In case you missed any of the previous blogs, here they are:The Vietnam War RevisitedThe Vietnam War Revisited – Part II – It Did Not Have to Be That WayThe Vietnam War Revisited – Part III – Misgovernment The Vietnam War Revisited – Part IV – Was It Worth It?The Vietnam War Revisited – Part […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VIII – Backing a Losing Horse?
In my last blog I discussed JFK’s decision to become involved militarily in South Vietnam in 1961. With attribution to noted historian, Barbara Tuchman and my historical narrative, RECALL, I pointed out the two traps his administration fell into- Quests to defeat the Soviet proclamation and support for “wars of liberation” in Algeria, Cuba, and […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VII – A War of Attrition
If you read my prior blogs addressing this subject you will understand where I’m going with my discussion of Barbara Tuchman’s analysis of the Vietnam War. My last blog in the series outlined the background leading up to the Vietnam War. This blog picks up as Kennedy takes office. Kennedy’s mindset was moving closer to […]
Vietnam War Revisited – Part VI – Ignoring Expert Advice
In my last blog, I summarized the background leading up to American involvement in Vietnam despite serious warnings and reservations by the CIA and the military. In 1954, the South Vietnam political situation under the Diem government was best described as chaotic, lacking loyal and effective support. Commitment to the fight of communism was not […]
The Vietnam War Revisited – Part V – What-Ifs
Stalin died in March of 1953 opening a path to international settlement of war in Indochina at the Geneva conference in 1954. The new Russian premier, Malenkov, proposed “peaceful coexistence,” lessening Cold War tensions temporarily. But the Korean armistice freed Chinese troops to aid the Viet Minh in Vietnam, raising another serious concern to Eisenhower […]
The Vietnam War Revisited – Part IV- Was It Worth It?
This series of blog posts is based off my reading of The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, by Barbara Tuchman. The Vietnamese repulsed Chinese invasions for millennia, resisted the Japanese in WWII, and defeated the French after almost a century of colonization of Indochina. I recount and document this history of the Mandarin […]
