The Good Governor ─ Robert Ray and the Indochinese Refugees of Iowa

After the American’s withdrew from the Vietnam War, their Indochinese allies faced imprisonment, torture and death under communist regimes. The Tai Dam, an ethnic group from northern Vietnam, campaigned for sanctuary, writing letters to 30 U.S. governors in 1975 in hopes of finding a new place to call home. Only Robert D. Ray of Iowa agreed to help. Ray wielded more influence over Indochinese refugee resettlement and relief than any other governor. He created his own agency to relocate the Tai Dam, advocated for the greater admission of “boat people” fleeing Vietnam, launched a Cambodian relief program that generated over $540,000 and lobbied for the Refugee Act of 1980. Interviews with more than thirty refugees and public officials inform this comprehensive study of Iowa’s resettlement program as a model for responding to refugee crises at the state level. The author chronicles how the Tai Dam adapted to life in the Midwest and the Iowans’ divided response.

Matthew R. Walsh is a professor of history at Des Moines Area Community College. For his previous works, Walsh has received awards from Penn State, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the State Historical Society of Iowa.