Ed Rasimus wrote:

Peace talks between representatives from United States, South Vietnam, North
Vietnam and the NLF began in Paris in January, 1969.

Wow. I had no idea SVN and NVN ever had a dialogue. Do you know if this
arragement continued in 1972 because *every* book on the conflict I have says
NVN (and Le Duc Tho in particular) refused to even talk with SVN reps because
they claimed their government was illegal? According to the readings, Thieu was
informed about negotiations directly from Kissenger. If there were SVN reps in
Paris, why would Thieu not get the info from them?

But, while our mistakes can be analyzed, it still remains difficult to
envision what the world would look like with regard to communism had
we not "contained" and demonstrated a resolve to resist
expansionism--as flawed as we now seem to view the policy.


Very interesting "what if?". With 20/20 hindsight it appears the communist
spread in SE Asia was never going to be greater than Laos, Cambodia and
Vietnam, but what about communist expansion elsewhere like South or Central
America? Would Che and his Cuban buddies have had more success in spreading
revolution if it appeared to the world that the U.S. was not committed to
fighting it?

Really no answer to those questions, but interesting historic speculation.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"