A close friend, a Vietnam combat veteran, asked me why I was taking the time to “revisit” such a controversial war, one that divided our nation politically? Why spend time writing blogs about it? Why not just move on? Get it behind us? That reminded me of Richard M. Nixon’s famous quote. One thing he […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XI – Two Earthshaking Events
1963 – A pivotal year hallmarked by two earthshaking events affecting the outcome of the Vietnam War. Diem never enjoyed a popular mandate to govern South Vietnam. That background set the stage for the first event. The CIA operative, Edward Lansdale propped up his rule thoughout most of the Fifties. Diem’s presidency favored Catholics, not […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part X – No Easy Answers
In my last blog I recounted JFK’s Vietnam dilemma in 1962 – How to get out of Vietnam without jeopardizing his chances of re-election one and a half years away? His options were limited to “fish or cut bait.” Buoyed by his confrontational victory over USSR’s Khrushchev in the Cuban missile crisis, his administration’s prestige […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part IX – JFK’s Dilemma
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 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 […]
