If it were possible to develop a software to erase part of American history, I would suggest the time period to be scrubbed would be from 1961 to April 30, 1975: the Vietnam War.
President Kennedy’s suffered a disastrous meeting with Soviet Premiere Soviet Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. Afterward Kennedy told James Reston of the New York Times:
“Now we have a problem making our power credible and Vietnam looks like the place.”
From then on, America’s participation in the Vietnam War snowballed. Kennedy increased America’s military presence by twenty times and was instrumental in calling for the overthrow and assassination of South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem.
Daniel Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 revealed the lies, deceptions, and corruption in the handling of America’s role in the Vietnam War. President Kennedy, President Johnson, President Nixon, Secretary of Defense McNamara, General Taylor, General Westmoreland, and countless other names were shown to be less than pillars of integrity.
All of the lies, deceptions, and corruption resulted in 58,307 dead and over 150,000 wounded U.S. soldiers. The bitterness and division caused by the Vietnam War in America still continue today in the political arena, society, and the Church.
Ah, there’s another side to all of this!
On October 8, 1972, a major breakthrough came in secret negotiations between Dr. Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. North Vietnam modified their demands. Ten days later, a final draft was drawn up and Dr. Kissinger announced, “Peace is at hand.”
President Theiu of South Vietnam was not even informed about the secret negotiations. When he read the final draft, he was furious and felt America had sold out his nation to North Vietnam. He refused to accept it, but Nixon and Kissinger twisted Theiu’s arm and made promises of continued support and financial aid to South Vietnam. In the end, President Theiu was forced to accept the peace agreement.
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its Roe versus Wade decision. The landmark decision overturned almost every federal and state law restricting abortion in our nation. From that date on, the war against babies began with a vengeance.
On the following day, Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho signed off on the Viet Nam peace treaty, which was almost identical to the final draft agreed to in October 1972. Then, on January 27, 1973, the leaders of the formal delegations signed the agreement at the Majestic Hotel in Paris.
What were the political outcomes for the three principal architects of the Vietnam War?
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
President Lyndon Johnson fled the presidential office in shame after just one term. He then died of a sudden heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973, the day the Roe versus Wade decision was announced by the Supreme Court.
Also, in January 1973, the five men who broke into the Democratic National Office at the Watergate complex were tried and convicted. The mushrooming Watergate scandal and cover-up eventually drove President Richard Nixon out of office in disgrace on August 9, 1974.
Were these just coincidences?
I don’t believe so.
Our intervention in the Vietnam War was built on lies, deceits, corruption, financial waste, and promises made, but not kept.
President Theiu’s concerns about the secret agreement reached between Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho proved accurate. America exchanged prisoners with the North Vietnamese and withdrew from Southeast Asia. North Vietnam ignored the treaty, and then, America failed to keep its promises to South Vietnam, not even one of them.
(Excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published 2008.)
Our lies, deceits, and corruption caused the deaths of a million and a half to two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians during the Vietnam War. And then, we broke our promises to South Vietnam after forcing them to sign a peace treaty with North Vietnam, resulting in another three to four million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians being slaughtered by the Communists.
I believe one of the major sins that has caused the plague of God’s Judgments to fall on Americas are the lies and deceits we foisted on South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War.
If I’m correct, what can we do? And will it be enough to stop even worse judgments from happening to us?
(Continued in Part 5)
Larry Who 