The Human Tradition in the Vietnam Era

by David L. Anderson (Editor)

The Vietnam War was an immense national tragedy that played itself out in the individual experiences of millions of Americans. The conflict tested and tormented the country collectively and individually in ways few historical events have. The Human Tradition in the Vietnam Era provides window into some of those personal journeys through that troubled time. The poor and the powerful, male and female, hawk and dove, civilian and military, are all here. This rich collection of original biographical essays provides contemporary readers with a sense of what it was like to be an American in the 1960s and early 1970s, while also helping them gain an understanding of some of the broader issues of the era. The diverse biographies included in this book put a human face on the tensions and travails of the Vietnam Era. Students will gain a better understanding of how individuals looked at and lived through this contro-versial conflict in American history.

255 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

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Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did not know what to expect from this book on "The Human Tradition" during the Vietnamese conflict. Now, I am on the other side of what I think is the best book of all the books I have read on the subject. Perhaps the title is an attempt to encompass the vast gamut of perspectives captured in this compact volume.

It is interesting to think how the "Cold War consensus" described here is so far from the more isolationist view popular today:

The country was experiencing the breakdown of what scholars have termed the "Cold War consensus." This shared body of beliefs, which had existed in the country since the end of World War II, was not just a policy consensus; it also incorporated the widespread conviction that America and American principles were noble and worth defending. In terms of policy, the Truman Doctrine of 1947 had declared that the United States would assist people anywhere across the globe who were threatened by authoritarianism. Translated into action, this pledge became the containment policy designed to op- pose the creation and spread of communist regimes in any corner of the world. Despite the altruistic ring to this commitment, a defense of U.S. interests in global stability and in an open international economic and political order was inherent in the policy, as well. In the flush of America's success in World War II, the potential costs of these ambitious goals were largely ignored.

The Cold War policy consensus also merged with the belief that America was a model of democracy, prosperity, and domestic harmony. In the 1950s and early 1960s the new medium of television popularized and reinforced this image in such programs as Father Knows Best, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, and The Donna Reed Show. The depiction of domestic bliss in these shows was idyllic and mythical, and it ignored the economic, racial, gender, and other inequities that existed in the country. Still, the powerful myth led many Americans to accept the notion of a unique "American way of life" which they would defend even by ruthless force, if necessary. The tougher aspect of this self-image was also reflected in popular television dramas including Westerns such as Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel that portrayed a violent conflict between good and evil in which the good hero used his fists or gun to prevail over the heartless villain.

Here is what is covered here:

* Francis Cardinal Spellman and 'Spellman's War' as was used to describe this agitator's goal
* Ambassador William Cattell Trimble and Cambodia, 1959-1962 and the lack of understanding America had for this country
* Walt Rostow, political theorist who served as national security advisor to president Johnson from 1966 to 1969. Rostow's theories were embraced by many officials in both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations as a possible counter to the increasing popularity of communism in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
* Bernard Fall the war correspondent, historian, and expert on Indochina who died seeking the ground truth.
* The sister of Bill Weber, killed as the prelude to the My Lai Massacre. ("Calley grew to hate and fear the local Vietnamese after losing his radio telephone operator, William Weber, to a sniper’s bullet while carelessly leading his men along the top of a dike...")
* Seawillow Chambers tells plainly the impact of being a "Soldier's Wife"
* Nancy Randolph, Army Nurse: a view from behind the lines
* Bill Henry Terry Jr.'s life leading to being killed in action.
* David Shoup: a general in opposition to the Vietnam War
* Otto Feinstein and the McCarthy Campaign in Michigan recalling activism against the War trying to nudge the Democratic Party.
* Daniel Ellsberg, of course.
* Peter Arnett's reporting