Fifty years ago, “Operation Babylift” saw the large-scale “evacuation” of children from South Vietnam to the United States and other Western countries for adoption. While some heralded it as a humanitarian effort during the final days of the Vietnam War, critics questioned the political motives of President Ford’s administration and challenged the assumption that relocation would improve the children’s lives. Later revelations uncovered that some of the children were not orphans, contrary to initial claims.

The program cover of the conference featured an image from “Operation Babylift” that depicts nurses and Vietnamese children at San Francisco International Airport. It encapsulated the conference’s central theme: exploring the politics of child adoption in the twentieth century. Through six panels – each featuring two presentations and a commentary – a keynote address, and an exhibition opening, the three-day conference examined the intersections of political systems and adoption policies, while also addressing the complex relationship between globalization and adoption networks.

The conference was organized by Bettina Hitzer, University of Magdeburg, and Thomas Lindenberger, Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies in Dresden.

Lukas Schretter, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Kriegsfolgenforschung, Tagungsbericht: Politics of Child Adoption in 20th Century, in: H-Soz-Kult, 15.04.2025.