Vietnam War
Path to war, majorly known to as Vietnam war, marked a great turning point in the history of America as it shows the very first defeat by America’s army and demonstrates a great change in how citizens and government-related. It is also in this war that citizens witnessed how President Lyndon Baines Johnson made decisions regarding America’s engagement in the Vietnam war. The film demonstrates the inner workings of Johnson White House through transcripts of secretly recorded conversations and interviews with major policymakers. L.B. J was demonstrated a colourful character that continuously makes off-colour remarks and the film clearly show this feature of Johnson’s personability. The film as well as entails violent images of war.
The film commences with Johnson’s inaugural ball after a landslide election. Johnson started his administration with great plans of accomplishing his objective of the Great Society. However, as Johnson tries to address civil-rights matters requested by Martin Luther King Jr. and stare down Alabama, the long-brewing situation in Vietnam interrupted. Vietnam has been undergoing a sudden violent disruption since the end of world war II and by late 90s, armed conflict had acquired many Americas’ soldiers.
President Johnson had a long meeting with Senator Dirksen and discussed strategies of achieving a cease-fire in Vietnam as ways of taking the warring parties to peace talks. During that discussion, some decisions were reached which led to President Johnson to impose bombing halt in North Vietnam. Johnson told Dirksen that the republican presidential campaign of Richard M. Dick Nixon had been diverting the attention of South Vietnamese stakeholders to make Saigon lose the interest of moving towards the conference table. The publication of such talks made the GOP afraid that they will give the Democratic presidential candidate an important bounce in the last week of the election campaign. President motivates Dirksen to ensure that the Nixon institution discontinues and cease.
To help plan on how to end the conflict, President Johnson calls a meeting with his advisers including, the legend of the Cuban missile crisis, secretary of defence Robert McNamara, special adviser Clark Clifford and many others. Apart from Johnson’s decision and campaign promises to the contrary, project rolling thunder is developed in an attempt to restrain Viet Cong offences. During Johnson’s time in the office as the president, his advisers’ waffle, cash for social projects were used in war and public and as former allies turn against the president as it was clear that the war was too hard to win. Some presidents usually promised peace but secretly go for war. It is not a good idea at all and presidents should have a stand on one thing. If it is war, let be war and if they choose peace let them stick with that. Most importantly, let them stand with peace and avoid conflicts and help protect the lives of their citizens.
I strongly agree with the observation of undersecretary of state John ball that bombing can never win a war since nobody has ever illustrated how the white ground force of any size can win a guerrilla war which at the same time is a civil war between Asians in the forest and among the populace who have denied to cooperate with the white army and hence offers a big advantage to the other side. Several instances demonstrate this point: the attack on the Da Nang Air Base that entailed penetration of a defence parameter safeguarded by several Marines. This attack was a success just because of the coordination of the local inhabitants. Secondly, the B-52 attack failed to destroy the Viet Cong who had been tipped off. Finally, the search and destroy mission of the 173 Air Borne Brigade that took some days searching for the Viet Cong, resulted to 23 casualties and did not come into contact with the enemy who of course get advance word of their assignment.
The crisis in Vietnam affected greatly the civil rights movements of the early 60s as it assisted the division of the fight of social justice at the time it was achieving its main success. The conflicts of whether to support the war reduced the campaign of human rights. Later in 1965, President Johnson informed Alabama’s governor George Wallace that he will utilize national powers to call up Alabama’s National Guard to look after a planned civil right. This was after segregation had earlier prevented African-American population from registering and voting.
Quaker Norman Morrison act is an act of bravery as no man can set fire on himself just to demonstrate against war and leave his children behind to be brought up by a widow.
The United States should not get involved in a civil war with other countries for various reasons. For instance like the Vietnam war which went for a longer time and was very expensive and even divided the governments of North Vietnam and South Vietnam and also their principal ally which was the United States. Almost 3 million of individuals including 68000 Americans were killed Vietnam war and many were Vietnamese citizens. Opposition to the war in America painfully separated US citizens even after President Richard Nixon withdrew his forces. President Johnson visits the President of South Vietnam in Saigon and gave him hope to consider himself as requisite to the United States and agree to add extra military aid to help his government in dealing with communists.
When President Johnson signed the Civil Right Act about five decades ago, it was such a great legislative accomplishment. However, regarding presidents’ Johnson legacy, this milestone legislation is outshined by his escalation of a defeated far in Vietnam and this is what surprises many people the most after viewing this film. For the majority of people, the lasting image of Johnson is considered that of a person consumed by the failure of Vietnam.