Vietnam War and US: Haunting Legacy Author(s): M. S. S. Reviewed work(s): Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.

36, No. 21 (May 26 - Jun. 1, 2001), pp. 1793-1795 Published by: Economic and Political Weekly Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4410657 . Accessed: 20/06/2012 12:46
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Vietnam

War

and

US

HauntingLegacy
April is a monththat brings back vivid and traumaticmemoriesof the Vietnamwar all across the US. Thisyear, the revelationsabout the Democraticsenator, Bob Kerrey's war record engulfedthe media in another roundof devastating 'truthseeking' to little effect.A truthcommission,calledfor by manysections of people, would be of immensevalue in building reconciliationsand settling downpassions within the countryand outside.
MSS or the US and Vietnam,each year themonthof Aprilbringstraumatic andvividmemories the Vietnam of war that lasted for 14 years, ending in April1975.At thetimeof theanniversary, Vietnam wearsa festivelook andremembers, in a dignified way, the sacrifices The madeby its warveterans. reactionof theUS to thisanniversary, afteryear, year is always mixed. One section of the Americanmedia and public engages in that retrospection is objectiveand meanTheothersection,prominently led ingful. by some warveteransandconservatives, is often unrepentant. Despite this divide, on Vietnam 'misdeeds', various war scales, are regularly reportedin the US media, both society, stirring sectionsof American in on ambiguity whether resulting further the conflictitself was inevitableand the reasonsfor its prolongedescalation. The year2001 was no different, except Democratic senafortherevelations about tor Bob Kerrey'swarrecord,which generatedyet another episode. On the anniversaryeve in April this year, Kerrey admitted a combatmissionwhich he that led duringthe Vietnamwar was responsible for shooting dead more than 20 unarmedcivilians, mostly women and children.After the killings, the squad's commander that reported theunithadkilled 21 Viet Cong, and Kerreywas awarded a BronzeStar.This incidentoccurredon 25, February 1969inThanh Phongvillage in the MekongDelta. The sordiddetails of this episode came to light as a result of a joint investigation TheNew York by Times magazine and CBS News and Gerhard one Klann, of thesevenmembers of that combatunit, who tracedthe sequence of the events of that day. There was further speculation that Kerrey's decisionnot to competewith Al Gorefor theDemocratic nomination in presidential the2000presidential cameonlyweeks race after Newsweek had magazine interviewed him andpresented documents relatingto theVietnam Newsweek mission,although never publishedthe story. Klann Infollow-upinterviews, Gerhard described eventas-a the crimeandaccused his formersquadleaderKerreyof intentionally targetingcivilians. Kerrey,who nowteaches theNewYork's NewSchool at for Social Research,responded: de"To scribeit as a warcrime,I think,is wrong. fire We merelyreturned and found only afterwardthat we had killed unarmed civilians."He also denied that he ever of ordereda round-up slaughter unand he armed civilians.However, wasevasive as to why he andothersdid notrevealthe facts at the time. indicate documents However,available that the standingorderfor raidssuch as that carriedout on ThanhPhong was to takeno prisoners to kill anyVietnamand ese whocrossedpathswiththeUS forces. This approach assumedthateven elderly wereall legitimen, womenandchildren matetargets, partbecause,as a genuine in the rerevolutionary struggle, Vietnamese sistance US occupation to mobilised every section of society. The Americanwar in efVietnam,as a counter-revolutionary of involvedthe slaughter fort,necessarily civiliansonanindiscriminate scale.Therefore, in seekingthe truthas to whathappened on that day, a few fundamental questionsarise:why didunarmed people, as they normallywould do, not hit the groundor seek shelter?Why did they all die? Why did none survive wounded? inObviously,a detailedandindependent vestigationcan hope to get to the truth.

can Investigators put the squadmembers underoath and questionthem.They can likewise depose survivingvillagers and exhumeandexaminethe dead.Theycan, in short,do whatis generallydone in the or case of credibleallegationsof murder massacre.

