How does this bode for today’s situation?
Memo, Kissinger to Nixon, September 18, 1971, folder: Vietnam Elections, box 872, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, NSCF, NPMP.
We recognized from the beginning the uncertainty that the South Vietnamese could be sufficiently strengthened to stand on their own within the time span that domestic opposition to American involvement would allow. It has always been recognized that a delicate point would be reached where our withdrawals would coincide with maximum domestic uncertainty to jeopardize the whole structure at the final hour.
Therefore a negotiated settlement had always been far preferable. Rather than run the risk of South Vietnam crumbing around our remaining forces, a peace settlement would end the war with an act of policy and leave the future of South Vietnam to the historical process. There would be a clear terminal date rather than a gradual winding down. We could heal the wounds in this country as our men left peace behind on the battlefield and a healthy interval for South Vietnam’s fate to unfold. In short, Vietnamization may be our ultimate recourse; it cannot be our preferred choice. . . .
those words are from the man more famous for these, commenting on (oddly enough) the US sellout of the Kurds in Iraq in 1975.
[Wonder from whose knees Cheney, Rove, Bush, Rumsfeld, et alia learned their kind of politics?]
The modern Dr. Kissinger has this to say about the present morass in Iraq,
Well, at least one Republican appears to be able to see the parallels between Iraq and Viet Nam, and to remember the lessons learned from the latter war.
Therefore a negotiated settlement had always been far preferable.
In the Vietnam War, there was at least the North Vietnamese government with which the US could negotiate to get safe conduct out of the country when it was all over.
In Iraq, US troops are stuck in the middle of chaos. It’s Somalia on a larger scale. A much larger scale.
Yes indeed we do have a documented history of escapee’s from a condom fucking up world history and the fate of all mankind. So, sorry to be this blunt and profane but the very mention of Henry does that to me and I have consistently asked God himself why vacuous Satanic entities like Kissinger are allowed to rise to such positions of influence and power.
Since this is an open threadie I want to just say something.
We are all reading and discussing things we have known about forever or at least surmised with fair certainty just because they are are at long last appearing in the ms press.
We think this is good. Some might think it means something.
But every day I read thru all the hysterical bills and floor statements and resolutions of congress on Govtrac and Thomas….and I can tell you..Congress is as fucking insane as ever and becoming more so, not less so. They are all little Neros fiddling while Rome burns. It’s fucking amazing to see what they are doing…unlike monkeys they can’t even learn by repetition.
And that includes the dems and repubs.
I was expecting to see some stuff about this out here, somewhere, but I can’t even find an article about this.
I heard last night on the 6 o’clock news that 50 of the students the President met with (for some such annual publicity thing), hand wrote & signed a letter asking him not to torture people. Then one of them handed it directly to him.
I nearly fell off of my chair when I heard that.
Good for them!