read 11/2015

Lewis Sorley is graduate of West Point with a doctorate in history from Johns Hopkins University and an American intelligence strategist and military historian. In A Better War, he argues that the United States army under William Westmoreland and the government of South Vietnam fought the Vietnam War rather stupidly prior to the Tet Offensive in 1968, but that once Westmoreland was replaced by Creighton Abrams the war was conducted more intelligently. He even argues (as have many other military historians) that the U.S. actually “won” the Tet Offensive on the battle field even though it cost the government the support of the people at home.

Sorley’s tale is one of lost opportunities. In Sorley’s opinion, much progress was made on the battle field from 1968 to 1972, but U.S. domestic politics rendered it all for nought. Most Americans are not even aware or at least tend to forget the details of that progress. We remember instead the last three disastrous years (1972-75) and the final humiliating departure from the American embassy in Saigon. The ultimate loss of the war was due primarily to (1) termination of American political, material, and military support; (2) failure by South Viet Nam to provide effective military leadership at high levels despite come tent and courageous junior officers; and (3) failure to cut off enemy infiltration and resupply through the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia and Laos.

The book make enlightening reading and it was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

(JAB) ( )

A profound, masterful, and unique history of the Ameican military's efforts in the Vietnam War during the period after the Tet Offensive in 1968, when General Abrams replaced General Westmoreland as Commander, until the end of that war. Abrams replaced Westmoreland's attrition strategy with his new "one war" strategy which focused simultaneously on pacification and protection of the population, meeting or dictating to the enemy either convention warfare or counter-terrorism / anti-guerrilla warfare, and Vietnamization (training and equipping the South Vietnam armed forces so that they could take over the fight with only ongoing American financial, logistical and equipment, and tactical air support). ( )

http://stromata.tripod.com/id228.htm ( )