Caras
The moves by Jcthnson towards peace in Vietnam took some people in the Labour Movement by surprise. This should not have been the case.
What were the pressures that led to this reversal of J.5. policy? The first has been the constant and unyielding heroism and fortitude of the Vietnamese people, which is unparalleled in modern times. Not only have they defied the mightiest imperialist power, they have in a sense defeated it. The defeat, it is true, did not come in a dramatic way in the manner of the French rout at Dien Bien Phue. Nevertheless it has been a defeat for imperialism.
The U.S. strategy, as propounded by Westmoreland, was a search and destroy policy. This meant that large numbers of trpops had to be deployed in remote parts of the country. The brilliant Tet offensive by the NLF demonstrated that this had been a total failure. Wot only were the NLF shown to have a far greater striking power than the U.S, knew about, but it demonstrated that it had the support of large parts of the population, almost certainly the large majority. Such an offensive could not have been mounted in the cities without the active help of large numbers of the population.
Therefore the Tet offensive not only destroyed the military hopes of LBJ, it also removed the last tattered remnants of authority from the Saigon Government.
The choice left to the Americans was a pretty stark one. Either they had to withdraw to the cities, leaving most of the countyside to the NLF, i.e. they would merely hold enclaves ; or they would have to inerease the number of U.S. troops several times over the present half million and take over the running of the country direct , instead of using their puppets. The second choice presented problems of such magnitude that they would have become well nigh insup erable. To have increased the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam several times over would have put the whole of the 0.5.A.on a war footing and a large increase in the number of draftees. Moreover, the extra expenditure overseas would have led to a big increase in the U.S. balance of payments deficit and in all probability a flight from the dollar that would have wade the recent gold crisis seem like a light summer breeze. On top of all this there was the growing problem. inside the U.S. itself.
The miurier of Martin Iuther King highlighted just how precarious social peace has become in the U.S.A. Because of these factors there has been a section of opinion growing within the American bourgeoisie that was in favour of cutting the losses of the whole costly operation in Vietnam. The canditature of McCarthy and particularly Kennedy for the presidential nomination was an indication of this feeling. This hoped to head off the growing anti-war movement in the U.S. and divert the Negro freedom struggle. Thus there was a coaleswonce of a number
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of factors which led to moves for peace.
Therefore we have to recognise that the Vietnamese have shown that it is possible to defeat imperialism, and by se doing they have performed a signal service to the whole of mankind, All those who struggle for national liberation and socialism will be heartened and spurred on to greater efforts. Although peace negotiations seem to be under way it would be wrong to slacken any efforts against thie war.