What Is The Focal Point Of The Fog Of Vietnam
The ability for American citizens to possess the freedom of speech and the right to protest makes the United States such a special place. Throughout numerous points in its history, Americans have expressed their freedoms to fight injustices. One of the biggest fights Americans had to face took place in the late 1960’s: protesting the War in Vietnam. At the time, Vietnam was split into two states: communist North Vietnam and capitalist South Vietnam. Simultaneously, the United States government found itself in an ideological struggle with the communist Soviet Union. The American government had fear in the “Domino Theory:” the idea that communism would spread throughout the world dismantling capitalist regimes, and eventually, sparking a communist
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Johnson to not seek reelection in 1968. Johnson felt overwhelmed by what the internal hatred towards the war in Vietnam; he could not handle the pressure any longer. A majority of the American public, along with people of fame, wanted to prove that the war in Vietnam had no point. Well, thirty-five years later, Robert McNamara, President Johnson’s Secretary of Defense, was the focal point of a documentary titled: The Fog of War. This documentary outlines McNamara’s life and examines crucial decisions that he made during the Vietnam War. The most intriguing part of the documentary takes place when McNamara discusses his trip to Vietnam in 1995 to have dinner with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister. Over dinner, the two men got into a huge argument about the events that unfolded three decades prior. As stated previously, the United States felt that Vietnam served as a communist puppet state. McNamara reiterated that point over dinner. In response, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister said the following: “We were fighting for our independence! We were not pawns of the Chinese or the Russians, we have been fighting the Chinese for the last 1000 years! No amount of US pressure could have stopped us!” The United States got themselves entangled in a civil war in an impoverished Southeast Asian country fighting for its independence. Vietnam did not have the economic strength to build a military that could threaten Cambodia, their next door neighbor. Thus, if Vietnam did not have the support of the Chinese or the Russians, then how could they possibly serve as a threat to the United States? Ultimately, Martin Luther King, Marvin Gaye, Walter Cronkite, and every other anti-war protester and supporter were correct: The Vietnam War served no purpose and no benefit to the United States whatsoever. The United States lost this war big
Johnson to not seek reelection in 1968. Johnson felt overwhelmed by what the internal hatred towards the war in Vietnam; he could not handle the pressure any longer. A majority of the American public, along with people of fame, wanted to prove that the war in Vietnam had no point. Well, thirty-five years later, Robert McNamara, President Johnson’s Secretary of Defense, was the focal point of a documentary titled: The Fog of War. This documentary outlines McNamara’s life and examines crucial decisions that he made during the Vietnam War. The most intriguing part of the documentary takes place when McNamara discusses his trip to Vietnam in 1995 to have dinner with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister. Over dinner, the two men got into a huge argument about the events that unfolded three decades prior. As stated previously, the United States felt that Vietnam served as a communist puppet state. McNamara reiterated that point over dinner. In response, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister said the following: “We were fighting for our independence! We were not pawns of the Chinese or the Russians, we have been fighting the Chinese for the last 1000 years! No amount of US pressure could have stopped us!” The United States got themselves entangled in a civil war in an impoverished Southeast Asian country fighting for its independence. Vietnam did not have the economic strength to build a military that could threaten Cambodia, their next door neighbor. Thus, if Vietnam did not have the support of the Chinese or the Russians, then how could they possibly serve as a threat to the United States? Ultimately, Martin Luther King, Marvin Gaye, Walter Cronkite, and every other anti-war protester and supporter were correct: The Vietnam War served no purpose and no benefit to the United States whatsoever. The United States lost this war big