As the senior commander in Vietnam, I was aware of the potency of public opinion - and I worried about it.
From William Westmoreland
Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind.
Television is an instrument which can paralyze this country.
I was participating in my own lynching, but the problem was I didn't know what I was being lynched for.
The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars.
We moved in to help the Vietnamese defend their country and confront the Viet Cong.
It became very clear that Hanoi was in effect strategically running the Viet Cong operation.
The military lead turbulent lives, but they are people like everybody else.
I don't think I have been loved by my troops, but I think I have been respected.
When I took command in Vietnam, I gave great emphasis to food and medical care - and to the mail.
5 perspectives
4 perspectives
3 perspectives
2 perspectives
1 perspectives