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Unheralded Victory: Who Won the Vietnam War?  
Mark W. Woodruff

This is a deeply frustrating book, often on the same level as ‘The Longest Night’, but often failing to reach a conclusion that is borne out by the evidence.  The author attempts to correct many of the myths about Vietnam, noting that there were two wars – one against the Vietcong and one against the North Vietnamese Army – both of which were won (?) by the United States.  The author also asserts that the Vietcong were nowhere near as powerful or as independent as they’re often portrayed, while reminding us that the government of the south was not all corrupt or evil.

The book has real strengths.  The aims of the US and its allies are clearly set out and understandable.  The dissertation of the anti-war movement is a masterpiece of social research, covering phoney Vietnam vets, the bad reputation of reporters and the so-called draft dodgers movement.  Somehow the US forgot to notice that for everyone who fled to Canada, three Canadians came to the US to fight.  That section is an amusing read.

And yet I feel there’s something missing.  The US, as the author notes, withdrew from Vietnam too early, allowing the NVA to regain its strength – but the US still lost.  If Woodruff is entirely accurate, than the story of the Vietnam War is one where the strength of the US was betrayed by politicians and a small movement in the US that somehow gained influence far beyond its numbers.  When the end came, the US was too tired of war and withdrew its troops too early. 

 

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