Vietnam War 7-24-24

In 1947, the US adopted the Truman Doctrine, a policy to oppose further Communist takeovers. In 1949, Communists had won the civil war in China and other Communist countries like North Korea and North Vietnam were forming. This policy was continued to provide a deterrent, but would be challenged by the advance of socialism and Communist Revolutions in several countries.  

The US lost the Vietnam War due to its failure to apply the first rule of Strategic Planning. Lyndon Johnson failed to Define Current Conditions and forgot the importance of stopping the enemies’ supply lines. A better strategy for the Vietnam War would have been to limit US involvement to bombing and let the Vietnamese Army handle the ground war.

The US should have cut the North Vietnamese supply lines with continual bombing of Hanoi and the Ho Chi Min Trail and other routes. Instead, they left this task to US ground troops and that strategy failed to cut the supply lines. 

US leaders who pursued this failed strategy refused to apply the strategies that worked for the US in World War 2 and the Civil War. Lyndon Johnson took responsibility for losing the Vietnam War and refused to run for a second term as President.

Protests in the US began in 1965. Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War. These demonstrations grew into a broad social movement over the ensuing several years.

By 1971, Vietnam Veterans were joining in anti-war protests. President Nixon promised to end the war.  In 1972, Nixon bombed Hanoi to slow the supply of military equipment and order US troops to withdraw. In 1973, the Peace Accords were signed.

The initial failure of not bombing the North Vietnamese supply lines was never mentioned. The Truman Doctrine was never repealed.

By the 1980s, South American countries were implementing socialism and having Communist Revolutions.

In 1989 Soviet Russia was broke and forced to give up their satellite countries. In 1991 Russia outlawed Communism and establish the Russian Republic.

In the 1990s some African countries allowed Communist Party candidates to run for office.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa as the Communist Party candidate.

In 1997, the ANC's 50th National Conference elected Mbeki unopposed to succeed Mandela as ANC president.

In 2017, President Trump introduced total economic isolation as the right strategy to use to dissuade countries from allowing Communist and Islamic Terrorist takeovers. Trump articulated the real reason for ignoring the Truman Doctrine is proximity. Remaining in Afghanistan that is 7000 miles away made no sense. Troubled countries in the Middle East need to be handled by good Middle Eastern countries.

This is the same unarticulated conclusion most Americans had about Vietnam. Communism is merely the worst economic system available and voters in other countries should be free to make this mistake if they want to. It would be up to the voters in these countries to remove their Communist governments at the ballot box.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader