"D. Strang" wrote in message news:gTI2c.11947$m4.7266@okepread03...
The war could never have been won, without an invasion of
the North, and the resulting Chinese and Soviet retaliation


Hanoi emphatically rejected the idea of Soviet or Chinese troops
landing in North Vietnam -- they were suspicious of and even reluctant
to accept technicians for training and logistics, although obviously
they had to compromise. What Uncle Ho wanted, above everything else,
was all potential foreign interference to get out of Vietnam as soon
as possible.

It's often forgotten that because China and the Soviets armed their
client to the teeth, it assured that Hanoi would not be bullied by
them either. That theory was tested when China tried to invade Vietnam
after the United States pulled out.


"Better to sniff French ****
for a while than to eat China's
for the rest of our lives"
~ Ho Chi Minh