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Setting The Record Straight

November 30, 2009 by Frank Gannon | Filed Under Cold War, History, International Affairs, News media, Nixon Administration, Presidents, Richard Nixon, U.S. History, Vietnam 

Last month the International Republican Institute honored Henry Kissinger with its 2009 Freedom award in recognition of his contribution to the security and progress of the United States.  HAK was introduced by his old friend Senator John McCain, and his former associate and fellow Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.

HAK was interviewed by historian Niall Ferguson, a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, and currently the holder of professorial chairs at Harvard University and the Harvard Business School.

After the presentation of the Award, HAK sat down for a conversation with writer and historian Niall Ferguson.  As an opener, Professor Ferguson asked if there is any historical parallel between our experiences in Afghanistan today and Vietnam back in the day.  HAK’s reply was concise and memorable:

First of all, I have a perception of Vietnam which is not the majority media perception of Vietnam.

I think in essence we defeated ourselves.  Vietnam was a problem of the American soul and not of the American performance.

And until we accept this we are not going to learn the lessons of the period.

We entered a war with decent motives and attempted to pursue it by judgments that turned out to be not applicable to the situation because they were drawn from a European experience.

And when I say “we” I mean the Kennedy and Johnson administration.

President Nixon attempted to disengage us from that war. And, while he is accused today of having prolonged the war, the only decision he made that prolonged the war was his refusal of the communist demand that, at the beginning of the peacemaking process, we had to replace the Government of Vietnam with a communist-dominated government, and after which we would have to withdraw our troops under fire.

Those two conditions he refused, and if that is prolonging the war, we would do it again.

The whole program, as broadcast by C-SPAN, concluding with the Kissinger-Ferguson conversation, can be seen here.

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HAK at the IRI dinner, chatting with Gen. Brent Scowcroft, his erstwhile assistant and subsequent successor as National Security Adviser.



Comments

2 Responses to “Setting The Record Straight”

  1. DAVE in UT on December 1st, 2009 1:43 am

    HAK should be first BOUND, then CHAINED for his untidy “Vietnam War” remark. [He forgot we also aught in Laos and Cambodia - while in SOuthEast Asia]!

    With that kind of over-rted, LIberal East, academic policy advice and ‘leasdership’ [argably!] to President Nixon at the highet levels of US governance – no wonder the Harvard prof screwed up repeatedly on the job!

    Afer three maticulously foot-noted and documented “kiss and tell” award winning memoirs in office – which became immeidately beloved by other policy wonks & academic wannabes or hangers-on — due to their “insider’ [sic.] details = I AM REMINDED THAT IN ONE CONCISE SENTENCE CONTAINED IN “RN” – President Nixon put HAK In his proper place.

    PRESIDENT NIXON WROTE: [PARAPHRASING] “For all he has written, Henry forgot one thing = THE PRESIDENT MAKES POLICY, not the advisors”!

    WELL WRIT and well stated, IMHO!

    AND LEST WE FORGET – That South-East Asian War – in three countries (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) – was presided over by no less than five (5!!!) U. S. Presidents.

    ALL OF THEM were World War II veterans!

    And they call themselves “The Greatest Generation”!

    For God-sakes WHY?

    In West Los Angeles, on entering the Main VA Hospital [Building 500] — High above the main entrance is this phrase = “THE COST OF FREEDOM IS ON DISPLAY HERE”!

    As indeed it is – daily! FULLY 24/7!

  2. DAVE in UT on December 1st, 2009 2:23 am

    AND A COUPLE OF MORE “incovenient facts” about HAK’s alleged, finely “SCRUBBED” performance in public offices — frrsh off the Harvard classrooms wth a newly acquired German faux-accent “so [he'd] gain respect within those tightly controlled Washington policy circles”! HIS WORDS!

    FIRST: Fresh from SALT negotiating team technical advisory duties & returning to his tenured chair @ the USC Department of International Relations – then Professor Bill Van Cleave wrote a scathing indictment of the US Arms Control & DIsarmament Agency’s white-wash via “COLD DAWN” in the “Orbis” quarterly. It was ignored at our peril even today!

    SECOND: On direction from The White House itsel, the USAF successfully tested a “mobile ICBM launch” from a high-flying cargo plane and a Minuteman II missile. ON THAT SUCCESS – the program, which could have been used as an arms control negotiating ploy or strategem, was then cancelled by orders from HAK!

    THIRD: The Anti-satellite Satellite (ASAT) multi-staged missile launched at igh alttitue froman F-15 fighter to “a point in space” ALSO SUCCEEDED — ONLY TO BE ALSO CANCELLED – again, on orders from HAK!

    FOURTH: The “Safeguard Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)” sites at Conrete and Nekoma, North Dakota had achieved ‘Interim Operational Capability’ (IOC) during July, 1975. THEY, TOO. were fully compliant with terms of “The ABM Treaty” (1972) its “Protocol” (1974) – both in effect at that time.

    THOSE two (2) North Dakota “Safeguard BMD” SITES – WITHIN 24 hours – were de-commissioned, during the new Ford Administration early days!

    NO VOTES were available in a Democrat-controlled Congress to restore and/or then divert the modest annual O&M fudning for that legal BMD site – in “a deal” cut between HAK and the late US Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) = placing those funds in a defense study contract for MIT’s Center for International Studies (in Cambridge, MA) “to ‘prove’ BMD won’t work”! SO MUCH for the Constitutional mandate “to provide for the common defense” even when those BMD sites were fully in compliance with ” ABM Treaty”!

    FIFTH: Early in the Nixon – Ford Administrations’ transfers of power, HAK held BOTH the White House’s national security adviser AND the US Secretary of State chairs!

    It took frmer Congressman (R-WYOMING) nd icoming Ford White House CHief of Staff DICK CHENEY to point out the obvious = Such “dual roles” represented a clear an present cnlct of interest.

    HAK was gien the option – EITHER . OR _ BUT NOT BOTH!

    HAK chose the many lucrative travel opportunities – at our taxpayers’ dime – now afforded the US Secretary of State for the remainder of public office and his over-rated (IMHO) so-called “diplomatic legacy” which he holds today!

    FOR GOD’s SAKE – WHY? Why, indeed?

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