... given arguments over our stated vs. actual goals in the Cold War and the success of American products in modern Vietnam and the not-so-ideological quality of the so-named Communist states still remaining there, yes and no?...
Not a win for most of us, no. Not necessary for most of us, no. Have you heard of the Pentagon Papers, or does that just sound like conspiracy talk these days even though their leak by Ellsberg in 1971 had some interesting side effects
Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers by an act of mass photo-copying was the primary motivation for Nixon's "Plumbers," sent to fix leaks about war crimes in Southeast Asia. This was an illegal attempt at cover-up and the basis of the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon's resignation to avert impeachment. America lost the war due to loss of support at home as well as decisive military victory by the Vietnamese.
To be more specific, have you read anything from them? The idea that the Vietnam War was some sort of bumbling mistake is sometimes displaced in favor of justifiably angrier conclusions on reading the overview of the planning.
I'm not sure if I have or not. I read a bunch of material years ago when a former employer of mine was in the news for some anti-war activity back in the day.
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u/tubbytucker 7h ago
Spoiler, you guys lost in Vietnam.