Acts of War?
After32 years,Bob Kerreyfaces accusationsof leadinga massacre innocent of of Vietnamese villagersandthe accuracy such reportsmainlyrelyingon memory. the Onsuchaccounts, US mediais divided on follow-up action, with most of them as do callingfor restraint "accidents hapThe mediaeven penin wars". mainstream for quotedsympathy KerreyamongVietnamesein the US (for example,TheNew YorkTimes, April 27, 2001 carriedan article entitled 'Sorrow, Sympathyfor in Kerrey amongVietnamese US'). A few senators thatno stateinvestigation argued shouldbe conductedas any probewould be complexand would have to place the incidentin a very broadcontext,preferthan ring to 'let sleepingdogs lie' rather provokesome of the angstthatoriginally wasfeltabout war.What thereasons the are WhileKerrey forthis support Kerrey? for and othersmay be guilty of war crimes, there are others who should face investigationand trialbeforehim and thatlist shouldincludesome of the survivingtop officialsresponUS politicalandmilitary sible for the genocidal policies in Vietnam, from Henry Kissinger, William Westermoreland formerCIA director to Richard number Helms,andthenumerous of administratorsand diplomats who played essential roles in the war. Obviis ously,Kerrey onlya minor player among a vast arrayof people who were responsible for decisionstaken,but were never broughtto justice. For this reason, the is Americanpoliticalestablishment nervousaboutreopening oldwounds.The the war involved governmentduplicityand deceiton a monumental scale withcountless illegal actions undertaken, both at home as well as in Vietnam.As the intense, yet nervous,media interestin the conKerrey episodeshowstheprotracted flict- whichnearlydividedtheUS during the difficult1960s and 1970s- continues to remaina painfultopic and has never been adequatelyaddressed. After all these years, is the US finally ready to express regret for the crimes committed in Vietnam? That is most 1793

Economicand PoliticalWeekly May 26, 2001

unlikely. Were the Kerrey and such other revelations new in the US? Probably not. Since the end of the Vietnam war, several such instances of massacres or killings on various scales were reported, and in most cases, with the exception of My Lai events, no decisive action was taken by the US government. Were the war veterans denied the opportunityto express their feelings in the past?No. Throughout 1960s and 1970s, there were numerous anti-war forums that provided the opportunity for war veterans to speak out and express their anguish. Additionally, even during the war, the liberal media was active and the American public was informed through documentaries and talk shows. In the early 1970s, film-makers in the US made political documentaries, based on testimonies of returnees from the war, to draw public attention to the horrors of the US intervention (in this regard,the works of Joseph Strick, John Douglas and Robert Kramer, George Bailey and Ignacio Ramonet deserve special mention). One such documentary was 'Winter Soldier', in which

returnees from the battlefield spoke about the mayhem that they themselves had created in Vietnam in the name of "containing the spread of communism". Drawing from bona fide stories, the film shows young 'veterans', returningfrom Vietnam, acknowledging that they had taken part in acts of brutality. They recounted the horrors that they committed once they had been turned into killing machines: rape, torture, villages burned, summary executions, shooting of children, prisoners thrown out of helicopters, mutilating bodies, etc. They also acknowledge that there will never be an internationalcrimes tribunal to look into atrocities committed during the Vietnam war. The returning young veterans found this unacceptable. As a way of bearing witness to the popular myths and lies spread by the US government and media, a handful of them met in February1971. Among them were some decorated with 'war medals' for their acts of bravery. These men of honour, who were once proud to serve their country, explained how their moral conscience was

stifled and how they were encouraged to release their instincts of aggression. Of all the anti-war documentaries this one had the most impact on public opinion. The screening of this documentary was boycotted by the mainstream US media. Some documentaries also showed how the army used technology to distance the criminal dimension of its acts of war. For example, in Peter Davis's 'Hearts and Minds' (1971), abomberpilot says: "When you are flying at 500 miles per hour, you don't have time to think about anything else. You never saw people. You didn't even hear the explosions, No blood, no screams. It was clean. I was a technician." The pilot is so caught up with technological performance that he is incapable of thinking through the consequences of his actions or of taking responsibility for them. The debate that ensued also examined the cultural characteristics of American society and other documentaries highlighted the Vietnam waras symptomaticof a deeper phenomenon of American violence. These documentaries, in the 1970s, disentangled

