There's a common view that states that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. I would state a corollary to that when it comes to politicians in the highest levels of government. It seems that they will admittedly hold a view among themselves that a situation is untenable, but in order to maintain power, they will say and do the exact opposite when it comes to the public. This was never more evident than in the prosecution of the Vietnam War.
As an example, Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford states his opinion of the war to President Johnson - "We are in a war we cannot win." Seems like a pretty straightforward comment, but Johnson refused to stop bombing in North Vietnam following the devastating Tet Offensive that took place earlier in 1968. It wasn't until a few days before the November elections that Johnson relented and stopped the bombing to give Vice President Hubert Humphrey a bump in the polls. But it was too late. The damage done by rioting at the Democratic National Convention and Richard Nixon's promise to end the war quickly earned him the Presidency.
For North Vietnam, the propaganda of Tet's overwhelming success began to fade after a few weeks because the people didn't believe it. In that respect, North Vietnamese leaders were playing the same kind of mind game American politicians were. And wouldn't you know it, Communist Party First Secretary Le Duan sent his own sons to the Soviet Union to attend school rather than face armed combat.
Probably the biggest shocker of this episode relates to events just prior to the November election. I recall a rumor at the time that Richard Nixon had sent an emissary to South Vietnam with an appeal to refrain from peace negotiations until after the election, with the promise that Nixon would be tougher on the North Vietnamese at the negotiating table. In his own way, President Johnson called him out on it in a phone conversation, but Johnson couldn't go public because the only way he knew was through illegal wiretaps he had the FBI and CIA conduct. That's a revelation I hadn't heard before, the kind of information that makes one entirely cynical of politicians who only have their own personal power in mind.
One other thing that the average person had no idea of. The war in Vietnam brought with it an unintended consequence you wouldn't have thought about. The amount of wealth that flowed into the country in the way of money and commercial goods from America only added to the corruption of government officials and military generals who were in a position to take advantage of this country's largesse. As the wealth trickled down to merchants and business people in the cities, much of the population of South Vietnamese villages gradually moved into the denser cities. Saigon's population tripled to three million since the war began. I guess you could say that the old adage is true, war is good for business.
As an example, Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford states his opinion of the war to President Johnson - "We are in a war we cannot win." Seems like a pretty straightforward comment, but Johnson refused to stop bombing in North Vietnam following the devastating Tet Offensive that took place earlier in 1968. It wasn't until a few days before the November elections that Johnson relented and stopped the bombing to give Vice President Hubert Humphrey a bump in the polls. But it was too late. The damage done by rioting at the Democratic National Convention and Richard Nixon's promise to end the war quickly earned him the Presidency.
For North Vietnam, the propaganda of Tet's overwhelming success began to fade after a few weeks because the people didn't believe it. In that respect, North Vietnamese leaders were playing the same kind of mind game American politicians were. And wouldn't you know it, Communist Party First Secretary Le Duan sent his own sons to the Soviet Union to attend school rather than face armed combat.
Probably the biggest shocker of this episode relates to events just prior to the November election. I recall a rumor at the time that Richard Nixon had sent an emissary to South Vietnam with an appeal to refrain from peace negotiations until after the election, with the promise that Nixon would be tougher on the North Vietnamese at the negotiating table. In his own way, President Johnson called him out on it in a phone conversation, but Johnson couldn't go public because the only way he knew was through illegal wiretaps he had the FBI and CIA conduct. That's a revelation I hadn't heard before, the kind of information that makes one entirely cynical of politicians who only have their own personal power in mind.
One other thing that the average person had no idea of. The war in Vietnam brought with it an unintended consequence you wouldn't have thought about. The amount of wealth that flowed into the country in the way of money and commercial goods from America only added to the corruption of government officials and military generals who were in a position to take advantage of this country's largesse. As the wealth trickled down to merchants and business people in the cities, much of the population of South Vietnamese villages gradually moved into the denser cities. Saigon's population tripled to three million since the war began. I guess you could say that the old adage is true, war is good for business.
