SUMMATION OF A "POPULAR" WAR Author V. I. Brown wrote this memoir from authority. He grew up with the war, participated as a member of the military and then observed its aftermath. He provides a penetrating, chronological examination of the war's policies, politics, judicial decisions, public opinion and reflection in the popular culture. As he examines such complex topics as anti-war sentiment, dissent within the military and the galvanizing of the clergy against the war, Brown offers an in-depth glimpse into the turmoil and emotions spawned by the war that gripped the nation for over a decade. Herein one will find a more complete chronological examination of the Vietnam Conflict than has previously been available. All of the factors which compelled the U. S. to intervene in a foreign civil war are spelled out in vivid detail from the war's inception to its termination. Also examined is the climate within the national and international communities which led up to the conflict. This book details how the war was an exercise in deception, in futility, in the power of ego and also a lesson in how the U.S. contradicted its own ideals. Further, the author affirms what others including CBS News and The New York Times contended during and after the conflict: that the government almost continually promulgated deceptive information in order to justify continued pursuit of the war. In the end the reader will comprehend that it was all for nothing, and indeed that the former enemy earned what a U. S. President wanted for Vietnam. Herein one will further observe the war's impact on the lives of the many "players" in the "comédie", both major and minor, who were elevated to the stage of one of the great events of history. The degree to which the war reverberates in U. S. society is also examined in detail. As of this writing, the war is still in the national consciousness.

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM CONFLICT

(LE COMÉDIE VIETNAMIEN): A "POPULAR" WAR THAT WON'T GO AWAYBy V.I. Brown

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 V. I. Brown
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6636-9

Contents

Preface.........................................................................................................................................................xiIntroduction....................................................................................................................................................xxxixGeneral Facts Of The Vietnam War................................................................................................................................xliDocumentation Of The Author's Involvement In The Vietnam War....................................................................................................xliiiCHAPTER TWO: Finding Bases For Intervention; The U.S. Acting As "Advisor", 1955–61........................................................................5CHAPTER THREE: Setting The Stage For Military Intervention, 1961–63.......................................................................................11CHAPTER FOUR: The Advent Of De Jure Military Intervention, 1964.................................................................................................23CHAPTER FIVE: The Year Of The Emergency & The Point Of No Return: The Advent Of De Facto Military Intervention, 1965............................................33CHAPTER SIX: The Year Of The National Mission: Escalation Of The War; The Advent Of The Anti-War Movement, 1966.................................................57CHAPTER SEVEN: Intensification Of Hostilities And Anti-war Sentiment, 1967......................................................................................79CHAPTER EIGHT: War's Climax: The Advent Of War Crimes; The Turning Point In Public Sentiment, 1968..............................................................99CHAPTER NINE: The Advent Of "Vietnamization"; The Beginning Of Disinvolvement, 1969.............................................................................129CHAPTER TEN: "Vietnamization" Continues; Anti-War Protests Reach Their Zenith, 1970.............................................................................151CHAPTER ELEVEN: "Vietnamization" Continues; Anti-War Protests Enter A New Forum, 1971...........................................................................173CHAPTER TWELVE: The War Intensifies And Enters A New Phase; Peace Talks Continue, 1972..........................................................................197CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The First And Second Phases End; Direct Ground Involvement Ceases; Air Actions Continue; The "Peace" Process Begins, 1973.....................229CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Perceived Interlude While Hostilities Continue; The World Watches While The Drama Continues To Build, 1974....................................265CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The "Government" Of South Vietnam Capitulates; Ties To U.S. Severed; Le Comédie Vietnamien C'Est Fini, 1975...............................281Epilogue........................................................................................................................................................303Chronology Of The Vietnam Conflict..............................................................................................................................361About the Author................................................................................................................................................369Glossary........................................................................................................................................................371Bibliography....................................................................................................................................................375Index...........................................................................................................................................................381

Chapter One

THE FIRST COMMITMENTS, 1954

The Cold War was an international fact of life. Paranoia over the threat of communist subversion had reached a fever pitch. The rising crescendo of anti-communist fervor which had begun in 1946 compelled U. S. leaders to make firm decisions. Public sentiment accordingly demanded that the leader of the Free World act decisively to halt a perceived effort by the Communist Bloc to control the world.

The Geo-political Situation, 1954

The U. S. became involved in Vietnam in the immediate aftermath of the French defeat in May by the indigenous forces and the French departure soon after. The country was then divided between the North which favored unification under a communist form of government, and the South which supposedly favored a government modeled after that of the United States. The U. S. of course favored the South because of its avowed contempt of communism. Indeed, the U. S. provided significant aid, both military and otherwise to the French while that country engaged the indigenous forces who eventually prevailed.

The same year that the indigenous forces prevailed, all sides to the conflict convened at Geneva, Switzerland. There they ratified the Geneva Accords which formally settled the conflict and decided on the future of Vietnam. These Accords would be the standard used to judge the legitimacy of any subsequent government which would replace the French. The Accords would also be used to scrutinize the motives and activities of any other party which would intervene into Vietnamese affairs. The U. S. did not participate in the Geneva Conference. However, the U. S. did issue a declaration recognizing the Accords. In addition, the U. S. formally resolved not to inhibit their implementation.

However, the U. S. in the person of Secretary Of State John Foster Dulles conveyed its dismay at the French defeat. Despite his distress at the French defeat, in May he stated that the U. S. was successful in keeping the People's Republic Of China from entering the war on the side of the Viet Minh/Viet Cong. He believed that China had heeded the U. S.' warning to stay out of the conflict. This he opined was a U. S. foreign policy triumph. Indeed, it appeared that the U. S.' "warning" to China to refrain from interfering in Vietnamese affairs would characterize the entire coming conflict. During the entire war no nation engaged the U.S. and her allies other than the Vietnamese. Mr. Dulles further stated that the U. S. would use all of its resources to disrupt the efforts of the Northern part of Vietnam to impose a communist government on all of Vietnam. In addition, he pledged that the U. S. would fight the spread of communism in Asia.

Several years following the partition of Vietnam, it was agreed that elections would be held in order to determine what form of government a unified Vietnam would have. When it became apparent that the Northern part of Vietnam which embraced communism would prevail in the forthcoming elections, the U. S. was instrumental in having them cancelled.

Between the Japanese departure in 1945 and the truce of 1954, the situation in Vietnam was of such complexity that the author could not do it justice. The relationships between and among (1) the Vietnamese Nationalists, (2) their nemesis the Viet Minh, (3) the French, (4)...