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Books > Humanities > History > American history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War
In The War after the War, Johannes Kadura offers a fresh
interpretation of American strategy in the wake of the cease-fire
that began in Vietnam on January 28, 1973. The U.S. exit from
Vietnam continues to be important in discussions of present-day
U.S. foreign policy, so it is crucial that it be interpreted
correctly. In challenging the prevailing version of the history of
the events, Kadura provides interesting correctives to the
different accounts, including the ones of the key actors
themselves, President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger foremost among them. In so doing, Kadura aims to forge a
synthesis between orthodox and revisionist interpretations of this
important period.Kadura finds that the strategy employed by Nixon
and Kissinger centered on the concepts of "equilibrium strategy"
and "insurance policy." That approach allowed them to follow a
twofold strategy of making a major effort to uphold South Vietnam
while at the same time maintaining a fallback strategy of
downplaying the overall significance of Vietnam. Whether they won
or lost on their primary bet to secure South Vietnam, Nixon and
Kissinger expected to come through the crisis in a viable strategic
position.
To fully comprehend the Vietnam War, it is essential to understand
the central role that southerners played in the nation's commitment
to the war, in the conflict's duration, and in the fighting itself.
President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas and Secretary of State Dean
Rusk of Georgia oversaw the dramatic escalation of U.S. military
involvement from 1965 through 1968. General William Westmoreland,
born and raised in South Carolina, commanded U.S. forces during
most of the Johnson presidency. Widely supported by their
constituents, southern legislators collectively provided the most
dependable support for war funding and unwavering opposition to
measures designed to hasten U.S. withdrawal from the conflict. In
addition, southerners served, died, and were awarded the Medal of
Honor in numbers significantly disproportionate to their states'
populations. In The American South and the Vietnam War, Joseph A.
Fry demonstrates how Dixie's majority pro-war stance derived from a
host of distinctly regional values, perspectives, and interests. He
also considers the views of the dissenters, from student protesters
to legislators such as J. William Fulbright, Albert Gore Sr., and
John Sherman Cooper, who worked in the corridors of power to end
the conflict, and civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King
Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Julian Bond, who were among the nation's
most outspoken critics of the war. Fry's innovative and masterful
study draws on policy analysis and polling data as well as oral
histories, transcripts, and letters to illuminate not only the
South's influence on foreign relations, but also the personal costs
of war on the home front.
Tells the full story of the man who fought three of the world's
great powers-and won. Cecil B. Currey makes clear one primary
reason why America lost the Vietnam War: Vo Nguyen Giap. He has
written the definitive biography of one of history's greatest
generals.
"Joyful to heart-wrenching. Short non-fiction stories about moving
to Los Angeles from Vietnam, and a dream-like childhood that's
turned into a nightmare when the author's father returns to the
family after spending years in a "re-education" camp. It's a
well-written rollercoaster of beauty and terror." - Jason Koivu,
2003
Every Marine who has served in Vietnam has been heavily involved in
efforts to improve the situation of the Vietnamese people. The
civil affairs actions of the III Marine Amphibious Force have been
every bit as important as the combat actions. In this reference
pamphlet, which follows an earlier history of the first year of
Marine Corps civic action in Vietnam, the story of the second year
of civilian aid policies, programs, and activities is related. The
use of civic action by the Marine Corps to accomplish its assigned
mission is nothing new. Examples of how the Marines have employed
civic action in the past can be found by reading accounts of their
exploits during the 1920s in Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican
Republic. From these accomplishments and astute observations made
by men such as Major Earl H. Ellis and others, accounts of "lessons
learned" about civic action can be found recorded in the Small Wars
Manual of 1940, which points out: "The motive in small wars is not
material destruction. It is usually a project dealing with the
social, economic, and political development of the people. It is of
primary importance that the fullest benefit be derived from the
psychological aspects of the situation. That implies a serious
study of the people, their racial, political, religious, and mental
development. By analysis and study the reasons for existing
emergency may be deduced; the most practical method of solving the
problem is to understand the possible approaches thereto and the
repercussion to be expected from any action which may be
contemplated. By this study and the ability to apply correct
psychological doctrine, many pitfalls may be avoided and the
success of the undertaking assured." With the basic concept of
small wars in mind, the Manual of 1940 goes on to point out: "The
purpose should always be to restore normal government or give the
people a better government than they had before, and to estabJ.sh
peace, order, and security on as permanent a basis as practicable.
In so doing one should endeavor to make self-sufficient native
agencies responsible for these matters. With all this accomplished,
one should be able to leave the country with the lasting friendship
and respect of the native population." The concept of civic action
may be simply stated, but the organization and application of
carrying out an effective program becomes a difficult matter. This
difficulty in application can be seen through the scope and
magnitude of the U. S. Marine Corps civic action effort in the I
Corps area of South Vietnam. There the Marine Corps came
face-to-face with the age old problem of guerrilla warfare; winning
the confidence of the population which is vital in defeating the
insurgent. It was in the field of winning the confidence of a large
civilian population, while at the same time fighting a war, that
the Marine Corps was least prepared when its troops landed in South
Vietnam.
This publication tells the story of the United States Ari Force's
involvement in the region form the end of the second World War
until the major infusion of American troops into Vietnam in1965.
During these years, and most noticeably after 1961, the Air Force's
principal role in Southeast Asia was to advise the Vietnamese Air
Force in its struggle against insurgents seeking the collapse of
the Saigon government. This story includes some issues of universal
applicability to the Air Force: the role of air power in an
insurgency, the most effective way to advise a foreign ally, and
how to coordinate with other American agencies (both military and
civilian) which are doing the same thing. It also deals with issue
unique to the Vietnamese conflict: how to coordinate a centralized,
technological modern air force with a feudal, decentralized,
indigenous one without overwhelming it, and how best to adapt
fighter, reconnaissance, airlift, and liaison planes to a jungle
environment.
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