tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post4648803298807548306..comments2023-12-23T09:28:20.869+00:00Comments on The View from Cullingworth: Quote of the day: VietnamUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172766774137902766.post-19759908584086958602017-09-21T20:38:16.875+01:002017-09-21T20:38:16.875+01:00I understand the post war Vietnam problems started...I understand the post war Vietnam problems started when the allies back-tracked on their promise to give Vietnam independence if they fought against the Japanese occupation. France demanded it return to being a French colony and the British, to our shame, allowed them to do so. When the Viet Minh (the term Viet Cong was an American invention as it was felt going to war against a people who called themselves 'Minh' would only bring derision upon themselves) destroyed the French forces, Kennedy decided to use the might of the USA to destroy the evil communists and look how that turned out. It was Nixon who brought the conflict to an end, even though it was a foregone conclusion that Ho Chi Minh's forces were going to win. He oversaw the best possible circumstances of the American defeat. Historians reckon that if France had accepted Vietnamese independence, not only would it have saved countless lives, but the level of communism wouldn't have been so draconian. However, as we know, hindsight is an exact science.Penseivathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12891041602104672626noreply@blogger.com