SpyTalk

SpyTalk

Kabul Doomwatch: A Veteran TV Correspondent Recalls Escapes from Vietnam, Cambodia

Longtime ABC-TV international correspondent Jim Laurie also watched the Russians leave Afghanistan. It was more orderly than the US exit from Kabul.

Jim Laurie's avatar
Jim Laurie
Aug 16, 2021
∙ Paid

Share

I am experiencing a bit of old reporter's déjà vu anxiety.  What is happening in Kabul Afghanistan is heart-wrenching. 

On the morning of April 12, 1975, I flew out of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s besieged capital, on a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter, landing on the USS Okinawa as the American embassy staged its evacuation.

Jim Laurie in Saigon, May 1975 (courtes…
User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Jeff Stein.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Jeff Stein · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture