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| Oz and Forse. Anti war moratorium, Canberra 18 September 1970 |
Hi John,
Reference our recent discussion on Vietnam and whether it might have been won by the US. ISince my youthful participation in anti-VN war rallies I've come to think that the war was not as crazy as we - at our demos - claimed it was at the time. Worry about communist control of Asia was real and soundly-based. Communism didn't work out too well for Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia.
As to whether the war could have been won by the US, this article is interesting. The North Vietnamese thought it could have.
The article argues that, in any case, US involvement in Vietnam had other benefits in the region. Unless one thinks a communist Asia would have been good.…
/Snip
It is widely believed that the Vietnam War was unwinnable.
But a 2004 History Chanel documentary featured interviews with knowledgeable North Vietnamese who thought otherwise. They said U.S. and South Vietnamese ground troops could have effectively blocked the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos, denying its enemy essential supplies and troop reinforcements.
Other North Vietnamese said they were puzzled that the U.S. failed to do so. This logical, war-ending move was ruled out by decision makers in Washington because it would "broaden the conflict"—never mind that the enemy had already broadened it by using Laos as a base and supply chain.
