Tag Archives: Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Secret War That Transformed the CIA

Posted on December 1, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

American helicopters land at Khe Sanh base, on the Laos border on February 1, 1971. “If you work at it, you can make a case that Americans fought on the right side in Vietnam. There is an argument — not … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cambodia, CIA, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Idiocy of War”

Posted on June 21, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Chinook helicopter C.J. Hughes – Aug. 2017: “Long, unpopular and ultimately a failure, the Vietnam War remained so controversial after it ended that many veterans were loath to discuss their combat experiences in the conflict for decades—even among close family … Continue reading →

Posted in Draft board, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Lyn. Johnson, Marijuana, R. McNamara, Saigon, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Smithsonian: Revolutionary Road

Posted on March 25, 2020 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Where thousands of soldiers ferried supplies toward the front, a new road swings through Quang Tri Province “The old Ho Chi Minh trail passes right by Bui Thi Duyen’s doorstep in the hamlet of Doi. The hamlet, quiet and isolated, … Continue reading →

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The Vietnam War Was Already Lost, but I Had to Go Anyway

Posted on July 12, 2019 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Incoming troops at the Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon. June 1969 “In the summer of 1969, the first American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. Their war was over, but mine was just beginning. The previous November, Richard M. Nixon … Continue reading →

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Sihanouk Trail

Posted on March 23, 2019 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Map of the Communist forces in South Vietnam, 1964, showing areas controlled by the Viet Cong and the Ho Chi Minh trail that brought reinforcements from the North. “The Sihanouk Trail was a logistical supply system in Cambodia used by … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, Cambodia, CIA, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revolutionary monument to CIA’s fall in Laos

Posted on November 2, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Air America helicopters land on top of Phou Pha Thi mountain during the US’ ‘secret war’ in Laos. “Half a century after North Vietnamese sappers scaled sheer 200-meter cliffs in the dead of night to overrun a strategic US Air … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, Noam Chomsky, R. McNamara, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CIA activities in Laos

Posted on September 4, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Vietnamese soldiers in Laos “CIA activities in Laos started in the 1950s. In 1959, U.S. Special Forces began to train some Laotian soldiers in unconventional warfare techniques as early as the fall of 1959 under the code name Erawan. Under … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Robert McNamara and the Ghosts of Vietnam

Posted on July 24, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“Not long after dawn, Robert S. McNamara set out on a rapid walk through the half-light of Hanoi. A steamy drizzle soon soaked his dark blue jogging shorts and shirt. He stared intently ahead, barely glancing at the Vietnamese along … Continue reading →

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The Vietnam War Is Over. The Bombs Remain.

Posted on July 10, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

Bombs, Agent Orange and the Lethal Legacy of Bombs in Quang Tri “Shading my eyes from the bright sun, I stared into the bomb crater amid the verdant rice paddies. While it had been nearly 50 years since the last … Continue reading →

Posted in Agent Orange, CIA, Henry Kissinger, Ho Chi Minh Trail, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The American Who Predicted Tet

Posted on June 8, 2018 by 1960s: Days of Rage

“The Tet offensive, which began 50 years ago today and is remembered as the turning point of the Vietnam War, caught Americans by surprise. One of the few who saw what was coming was Edward Lansdale, the legendary covert operative … Continue reading →

Posted in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh Trail, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Saigon, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment