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From: mat@hou5d.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.misc
Subject: Re: Domino theory
Message-ID: <997@hou5d.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Jun-84 15:05:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou5d.997
Posted: Fri Jun 22 15:05:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jun-84 23:52:53 EDT
References: <560@opus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
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There is some unhappy irony to 'Nam.  I have a book called ``The Ten-
Thousand Day War'', which points out several things.

First, during and after WWII, we were friendly with Ho Chi Minh (NOT his
real name).  Viet Nam was ``French Indo-China'' back then.

Second, our military intelligence services made some promises of aid.  In
return, HCM promised to institute a Constitutional government.

Third, we backed out on our promise to keep the French happy, instead of
trying to negotiate a solution between DeGaulle and HCM.

Fourth, HCM went to the USSR for aid, since we lied to him.

Fifth, when HCM started talking to the USSR we saw Red and decided that
we had to kick his butt.  HCM had to accept Soviet ideology and methods to
get their aid against the French (whom we backed).

Sixth, when the French and the native Viet Namese were fighting the French
got their butts kicked.  Douglas MacArthur said that there was NO WAY a
foriegn power could secure the land militarily, given the terrain and
large-scale geography.  Remember, MacArthur still holds the third-highest
graduating score ever awarded at West Point.  If MacArthur said it was
impossible, it probably was.

Welching on HCM and then insisting on setting up a puppet in the South
(rather than trying to get HCM and Franch to sit tight for a few years -- the
French needed to regain their pride after WWII and wouldn't have backed off)
cost and is costing millions of lives and really screwed up this country,
human rights and life in general in IndoChina.

Realpolitik dictated that we back the French over our word as we gave it to
HCM.  In this case, idealism would have served better.  Most of the time when
we are idealist, realpolitik would do better.  If we could only straighten our
act up and find out which to use when, we would be one hell of a lot better
off -- and so would everyone else in the world.

By the way, the ``10,000 Day War'' book cost me about twelve bucks (THICK
hardcover) and is about the most boring book I have ever tried to read.
-- 

	from Mole End			Mark Terribile
		(scrape .. dig )	hou5d!mat
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