Last Reflections on a War: Bernard B. Fall's Last Comments on Vietnam

by Bernard B. Fall, Don Oberdorfer

8-page b/w photo section 6 x 9 "Last Reflections on a War stands as a fine representative sample of Fall's work as a whole; as such, it is nearly as personal as an autobiography. . . . That the collection includes an excellent outline of Vietnamese history, a discussion of the basic issues of the war, and an emotive picture of Vietnam, 1967, speaks to the depth of Fall's knowledge and the scope of his concerns."-Frances FitzGerald, from a 1968 review Bernard B. Fall was 40 years old when he was killed by a booby trap in northern South Vietnam on February 21, 1967. By the time of his death he had already authored seven books on Vietnam, most notably Street Without Joy (0-8117-1700-3), an indictment of French intrusion into Indochina and a warning to American forces just beginning their involvement. Last Reflections on a War, first published shortly after Dr. Fall's death, is a tribute to his life's It contains the only known autobiographical account of his life, several previously unpublished articles, notes for "Street Without Joy Revisited," and transcripts of Dr. Fall's tape recordings, including his last recorded words. Bernard Fall was born in France and fought with the French Resistance during World War II. Later, as professor of International Relations and accomplished author, he was one of the most influential academic critics of U.S. policy in Vietnam.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, War, Politics, Asia

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Bernard B. Fall was a prominent war correspondent, historian, political scientist, and expert on Indochina during the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Austria, he moved with his family to France as a child after Germany's annexation, where he started fighting with the French Resistance at age 16, and later the French Army during World War II.

In 1950 he first came to the United States for graduate studies at Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University, returning and making his residence there. He taught at Howard University for most of his career and made regular trips to Southeast Asia to learn about changes and the societies. He predicted the failures of France and the United States in the wars in Vietnam because of their tactics and lack of understanding of the societies.

On 21 February 1967, while accompanying a company of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines on Operation Chinook II in the Street Without Joy , Thua Thien Province, Fall stepped on a Bouncing Betty land mine and was killed. He was dictating notes into a tape recorder, which captured his last words: "We've reached one of our phase lines after the fire fight and it smells bad- meaning it's a little bit suspicious... Could be an amb--".

Fall was survived by his wife and three daughters.

Reviews

[Billhotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernard Fall was a French historian and journalist who had fought in the Marquis in World War II. He first visited Viet Nam in 1953 when the French were fighting the Viet-Minh. He returned frequently and his writing gave his American readers a different perspective, especially from the fly in-fly out tourist journalists. In 1958, during a supposedly quiet time, Fall determined that the Diem regime was already losing control of its territory to the Communists. As America's participation grew he pointed out that even massive intervention would only prolong the war. Having interviewed Ho Chi Min and other North Vietnamese leaders he understood that they would never give up their objective of unifying Viet Nam. He described them as being both Communists and nationalists, a difficult balancing act.
This book is a collection of Fall's last articles, lectures and interviews before he was killed in February 1967 while accompanying American troops on a mission. Fall was pro-American, he became a US citizen. He wanted to stop the needless slaughter of Vietnamese civilians and soldiers as well as American soldiers. However, these entries show that he understood the complexity of the situation. I was especially struck by how Viet Nam fit into the contemporary global situation, for example the US urged France to fight in 1950-53 because a war to their south distracted the Chinese effort from the war in Korea. After the end of the Korean War the US stopped supporting the French, only to have to take over. The Americans erred, as we always do, in believing there was a third way, both non-Communist and non-colonial. Supporting an unpopular government we wound up fighting an unpopular war. A brief, but interesting look at a war of which I remember a good deal but understand far less today than I did then. A situation which many Americans are in although those memories, as opposed to facts, resonate today. Not surprising as we haven't yet reached a consensus on the Civil War.
Fall has a good quote, "If you have won the last war, congratulations, everything you have learned is now obsolete".

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book. Bernard Fall’s observations and analyses should be read and reread by every State Department and military officer and every Washington politician on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees.

As a teenager Fall participated in the French resistance to the Nazis. After the war he emigrated to the US and took up graduate studies, focusing on Indo-China, soon to be called Vietnam. There, in the 1950s and early 1960s, he “went native,” or nearly so, and by so doing gained insights into the country that our State Department and military leaders clearly lacked in their misbegotten adventure there.

This particular book was assembled from his notes by his widow. Fall was killed in Vietnam, but his broader analyses of revolution, counterrevolution, and insurgencies ring as true---and pretty much ignored---as they were then.

His lesson in a nutshell: People revolt for good reason. It’s best to learn what that real reason is and act accordingly. We---the USA---didn’t and still don’t.

[Kirk Bower]

My view - best book on the Viestnam War !

[Anad2000 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has a section on my unit at J.J.Caroll