Chapter 8 the genuine lessons of the vietnam war notes index. At that time a large percentage of agricultural land was owned by large landowners and the majority of the rural population of vietnam owned only small plots of land or was landless. A quarter century after its end, the vietnam war still divides americans. The united states although never officially declared war it would not be until 1973 when president ford would withdraw the troops. As a potential participant in the sam johnson vietnam archive oral history project, you may be curious about what is involved with being interviewed. So says michael lind, the washington editor of harper s magazine, in vietnam, the necessary war.
Vietnam war essay questions free to print pdf file. In case that you are curious, here is linds verdict. Twenty years ago, this thoroughly documented book would have rocked the publishing world. The vietnam center and sam johnson vietnam archive. An overview of the vietnam war overview in this lesson, students will be introduced to the vietnam war through a simulation regarding the anxiety of combat and will then receive an overview of the war via a teacher power point presentation or lecture provided, or a. An overview of the vietnam war overview the university of. The national intelligence council nic commissioned lloyd gardner, the renowned american scholar on the vietnam war, to prepare an introductory essay providing. Public trust in the army was at a low point, with many blaming the military for the war as much as they blamed the civilian policymakers whose orders the military was carrying out. The vietnam war had sparked serious dissent within the united states, and u. The us needed to fight in vietnam to bolster its reputation, to show that it could fight anywhere in the world agsint communism. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. As such, it was both necessary and proper to intervene in vietnam.
The vietnam war was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. Although linds mythcratering often seems correct to me, he fails to acknowledge that his insights work much better in hindsight. The national intelligence council nic commissioned lloyd gardner, the renowned american scholar on the vietnam war, to prepare an introductory essay providing historical context for the documents. A singleminded interpretation of the vietnam war based on the authors conviction that the conflicts overriding issue was a moscowdirected international communist conspiracy. When japan surrendered at the end of world war ii in 1945, ho chi minhs forces took the capital of hanoi and declared vietnam to be an independent country, the democratic republic of vietnam. These vietnam war documents have been curated by alpha history authors. However, the publications of the report that resulted from these leaks were incomplete and suffered from. Overview of the vietnam war digital history id 2925. A guide to materials at the british library by jean kemble.
A reinterpretation of americas most disastrous military conflict. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in vietnam and the struggle i, and others, have been waging in america. Gelb, the study was completed shortly before richard m.
A wave of new books on the vietnam war, based on fresh archival evidence, is beginning to break. I saw halifax last week and told him quite frankly that it was perfectly true that i had, for over a year, expressed the opinion that indoch. Casualties totaled 321,000, of whom some 58,000 died. The united states although never officially declared war it would not be until. Vietnam veterans for factual history military wiki fandom. Our vietnam nightmare download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by. In june of 1971, small portions of the report were leaked to the press and widely distributed. The necessary war, takes off from a breathtakingly plausible assertion. Almost everyone today thinks that americas war in vietnam was a mistake. July 1954 geneva accords provisionally divide vietnam at the 17th parallel into northern vietnam under ho chi minh and southern vietnam under ngo dinh diem with elections to reunify the country scheduled for july 1956. Land reform in vietnam began in the political turmoil following world war ii in which a civil war pitted the communist viet minh against the french colonists and their supporters.
The following is a brief synopsis of the steps and procedures involved in the interview process. Read cnn s vietnam war fast facts and learn more about the conflict between communistled north vietnam and ussupported south vietnam. Search for more papers by this author robert jervis. Vietnam veterans for factual history vvfh was founded in 2014 by a group of veterans and historians concerned that guenter lewys statement from 35 years ago, mythology, halftruth and falsehood concerning events in vietnam abound and, unless corrected, will enter the textbooks for the miseducation of our children has proven to be all too accurate. During the cold war, the conflict in vietnam was inevitable, and lbj did a commendable job i michael lind disagrees with logevall and kaiser. Jul 01, 20 read cnn s vietnam war fast facts and learn more about the conflict between communistled north vietnam and ussupported south vietnam. Essay sample the vietnam war started in 1954 with the defeat of the french and ended in 1975 with the fall and withdrawal of saigon. Jan 08, 2014 vietnam veterans for factual history vvfh was founded in 2014 by a group of veterans and historians concerned that guenter lewys statement from 35 years ago, mythology, halftruth and falsehood concerning events in vietnam abound and, unless corrected, will enter the textbooks for the miseducation of our children has proven to be all too accurate. The numbers on the american side are known with fair precision. Imagine that it is 1966, and you are an average american voter. France refused to recognize hos declaration and returned to vietnam, driving hos communist forces into northern vietnam. The materials gathered here, from both the american and vietnamese sides, remind readers that the conflict touched the lives of many people in a wide range of social and political situations and. Was the vietnam war necessary in the sense that war was the only way for independence for viet nam.
