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LBJ's War
Lyndon Johnson's War. By Michael H. Hunt. Hill and Wang, 146
pages, $18.00.
Vietnam was not just our war," says Michael H. Hunt, Everett H.
Emerson professor of history. "A lot more Vietnamese were killed, a
lot more Vietnamese were maimed, and a lot more Vietnamese were
wounded."
An estimated 1.4 million Vietnamese died during the U.S. combat
phase of the war from 1965 to 1972. By 1972,
South Vietnam, with a population just under 18 million, had a total of
over 10 million refugees. About 300,000 Vietnamese are still missing in action.
In comparison, the U.S. lost 58,000 soldiers, and 1,600
Americans are still missing in action. But the psychological
impact on American society has been profound. "We've got this
ghost that haunts us," Hunt says.
So how did the US become embroiled in this conflict which cost
both sides so many lives, and which many now
regard as unwinnable?
In Lyndon Johnson's War, Hunt contends that President
Johnson bears primary responsibility for America's deep
involvement in Vietnam.
Hunt argues that Johnson's role in Vietnam began long before
Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. The
natural starting point, Hunt says, is Johnson's birth - August 27, 1908
- on a farm deep in the Texas Hill Country.
Hunt says Johnson came from "the Texas backwater without
money or connections of the Northeast type." Moving
swiftly into state and national office, Johnson worked persistently and
decisively to make up for his humble beginnings.
This experience translated into a hands-on style aimed at
producing concrete results. "No problem put before him
escaped solution," Hunt says.
Faced with a seemingly intractable situation in Vietnam, Johnson
took decisive action - first initiating a bombing
campaign in North Vietnam, then sending in U.S. ground forces, and
eventually committing large forces of U.S.
troops.
But Johnson did not make these decisions in isolation. He not only had initial public support, he also had support
from the media and Congress.
Most Americans believed in the Cold War consensus that said the West had to stop the spread of Communism
abroad. "First Eastern Europe, then China - American leaders had an image of the globe gradually turning red," Hunt
explains.
The U.S. had made a global commitment to defend freedom everywhere. "Johnson believed in the Cold War
consensus," Hunt says, "and he understood that you had to pay a price to preserve containment."
- Mary Dalrymple
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