The Withdrawl Syndrome

drieux H. (drieux@wetware.com)
Fri, 8 Nov 1996 22:48:52 -0500

] For an interesting analysis of U.S. involvement see the book "JFK and
] Vietnam", by John Newman, professor of history at the University of
] Maryland. Newman documents that in October, 1963, JFK had made the
] decision to withdraw. Up to that point, JFK had supported the U.S.
] presence based on a private warning from President Eisenhower that
] should he not support our committment there, JFK risked political damage
] from conservatives that he was "soft on communism". The book further
] documents that it was Robert McNamara who urged JFK to withdraw the
] troops (app. 16,000) , beginning with a 1000 troop withdrawal by the
] end of 1963.
]
] paul d gray

I presume that this John Newman has been able to
address the Small Technical Points that Chomsky
bring up in 'Rethinking Camelot' and that he is
not resting his conclusion upon the flawed dreams
of McNamara and the 'three year plan' developed by
Gen. Harkins at McNamara's Request, Nor any of the
Hodge-Podge of 'Celebrity Junkets' that would arrive
in vietnam to pronounce that the War was Being Won
and that we could begin brining home a 1,000 Advisors
Now since Clearly Gen. Harkins' Operation Explosion
was the Being_in_Becoming Bonanza!

Nor that this is based upon the Mythological PipeDreams
that Authorizing the Coup Against Diem was going to
Wave the Magik Wand and put the Right People In the
Right Places and be able to compensate for the Fact that
MACV had been sending 'directed' reports back to the
Pentagon, because to show that much 'red' on the Overlays
Might Unduely influence the White House Crew that perchance
things were not really Going all that Well....

Or is Professor Newman taking JFK out of the Loop in terms
of the Diem Coup???? And hence the newly installed Junta was
to be the 'fall guys' for the American Withdrawl????

Or is Professor Newman Laying off On McNamara the three year plan
which was requested to compensate for Gen. Harkin's Overly Optomistic
Vision that all would be settled by 1963???? It was Harkin's who
was totting that we could begin to reduce the number of Advisors,
ESPECIALLY after the Great Victory of Ap Bac!!!

McNamara was being 'conservative' in his estimates, and hence
applying that Wonderful Forward Looking Ford Motor Corporation
Executive Decision Approach to Solving the War in Vietnam.

I fear what we are seeing is the 'Smiley Faced Sunshine' Reportage
of the Kennedy Klique coming full circle and being presented again
as the 'proof' that the USA would be out of Vietnam in time to prevent
it being a Campaign Issue.....

Funny, but that was the Way so Much of the Mainstream Press was trying
to Play DOWN the Battle of Ap Bac, so as to prevent any defeatism amongst
the Disgruntled Reporters, many of whom would be Ejected from Vietnam by
the Diem Regime. Some of Whom would be kicked, clubbed and beaten for being
so Unkind as to Cover the Buddisht 'disturbance' in 1963.

Now that the Disgruntled Elements of the Evil Liberal Media turned out
to have been correct in their Reporting, we turn once again to the Old
Stand Byes of the Main Stream Media to show that we Really Were Winning
All Along.....

I don't Think So.

ciao
drieux