“The World War II generation believed the United States could do anything - anything... And Vietnam was a shattering experience for everyone.” WorldWarStatesUnitedUnited StatesGenerationsWar Of The WorldsVietnamWorld War IiWorld War IShattering Author:Richard Holbrooke
“It has been said that the United States was deceived into entering and expanding the Vietnam War by its own overoptimistic propaganda. The record suggests, however, that the policy-makers stayed in Vietnam not so much because of overly optimistic hopes of winning ... as because of overly pessimistic assessments of the consequences of losing.” Has BeensSaidWarStatesWinningUnitedUnited StatesRecordsPolicyLosingConsequenceOptimisticPropagandaMakersVietnamEnteringExpandingDeceivedVietnam WarPessimisticAssessmentPolicy Makers Book:The real war: the classic reporting on the Vietnam War with a new essay Source: The real war: the classic reporting on the Vietnam War with a new essay
“Fiction is a very powerful tool for teaching history. The Philippines was the first Iraq, the first Vietnam, the first Afghanistan, in the sense that it was the United States initial or baptismal experience in nation-building.” FirstsStatesNationsUnitedPowerfulFictionUnited StatesTeachingBuildingToolsIraqAfghanistanVietnamInitialsVery PowerfulPhilippinesNation BuildingTeaching History Author:Miguel Syjuco
“It would be good for the workers in Vietnam even as it helps make sure that they're not undercutting competition here in the United States.” StatesHelpingWould BeUnitedUnited StatesCompetitionWorkersBe GoodVietnam Author:Barack Obama
“The United States must keep a low profile in Vietnam so we can negotiate its neutralization like we did in Laos .” StatesUnitedUnited StatesLowsVietnamProfileLaos Author:Roger Hilsman
“Since the advent of the atomic bomb, the United States has always needed two kinds of enemies. On one level, it has needed a tactical enemy that it can go out and fight in the field in a shooting war. Since 1945, these enemies have been created and appeared as North Korea, North Vietnam, Grenada, El Salvador, Panama, Iraq and now Colombia. On another level, however, the US needs a strategic enemy that will justify outrageous expenditures of capital for strategic weapon systems like ICBMs, Trident submarines and "Star Wars" missile defence systems.” NeedsKindHas BeensTwoWarStatesFightingStarsLevelsUnitedEnemyUnited StatesFieldsNeededWeaponsIraqShootingBombsJustifyVietnamKoreaDefenceStrategicNorth KoreaOutrageousMissilesAdventAtomic BombExpendituresColombiaTacticalSubmarinesPanamaEl SalvadorGrenada Author:Michael Ruppert
“It could well be argued that the continuing rights abuses of the present Iraqi regime, if it is allowed to survive, will prove most distressing. This is beyond any doubt. But the West has been required to witness terrible scenes in China, Russia, Vietnam, East Timor, Cambodia, and many other parts of the world. It is simply not possible for the United States to impose humanity on a worldwide scale unless it is prepared to enter into permanent global war.” IfsWorldWellsHas BeensWarStatesHumanityUnitedUnited StatesDoubtRightsTerribleSceneProveAbusePreparedWestChinaEastScalesRussiaWitnessPermanentVietnamRegimesContinuingDistressingCambodia Author:Frederick Forsyth
“In 1961, the United States began chemical warfare in Vietnam, South Vietnam, chemical warfare to destroy crops and livestock. That went on for seven years. The level of poison - they used the most extreme carcinogen known: dioxin. And this went on for years.” YearsStatesUsedLevelsUnitedKnownUnited StatesSouthSevenExtremesPoisonChemicalsVietnamWarfareSeven YearsCropsLivestockChemical Warfare Author:Noam Chomsky
“The United States can certainly defeat North Vietnam, but the United States cannot defeat a guerrilla war which is being raged from a sanctuary through a pattern of penetration, intervention, evasion, which is very difficult for a technologically advanced country like the United States to combat.” WarCountryStatesDifficultUnitedUnited StatesDefeatPatternsCombatVietnamInterventionSanctuaryEvasionGuerrillasPenetration Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski
“It was obvious uh, that uh, the situation in Vietnam was far from stable in 1964 and that there, if in fact the United States was going to uh carry out its declared intent to uh, do its best to prevent uh, a Communist overrun of South Vietnam, uh, there would be at least hard choices to make, and there might be a choice for uh, stronger action.” IfsHardStatesFactsMightWould BeActionChoicesUnitedSituationUnited StatesStrongerSouthObviousCommunistVietnamStable Author:McGeorge Bundy