Oct 18, 1999 michael lind disagrees with logevall and kaiser. Vietnam adopts economic reforms doi moi in 1986 loses aid with collapse of soviet union and eastern bloc 1989. Us and vietnam restore diplomatic relations in 1995 7. Even today, many americans still ask whether the american effort in vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or whether it was a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the south vietnamese from totalitarian government. The vietnam war was a just, constitutional and necessary proxy war in the third world war that was waged by methods that were often counterproductive and sometimes arguably immoral. Vietnam veterans united states military involvement in the vietnam war officially began on august 5, 1964. Vietnam war the vietnam war was a long and costly war that occurred during the cold war. Theres no doubt a strong united states is good for the world, and no doubt those americans who fell in vietnam did not do so in vain, for the world they left us is one in which freedom has tyranny on the run. Today, though full of new sources and insights, it is a document of that. The vietnam collection this collection of declassified estimative products is the first such release by the central intelligence agency of documents exclusively on the vietnam war. The politically incorrect guide to the vietnam war. Among these is linds book, which says the liberal cold warriors like lyndon johnson, mcgeorge bundy, and dean rusk were right about vietnam.
How i will compress four lectures into one because ive. An overview of the vietnam war overview in this lesson, students will be introduced to the vietnam war through a simulation regarding the anxiety of combat and will then receive an overview of the war via a teacher power point presentation or lecture provided, or a text book reading followed by class discussion. The vietnam war is the commonly used name for the second indochina war, 19541975. In this groundgreaking reinterpretation of americas most disatrous and controversial war, michael lind demolishes enduring myths and put the vietnam war in its. The war began in 1954 with rise of the communist leader in north vietnam, ho chi minh. At its peak in 1968 the new zealand force only numbered 543. Anyone from any country is welcome to participate in the oral history project. Henry adams prizethe vietnam war continues to be the focus of intense controversy. Some, mostly on the left, claim that indochina was of no strategic value to the united states and was not worth an american war. Describe domestic reactions, over time, to american military engagement in vietnam. While most peopleliberals, conservatives, democrats, republicans, historians, pundits, and citizens alikeagree that the united states did not win the war, a vocal minority argue the opposite or debate why victory never came, attributing the quagmire to everything from domestic politics to the. To give lind his due which he rarely gives anybody else, his new book, vietnam. A film by ken burns and lynn novick, premieres 8 p. Ang cheng guan has produced firstrate works recounting that experience, and communist decisionmaking in particular, including the vietnam war from the other side.
Many of the soldiers who returned from vietnam faced a hostile or at. The vietnam war swept up millions of people during its grim progress. Nov 24, 1999 to give lind his due which he rarely gives anybody else, his new book, vietnam. In a very opinionated and sharply reasoned attempt to debunk three decades of conventional wisdom about vietnam, lind the next american nation, the. An essential new resource for students and teachers of the vietnam war, this concise collection of primary sources opens a valuable window on an extraordinarily complex conflict.
These lessons of vietnam have become ingrained in the american consciousness, at the expense of an accurate understanding of the war itself. Yet, the us was only willing to spend so much in lives andor. How i will compress four lectures into one because ive run. The history of an unwinnable war, 19451975 on jstor. This is the text of an address made by president johnson to the association of american editorial cartoonists at the white house on may, 1965. I am sure this book will become the standard against which similar books will be compared. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poorboth black. Unlike the first and second world wars new zealands contribution in terms of personnel was not huge. Usually it refers to the period when the united states and other members of the seato southeast asia treaty organization joined the forces with the republic of south vietnam to contest communist forces, comprised of south vietnamese guerrillas and regular. Others, mostly on the right, argue that timid civilian leaders and defeatists within the media fatally undermined the war effort. Michael lind casts new light on one of the most contentious episodes in american history in this controversial. This is a very interesting historical analysis of the vietnam war from what might be called a neocon perspective if you think not opposing all americas wars.
These lessons of vietnam have become ingrained in the. The pentagon papers, officially titled report of the office of the secretary of defense vietnam task force, was commissioned by secretary of defense robert mcnamara in 1967. Ho chi minh was a real communist, not a nationalist with communist leanings. Vietnams american war by pierre asselin cambridge core. Based on the knowledge that was available to the general public in 1966 popular media, presidential statements, etc. Surprisingly, few works have focused on the subject of this study. Military assistance command, vietnam macv decided that a largescale amphibious raid in the area would be necessary to ease vc pressure on the shipping channel. Retro cold warrior lind author of the novel powertown, 1996, as well as works of nonfiction, resembling an intellectual rambo, verbally machineguns vietnamese, russian, and chinese communists, along with americans.
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