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Books > 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.
"Greyhound in Vietnam," Richard M. Bush, Senior Chief Petty
Officer, United States Navy (Ret.): Richard Bush served as crew on
several United States Navy warships. Favored among them is USS
Lynde McCormick (DDG 8); the "Best DDG." "Greyhound in Vietnam"
manuscript evolved from a near- daily sea-journal penned aboard
McCormick while Richard was Gunfire Control Technician Petty
Officer Second Class, USN. Navy destroyer McCormick, a "greyhound,"
engaged a Western Pacific Ocean deployment, 1 October 1971 through
10 March 1972 (5 1/3 Months; 161 days). McCormick operated
southeast Asia, offshore and in river deltas, in support of United
States and Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam. Too, McCormick
operated close inshore, Gulf of Tonkin, in support of U. S. pilots
who flew missions against well defended North Vietnam
shore-targets.
This is my story, "My Vietnam 1965" The actual Vietnam troop war
began with first troops sent in February 1965 followed by the
second troop entrance, May 1965. Technically, the war began in 1963
and ended in 1973. The first two years, from 1963 to early 1965,
was called a "Police action" and was with "advisors" and not with
ground troops. We, the Machinegun Squad, First Platoon, Charlie
Company, First Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment (Reinforced),
Third Marine Division, landed in the Chu Lai South Vietnam as the
second major insertion of troops sent into Vietnam. We landed under
light resistance rifle fire on 7 May, 1965. We were at Chu Lai,
only fifty miles south of Da Nang. I now have a better appreciation
and insight of how it really was. You have done an extraordinary
job in descriptions of the events that happen. Even though they
must have been hard emotionally to deal with. The photographs were
very helpful.
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