Aga

Khan

Foundation
is looking for

Coordinator
Research Networking & Policy Advocacy, PESLE-Education are (applicants for the same position, who had responded to our advertisement in Times of India in early April/ requested to not apply again) Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)incorporatedin Switzerland, is a non-denominationaldevelopment agency headquartered at Geneva with programme interests in Asia & Africa, in the fields of Health, Education, Rural Development & NGO Enhancement. The Programme for Enrichment of School Level Education (PESLE) is an eight-year flagship project being implemented by the Foundation in India,in partnershipwith local NGOs. PESLE seeks to mainstream experimental approaches to improving the quality of school level education. Coordinator Research Networking & Policy Advocacy will be responsible for managing the Action Research, Information,Visibility& Policy advocacy component. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D./Master's degree in social sciences/education; at least 7-10 years of experience of working in NGOs/public sector organisations in the education sector, especially on issues around school-level education, of which at least 3-5 would be in leading & managing research studies withdemonstrated understandingof research methods; experience withaction research & multi-agencyresearch studies; demonstrated success in publishing&disseminating results for a range of audiences including public systems & policy makers. Familiaritywith research literature on school improvement/school effectiveness in developing countries will be expected. Abilityto assess & build capacities of functionaries in relevant areas is essential. Understanding of the internationalaid environment will be desirable. The position is a full time contractual appointment, co-terminus with the Programme (June 2006), based at New Delhi & requires extensive travel. AKFoffers a stimulating,collegial environmentwith competitive salary & benefits. Selection tests & interviews will be held on June 15, 2001. Applications addressed to Aga Khan Foundation, 6 Bhagwandass Road, New Delhi 110001; e-mail akfind@nda.vsnl.net.inshould reach by June 4, 2001 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

1794

Economicand PoliticalWeekly May 26, 2001

the web of untruths, allegationsandparanoiathatgradually lockedthe US into the intervention Vietin logic of "continued nam". 'Winter Soldier', 'Hearts and Minds', and such other documentaries highlightedthe traumageneratedby the Vietnamwar in the US and illustratethe moral confusion amongtheyoungsoldiers whofoughtit. Thus,therewereforumsfor expressingone's anguishand even guilt, andsurelyBob Kerrey his colleagues and to were awareof such opportunities express their views and feelings. While some young veteranswere courageousin sharingtheirconfusionih the early 1970s, many others, like Gerhard are to Klann, onlynowbeginning confront their most vivid battlememories,which have been obscuredby time, stress, and sometimes,the guilt of having killed or survived.The passage of three decades dullsanddistorts (1975-2001) perceptions. BobKerrey, oneagonising in has moment, revealed whattheUShasbeenhearmerely ing yearafteryear.Althoughmoredetails arecomingouton theKerrey episode,it is unlikelythatlittlemorethanpolitedebate onassigning forthemisdeeds responsibility and missedopportunities the Vietnam of war will result. In sum, disclosures by or fail peoplelikeKlann Kerrey to provide into additional insight theconflict,continue to complicate basicissues of the Vietnam someexcuseswhereas war,provide explanations theeventsareneeded,andlastly, to men like Kerrey,plead guilt with style. It is obvious thatthe US was not prepared to engage indefinitely,while the Vietnamese weredetermined fightuntil to the end. It was the kind of involvement forwhichneither American the societynor its militarywere prepared.As a result, withoutdoubt, the Vietnamconflict remainsa deep and festeringwoundin the American psycheandfor those who took partin it, thereis little healing.Some of the recenteffortsof Americans, including RobertMcNamara, reconstructVietto namwarhistoryandencourage reconciliationappears havehadlittleimpact. to The of misdeedsthatareseen as isolated type acts committed veterans, exempliand by fied by revelations like those of Bob are treated witha 'forKerrey's, generally While such give-and-forget'approach. disclosuresregularly appearin the press, the historicalcontext of the respective events are rarelyexaminedin detail, and the resultsconsideredfor futureforeign policy directions.

