in Indochina he battled for a decade. decade. a for battled he Indochina in

Hawks have painted him as a superpa- a as him painted have Hawks distorted Vann's unique role in Vietnam. Vietnam. in role unique Vann's distorted

triot, bravely but simplistically questing questing simplistically but bravely triot,

and four-star generals symbolizing the the symbolizing generals four-star and

very establishmentarians whose bungling bungling whose establishmentarians very

Vann at Arlington National Cemetery Cemetery National Arlington at Vann

week's military funeral for John Paul Paul John for funeral military week's

John Paul Vann: Vann: Paul John

was the prominence of cabinet members members cabinet of prominence the was

Like the funeral, many eulogies have have eulogies many funeral, the Like

WASHINGTON — The irony in last last in irony The — WASHINGTON

Dedication and Iconoclasm Iconoclasm and Dedication

made bim indispensable indispensable bim made

John Paul Vann Vann Paul John

ese Army (AR.01) — in effect, Vietnam- Vietnam- effect, in — (AR.01) Army ese

ate strengtherft of the - South the of strengtherft ate

sufficed. sufficed.

as few as 100,000 U.S. troops would have have would troops U.S. 100,000 as few as

Communist takeover and nothing more, more, nothing and takeover Communist

hard U.S. policy the prevention of a a of prevention the policy U.S. hard

50,000 American lives lost in Vietnam Vietnam in lost lives American 50,000

if President Johnson in 1965 had fixed as as fixed had 1965 in Johnson President if

were tragically unnecessary. He felt that that felt He unnecessary. tragically were

nerness, Vann left no doubt he felt anti- felt he doubt no left Vann nerness,

a mess of it. it. of mess a

at campsites in the Vietnamese wild- Vietnamese the in campsites at

talking privately to us late into the night night the into late us to privately talking

rebel, Vann avoided public criticism. But But criticism. public avoided Vann rebel,

Communist forces in Vietnam had made made had Vietnam in forces Communist

outburst. Knowing his influence would would influence his Knowing outburst.

abruptly end if he became a dismissed dismissed a became he if end abruptly

in 1970 that Ambassador Ellsworth Bunk- Ellsworth Ambassador that 1970 in

Although still outspoken, Vann realized realized Vann outspoken, still Although

er in Saigon would sack him at the next next the at him sack would Saigon in er

hard, critical view is his legacy. legacy. his is view critical hard,

tenant-colonel ; a decade earlier. That That earlier. decade a ; tenant-colonel

lieutenant-general, Vann had not changed changed not had Vann lieutenant-general,

ton. At the end, performing essentially essentially performing end, the At ton.

policies that moved Saigon and Washing- and Saigon moved that policies

figures to emerge from the war, Vann Vann war, the from emerge to figures

conformist critic of tragically mistaken mistaken tragically of critic conformist

military duties formerly entrusted to a a to entrusted formerly duties military from the first to the last was a non- a was last the to first the from

Avoided Avoided somehow corrupted by power into em- into power by corrupted somehow

his critical outlook as an obscure lieu- obscure an as outlook critical his Besides being one of the very few heroic heroic few very the of one being Besides

bracing what had once disillusioned him. him. disillusioned once had what bracing

picted him as a former critic of the war war the of critic former a as him picted

after military victory. Doves have de- have Doves victory. military after

But that would have required immedi- required have would that But

Most important, Vann deeply believed believed deeply Vann important, Most

What changed was Vann's discretion. discretion. Vann's was changed What

The facts are dramatically different. different. dramatically are facts The

A A

criticism criticism

military military

er for not fighting Thieu's imprisonment imprisonment Thieu's fighting not for er

made no secret he felt Bunker was much much was Bunker felt he secret no made

the war effort. In official circles, he he circles, official In effort. war the Vann felt his political intrigues undercut undercut intrigues political his felt Vann

too soft on Thieu. Thieu. on soft too

Vietnamese leader available to the U.S., U.S., the to available leader Vietnamese

bassy in Saigon viewed Thieu as the best best the as Thieu viewed Saigon in bassy

