Page Page
his Pentagon niche, was one of the few civilian officials officials civilian few the of one was niche, Pentagon his
to contest the euphoria of the military command in in command military the of euphoria the contest to
Anthony Hartley is the editor of of editor the is Hartley Anthony
stuck in the Pentagon elevator on the day of the former's former's the of day the on elevator Pentagon the in stuck
of his vignettes (e.g., McNamara and the President President the and McNamara (e.g., vignettes his of
statement: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff don't know what what know don't Staff of Chiefs Joint "The statement: was first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense and and Defense for Secretary Assistant Deputy first was
is an important important an is
retirement I will reappear in the history books. books. history the in reappear will I retirement then, from 1967, Under-Secretary for the Air Force, Force, Air the for Under-Secretary 1967, from then,
they're talking about." about." talking they're
doubt into the mind of President Johnson by the simple simple the by Johnson President of mind the into doubt
can foreign policy alternately applaud and lament. It It lament. and applaud alternately policy foreign can
was their doyen. Dean Acheson, who first brought brought first who Acheson, Dean doyen. their was
petence. Up front shines the hero figure of Clark Clifford, Clifford, Clark of figure hero the shines front Up petence.
the center of the stage stands the Hamlet figure of of figure Hamlet the stands stage the of center the
L.B.J., Dean Rusk and Walt Rostow are the villains. In In villains. the are Rostow Walt and Rusk Dean L.B.J., while, in the background the elder statesmen of Ameri- of statesmen elder the background the in while,
as it developed during the Kennedy and Johnson Ad- Johnson and Kennedy the during developed it as
mony will certainly be contradicted, and its judgments judgments its and contradicted, be certainly will mony on individuals are a little too black and white to be be to white and black too little a are individuals on Robert McNamara, the hesitant victim of his own com- own his of victim hesitant the McNamara, Robert
true. In the Vietnam drama it is clear that, for Hoopes, Hoopes, for that, clear is it drama Vietnam the In true.
ministrations, is, no doubt, the first of a long series of of series long a of first the doubt, no is, ministrations, polemical memoirs, and a fascinating one. But its testi- its But one. fascinating a and memoirs, polemical
By Anthony Hartley Hartley Anthony By
Hoopes. Hoopes. THE LIMITS OF INTERVENTION. By Townsend Townsend By INTERVENTION. OF LIMITS THE
Ups and downs of escalation escalation of downs and Ups
Basically, this is a tale of military defeat. Hoopes, Hoopes, defeat. military of tale a is this Basically,
History will modify this picture, but Hoopes, who who Hoopes, but picture, this modify will History
Townsend Hoopes's inside story of the Vietnam war war Vietnam the of story inside Hoopes's Townsend
4 4
McKay. 245 245 McKay.
witness. witness.
pp. pp.
$5.95. $5.95.
He can write, too, and some some and too, write, can He
Interplay Interplay
magazine. magazine.
in in
successor. For it is now beginning to be evident that that evident be to beginning now is it For successor.
the continuity between its policies and those of its its of those and policies its between continuity the
during March 1968, things moved rapidly towards the the towards rapidly moved things 1968, March during
renders a considerable service to history by emphasizing emphasizing by history to service considerable a renders
sive and the arrival of the new Secretary for Defense, Defense, for Secretary new the of arrival the and sive
Clark Clifford — a man who had the President's ear and and ear President's the had who man a — Clifford Clark
Saigon. His memoranda on the failure of the bombing bombing the of failure the on memoranda His Saigon. was in a peculiarly strong political position. After that, that, After position. political strong peculiarly a in was
like could not influence events until after the Tet offen- Tet the after until events influence not could like
the best explanation yet given of precisely why the the why precisely of given yet explanation best the
Paris talks and Johnson's decision not to run again. again. run to not decision Johnson's and talks Paris
policy of escalation did not succeed. But he and his his and he But succeed. not did escalation of policy
of North Vietnam to stem infiltration into the South are are South the into infiltration stem to Vietnam North of
In In
dealing with the Kennedy Administration Hoopes Hoopes Administration Kennedy the with dealing
Townsend Hoopes Hoopes Townsend
consequences" of American withdrawal from Vietnam Vietnam from withdrawal American of consequences"
and Japan." In its own way this book also demonstrates demonstrates also book this way own its In Japan." and
can be mitigated by "adjustments, reassurances, and and reassurances, "adjustments, by mitigated be can
haunted American policy in Southeast Asia. Asia. Southeast in policy American haunted
the disastrous lack of political understanding which has has which understanding political of lack disastrous the
South Vietnamese . . ." Quite, but this is the same same the is this but Quite, ." . . Vietnamese South
perhaps added U.S. effort in places like Thailand, Korea Korea Thailand, like places in effort U.S. added perhaps language used to gloss over unpleasant reality that that reality unpleasant over gloss to used language
drawal will be extremely painful for several strata of of strata several for painful extremely be will drawal
the same might be said of his belief that the "adverse "adverse the that belief his of said be might same the Hoopes deplored in the Johnson Administration. And And Administration. Johnson the in deplored Hoopes
about the possible fate of the South Vietnamese. "There "There Vietnamese. South the of fate possible the about
is no doubt that such a United States policy of with- of policy States United a such that doubt no is
bit as much a Vietnamese nationalist as Ho. Perhaps Perhaps Ho. as nationalist Vietnamese a much as bit
it is the impatience of the military technocrat with such such with technocrat military the of impatience the is it
war is badly flawed by his inability to sort out Viet- out sort to inability his by flawed badly is war
political details that leads him to be rather cold-blooded cold-blooded rather be to him leads that details political
was the historical imperative that explained Ho Chi Chi Ho explained that imperative historical the was
Mao. Besides, it ignores the fact that Diem was every every was Diem that fact the ignores it Besides, Mao. South Vietnam should seem a suitable place for field field for place suitable a seem should Vietnam South
Minh" is as question-begging as earlier judgments about about judgments earlier as question-begging as is Minh"
of course, limited. Hoopes's general narrative of the the of narrative general Hoopes's limited. course, of
experiments. The point of no return in political terms terms political in return no of point The experiments. namese politics. His judgment that "national aspiration aspiration "national that judgment His politics. namese he he
to assume responsibility for the regimes that followed. followed. that regimes the for responsibility assume to
United States had encouraged this revolution, it had had it revolution, this encouraged had States United low-cost counterinsurgency strategy which even now now even which strategy counterinsurgency low-cost
was reached with the overthrow of Diem. Since the the Since Diem. of overthrow the with reached was
interest in counterinsurgency, it was inevitable that that inevitable was it counterinsurgency, in interest
of the concern with counterinsurgency that ruled the day day the ruled that counterinsurgency with concern the of
American involvement in Vietnam was largely a result result a largely was Vietnam in involvement American in Washington. Hoopes himself was attracted by the the by attracted was himself Hoopes Washington. in
The view from the Pentagon during these years was, was, years these during Pentagon the from view The
believes "might conceivably succeed." Once you had had you Once succeed." conceivably "might believes
BOOK BOOK
WORLD January January WORLD 4, 1970 1970 4,