The Best and the Brightest
by David Halberstam
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Book Summary Information
Author: David HalberstamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1993-10-26
ISBN: 0449908704
Number of pages: 720
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Best and the Brightest
Book Review: "Stop (Vietnam) War, Make Friends, Do Business"---VC tourist
Summary: 5 Stars
June, 1969, I arrive in Bangkok, Thailand for a 9 month TOD at
Ramasun Station---a small, high tech ASA listening post.
Barhopping in Bangkok that night before I'm to be flown to
my duty station in NE Thailand I come across some happy
Orientals who invite me to their table.
Turns out the 'Happy Orientals' say they're NVA and VC
and are taking a well deserved vacation from war.???
We talk and drink and have a good time.
One of the younger 'VC' says: "You good Joe. We friends
in Bangkok. Why not be friends in Vietnam? Stop war.
Do business. Have fun. Make love, not war."
"You not going to win in Vietnam. You take village,
then you leave, we come back, you take village, you
leave...Unless you stay in village, you going to lose.
Why your leaders make you do this?" said another older
'VC'.
Since I had a 'TOP SECRET' clearance, I reported my
conversations to my superiors before I was to leave
for Ramasun.
'Ho hum' was the attitude of the debriefing officer.
He wouldn't even let me write down my experience.???
Was this a test? Or was this so common that more
data was just extra icing.
Anyway, after 9 months in Thailand, talking with locals,
talking with fellow troopies who'd been in Vietnam,
most of us came to the conclusion that we were losing
tactically and strategically and the best thing to do
was to let Vietnam be free before more US troops were
killed in a Vietnamese War of Independence because
the longer we were there, the bigger the bloodbath
as the new nation would stabilize.
We Intel Grunts often wondered if the real 'hot poop' got to our
leaders. Reading the Pentagon Papers and Best and Brightest
tell me that they were getting the straight dope from the
field; but, just couldn't believe it and progressed with
the war as if the Vietnamese were Americans and that
we were doing God's work to stop Godless Communism, etc...
I was disgusted then and got out of the Army in 1970.
I am disgusted now that our Fearless Leaders like Bush and
friends and our moronic tactics in Iraq.
The similarities to our Vietnam are eerie.
We can have victory over the Islamic fanatics that makes
the US strong, uses fewer lives of our young, etc...but,
our leaders aren't listening.
Good read. Just solidifies my longtime beliefs.
Bill Bryan
20th Century Books
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