Thieu and his intimate relationship with with relationship intimate his and Thieu strongest against President Nguyen Van Van Nguyen President against strongest

bat soldiers in a useless residual role. role. residual useless a in soldiers bat

more powerful. But he criticized the the criticized he But powerful. more

slow U.S. troop withdrawal and argued argued and withdrawal troop U.S. slow

Ambassador Bunker. Whereas the em- the Whereas Bunker. Ambassador

ing tens of thousands of American com- American of thousands of tens ing became more respectable and his voice voice his and respectable more became

unsuccessfully with Gen. Cr eight on on eight Cr Gen. with unsuccessfully

Abrams and the Pentagon against keep- against Pentagon the and Abrams

and Vietnamization in 196'9, Vann's views views Vann's 196'9, in Vietnamization and

More More

carbines. The Pentagon refused, forcing forcing refused, Pentagon The carbines.

— and dying. dying. and —

lieutenant-colonel in the early 1960s, 1960s, early the in lieutenant-colonel

ARVN to lag behind well-equipped U.S. U.S. well-equipped behind lag to ARVN

troops, who then did most of the fighting fighting the of most did then who troops, tomatic rifles in place of obsolete M-1 M-1 obsolete of place in rifles tomatic Vann urged arming ARVN with M-16 au- M-16 with ARVN arming urged Vann

ization four years before it came. As a a As came. it before years four ization

New Orleans States—Item States—Item Orleans New

iconoclast leaves a legacy legacy a leaves iconoclast

Specifically, Vann never forgave Bunk- forgave never Vann Specifically,

His private ire in recent years was was years recent in ire private His

With the advent of Richard M. Nixon Nixon M. Richard of advent the With

Rowland Evans Evans Rowland

Robert Novak Novak Robert

respectable respectable

and and

fq fq

and iconoclasm that made Vann indispen- Vann made that iconoclasm and

the misery of Vietnam. Vietnam. of misery the

sable. In assessing Vann's death, that is is that death, Vann's assessing In sable.

the essential point to be made, because because made, be to point essential the

Department opposition. opposition. Department

cials. Last year, he named a junior For- junior a named he year, Last cials.

suring his death in battle but giving him him giving but battle in death his suring

eign Service officer as his deputy for for deputy his as officer Service eign

shot fired in anger. In return, they they return, In anger. in fired shot

pacification, overriding determined State State determined overriding pacification, officers assigned to the pacification pro- pacification the to assigned officers

a mobility unequalled among senior offi- senior among unequalled mobility a piloted his own — perhaps en- perhaps — helicopter own his piloted

viewed Vann as a pop-off who did not not did who pop-off a as Vann viewed play by the rules. rules. the by play

tem. Against Gen. Abrams' wishes, he he wishes, Abrams' Gen. Against tem.

talent at beating the bureaucratic sys- bureaucratic the beating at talent clubs and loathed those Foreign Service Service Foreign those loathed and clubs

Beating the system system the Beating

generals in their air-conditioned officers' officers' air-conditioned their in generals

reaucrats. He despised the armchair armchair the despised He reaucrats.

gram who valiantly tried never to hear a a hear to never tried valiantly who gram ratus that overflowed South Vietnam. Vietnam. South overflowed that ratus

Acres and acres of now-deserted camps camps now-deserted of acres and Acres

ously supplied by sea rather than than rather sea by supplied ously

the stupidity of American military bu- military American of stupidity the

tion in Vietnam should have been contin- been have should Vietnam in tion

politics and, therefore, damaged the war war the damaged therefore, and, politics effort. effort. were seen by him as mute testimony to to testimony mute as him by seen were

through the gargantuan logistical appa- logistical gargantuan the through

of opposition leader Chau Ngoc Tran leader opposition of

knew"). To Vann, Thieu's peremptory peremptory Thieu's Vann, To knew").

personnel policies were steeped in crass crass in steeped were policies personnel

("one of the greatest men I ever ever I men greatest the of ("one

It was this rare marriage of dedication dedication of marriage rare this was It

What dismayed them most was Vann's Vann's was most them dismayed What

Vann often said U.S. military interven- military U.S. said often Vann

combination is so sadly lacking in in lacking sadly so is combination

- -4 -4