Tag Archives: R. McNamara

Vietnam, Vietnam – Pete Hamill (April 1985)

Posted on September 9, 2019 by

“Sometimes, in odd places, it all comes back. You are walking a summer beach, stepping around oiled bodies, hearing only the steady growl of the sea. Suddenly, from over the horizon, you hear the phwuk-phwuk-phwuk of rotor blades and for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambodia, CIA, Draft board, Hanoi, Henry Kissinger, John Kennedy, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Saigon, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Penguin History of Modern Vietnam by Christopher Goscha – review

Posted on September 2, 2019 by

A destroyed French tank and an aircraft propeller that are still kept as war relics in the Dien Bien Phu valley. “In 40 years, the relationship between the United States and Vietnam has swung about as widely as is possible … Continue reading →

Posted in Agent Orange, Books, Cambodia, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Laos, Lyn. Johnson, My Lai, Napalm, Nixon, R. McNamara, Saigon, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Enduring Debate Over Khe Sanh

Posted on August 12, 2019 by

Photos from Operation Pegasus, a joint U.S. and South Vietnamese push by 30,000 troops to lift the siege of Khe Sanh in 1968. “In early 1968, the siege of the remote Marine combat base at Khe Sanh dominated American news … Continue reading →

Posted in Lyn. Johnson, R. McNamara, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The turning point: 1968

Posted on June 21, 2019 by

President Johnson reviews reports from Khe Sanh in the White House situation room “It was February 5, 1968, and Washington Star reporter Jack Horner had an angry President Lyndon Johnson on the phone. Johnson liked Horner and was willing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Lyn. Johnson, MLKJr., R. McNamara, Race Riots, Rob. Kennedy, Tet 1968, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Vietnam Was Unwinnable

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

An American paratrooper sergeant shouts orders to his squad as they charge brushline while subject to sniper fire in Vietnam on June 1, 1965. “While I was working for the Pentagon in the early 2000s, wounded veterans from Iraq and … Continue reading →

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

Buddhist crisis

Posted on May 8, 2019 by

“The Buddhist crisis (Vietnamese: Biến cố Phật giáo) was a period of political and religious tension in South Vietnam between May and November 1963, characterized by a series of repressive acts by the South Vietnamese government and a campaign of … Continue reading →

Posted in ARVN, CIA, John Kennedy, Lyn. Johnson, Pacifist, Peace talks, R. McNamara, Religion, Viet Cong, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nixon and the Pentagon Papers

Posted on April 26, 2019 by

The cover of a Pentagon Papers volume “In early 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara was struggling with a mounting sense of frustration over the Vietnam War. Questioning the decision-making process that had led to such deep US involvement, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, CIA, Henry Kissinger, Lyn. Johnson, Nixon, R. McNamara, Tet 1968, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment