Lansdale argued that the preferred way to get rid of the Viet Cong in one particular area was to use “human defoliation” in the hardwood forests: Instead of using chemical defoliants, officials should award a timber concession to a Taiwanese firm that would arm its workers. “They might very well have to fight to get to the trees so they would clean up the Viet Cong along the way,” Lansdale reasoned. The scheme was quietly filed.
