflist American political neologisms Lyndon B. Johnson Nicknames Political history of the United States Richard Nixon Vietnam War and the media 1960s neologisms