Alternative universe Vietnam question

2,030 Views | 9 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by flown-the-coop
ReloadAg
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AG
I'm 37 so wasn't alive during this tome period but have tried to learn as much as I can about it. 2 "what if" questions:

How would the war have turned out if JFK had not been assassinated? Would it have escalated like it did under LBJ? I would think maybe so since a lot of the same advisors stayed on with the new administration, right?


Would the war have been waged differently/more aggressively and ultimately more successfully if it hadn't been broadcast on TV every night?
BillE1976
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On your first question, one of the conspiracy theories on the Kennedy assassination was that he was going to deescalate in Vietnam and pull us out. A lot of big business would tend to lose a lot of money so they had him killed.

Second, question, without the news coverage, the military would have been free to do pretty much what they wanted.
BQ_90
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Running the war from the WH hurt worse than any news reporting.
bufrilla
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Deescalate was on the table in late 1963, but the U.S. had 16,000 personnel in SEAsia. The draw down talked about by Kennedy only involved about 1k and in actual terms, they say it resulted in a draw down of about 50 Marines.
That conspiracy theory is just that, a theory without much support.
Now the meddling by LBJ was a major sore point.

I'd like to speak further, but I'd be roaring mad! Served one 13 month tour as a Marine Platoon Commander with 3/3 in 1968/69. Then to flight school and back flying the F4 Phantom for for several more tours with missions into North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam. When the North got in a pinch it negotiated a bombing halt.
Check the loss of a/c before the halt vs afterward. It gave them time to reload. POLITICS!!!!
ReloadAg
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Wow I can't imagine the stories you must have.
cbr
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Not just vietnam but u should watch mcnamaras 'fog of war'. Interesting perspective at the end of this controversial and hated man's life.

ReloadAg
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Will do. Thanks.
IDAGG
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cbr said:

Not just vietnam but u should watch mcnamaras 'fog of war'. Interesting perspective at the end of this controversial and hated man's life.


I also recommend that documentary. It was very educational.
jwoodmd
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cbr said:

Not just vietnam but u should watch mcnamaras 'fog of war'. Interesting perspective at the end of this controversial and hated man's life.

Absolutely incredible program.
BQ78
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Kennedy believed in the Domino Theory and he was not going to let Vietnam fall to the commies on his watch, especially since the Missile Crisis had already made him look weak on foreign policy.
flown-the-coop
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I think the idea that Kennedy would have escalated is the more likely scenario. The scenario at the end of King's 1963 seems somewhat plausible if you don't blindly buy in to Kennedy being a decent human and at best a mediocre president.
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