The Five O'Clock Follies is a

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

for

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

press briefing A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, 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, corporat ...

s that occurred during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The briefings were conduction by the

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense, composed of forces from the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Air Force, as well as their respecti ...

(MACV) Office of Information and held at Saigon's Rex Hotel. In September 1964, at the direction of Barry Zorthian, the Joint United States Public Affairs Office Director, daily press briefings at 16:45 replaced the former weekly press briefings. In early 1966 the number of MACV spokesmen increased from 1 to 4, creating two alternating teams of two briefers each. One officer on a team specialized in the ground war, and the other dealt only with the air war. Later a third briefer was added to each team to cover actions involving the U.S. Navy. Richard Pyle,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Saigon bureau chief during the war, described the briefings as, "the longest-playing tragicomedy in Southeast Asia's theater of the absurd." Journalists alternately cracked cynical jokes and shouted at officials, often complaining about a credibility gap between official reports and the truth. Barry Zorthian once lamented that where the US government's word was once true until proven false, in Vietnam, it would be questioned until proven true. The last session of the Five O'Clock Follies took place on 27 January 1973, the day the

Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords (), officially the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam (), was a peace agreement signed on January 27, 1973, to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. It took effect at 8:00 the follo ...

took effect. Journalists updated the name during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

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

References

{{reflist, 2 American political neologisms Lyndon B. Johnson Nicknames Political history of the United States Richard Nixon Vietnam War and the media 1960s neologisms

See also

References