Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 400 pages
- Published by: Westview Press August 30, 1993
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0813318742
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0813318745
-
Book Dimensions:
9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
- Weighs: 1.3 pounds
Reader Reviews
Bergerud's initial thesis is that the American intervention in Vietnam was doomed from the start because the South Vietnamese Government lacked legitimacy in the eyes of the South Vietnamese people. The VC, on the other hand, offered the opportunity for a new, democratic system that redistributed wealth and land to the people. They argued, with validity, that the American intervention was basically just a continuation of French colonial rule with the American's acting as protector. SV citizens would rather fight for that rather then fight to stay the same with American protection. Bergerud said that it didn't matter if the VC had the support of the majority; most peasants didn't care about the war and wanted to be left alone. However, the VC had a grip on the "best and the brightest" of the peasantry, thus finding enough people to accept their beliefs to start a government. I don't agree with this thesis, but it is very well written and thought out. Without going into too much detail, I feel Bergerud really generalizes from the experiences in Hau Nghia rather then look at SV as a whole. We absolutely could have won the war if 1) we shut down the Trail, 2) stopped being so afraid of Chinese intervention, the PLA of Korea was not the PLA of the late 60's, 3) Dug into an enclave strategy rather then the flawed strategy of attrition.
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