In a strange way, the United States achieved its goal for the Vietnam War, but forgot why it was fighting. It was not fighting to keep South Vietnam from falling to the communists; it was fighting in Indochina to buy time for the other free nations of the region to develop economically and strengthen their respective relationships with their polities.
In 1961, the region seemed weak economically. Japan was on the eve of its great expansion that turned it into the world’s second largest economy for many years; South Korea and Taiwan still depended on US economic assistance, and focused...
In a strange way, the United States achieved its goal for the Vietnam War, but forgot why it was fighting. It was not fighting to keep South Vietnam f...