futureinvolvementin any conflict under whateverrationale,particularly after the Additionally, the Vietnam war was the end of the cold war. Defending human first conflict to have been globally tele- rightshas become the principal rationale in vised, which led to anti-warprotests in the forUS intervention placeslike Panama, US and around the world. Governments Iraq, Somalia and elsewhere. Additionleart lesson from allowing such free access ally, the US has consistentlyrefused to to conflict zones. In all subsequent con- allow its own actionsandits own officials of flicts, because'of this, the whole access to to be thesubject anyinternational court, conflict-zones, particularly for the pro- for fear thatsuch bodies, not being comgressive and objective media, has been pletelyunderthe controlof the American highly regulated. The media now is stifled establishment, mighttakeaction,however to a great degree and very possibly as a limited,against US's military the interests result, has become more conservative. This aroundthe world. has a knock-on effect on the continuing For years, political analystsand those of Vietnam, as the mainstream workingon reconciliation havebeen sugcoverage media highlights only the negative and gestingthe establishment a 'truth of comberate the achievements of Vietnam. mission' on the Vietnamwaras a way of Consequently, with little organised compilinga completepictureof thatconirrtheworld's media flict. There are a numberof compelling countervailing power today, the US's mainstreammedia contin- reasonsfor getting to the truthonce and ues to function in a free-wheeling manner forall.Firstly, a of though number theories all justified by the political attitude of have been circulated, threeof the US who relentlesslyescalatedthe realpolitik, which may receive occasional presidents notice and criticism in the free and com- Vietnam conflictin thelate 1950sthrough mitted press, but which is unlikely to be the mid-1970sdied withoutcastingmuch restrainedby public opinion. This attitude useful light on the war. Secondly, The
of the US media is worrying aspect of the post-war debate on Vietnam. If facts are to be brought forward, even contradicting the claims of the US government and mainstream media, the liberal media will have to be objective, independent, and given unrestricted access to information. This is not happening and such efforts from freethinking groups seem to lack support from US policy-makers also. For most analysts, the ending of the Vietnam war was disgraceful, not just because the US lost, but because the US broke faith. When the peace agreements were signed, in Paris in January 1973, the US made promises to the South and threats against North Vietnam. Both the threats and the promises were disregarded. This inability to uphold promises and follow agreements has probablyhurtthe US most. Since 1975, the US has been seen as having a reputationfor bad faith. Further,the loss in Vietnam caused Americans to lose faith in the competence and integrity of their government and their institutions in general. Consequently, the US is now trusted less by its citizens and friends alike, and feared less by its enemies. The exposure of the misdeeds of Kerrey in Thanh Phong has touched a nerve in the US establishment, not only because there are many skeletons of the Vietnam war era,

Lessons fromMedia

documentsoutliningthe steps by which the US becameinvolvedin Vietnam,puts forward cold warscenarioandexpecthe tationsof thedominotheoryas thereasons for the escalationof the Vietnamwar,not the sole factorthat caused it. Lastly,the numberof startlingrevelationsof past misdeedsby some US veterans reguthat larly appearin the media illustratethat thoughthe press is free to publishtestimonies and reports,the US mainstream mediais still filled withplainbreast-beatarticles and ing andself-serving write-ups, documentarieson the television. Such disclosures do no good in establishing reconciliation obtaininga comprehenor sive picture theconflict.Recentdebates of in the US mediaonly expressa hopefor a future wouldbelessviolentand societythat morebenevolentin its violence. Viewed in thiscontext,a comprehensive transand 'truth commission' would parently managed be of immensevaluein building reconciliation and settling down passions within theUS andelsewhere. suchwellHowever, intentioned efforts may also rip open the scab on the Vietnamwound,and further the that damage littlehealing hastakenplace to date.In any case, the US still will have to win peacewithinits own populaceand thatdemands muchmorethangovernment butbecausetheypose questions 1IEi regarding establishinga truthcommission. 1795

Pentagon Papers, a large collection of

Economicand PoliticalWeekly May 26, 2001