No Substitute for Victory

 

 

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For some curious reason, the Vietnam War was largely absent from US cultural outlets like cinema, comic books, television shows, etc. even though it was one of the most important issues of the time. In the movies, only two films actually dealt with Vietnam as a primary focus when the war was still raging. The two were To the Shores of Hell (1964) and The Green Berets (1968). Both films were pro-US and pro-US involvement in Vietnam. Perhaps it was fitting that the fellow (John Wayne) involved with bringing to the silver screen the most well-known of the two Vietnam films (The Green Berets) was also responsible for the documentary that argued not only for the US effort in Vietnam but also for victory. In this film, Wayne calls upon several military veterans of the Vietnam War as well as generals who had experience with communist countries and communist enemies to make the point that the US has dealt with communist lands with kid gloves and hasn't had the political will to win in hot wars with them. To make this case, Wayne goes from the aftermath of WWII in showing how the US slowed down in taking territory and let the Soviets go into Berlin and Eastern Europe. (Incidentally, it is here where Wayne is on his weakest ground.) Admittedly, the US slow down allowed Stalin's USSR to plant the Red Banner further in the West. The US could've marched further east to make sure more people didn't fall under the communist banner. However, the US would have likely taken many more casualties, certainly more in taking Berlin which cost the Soviets about 500,000. Wayne makes a stronger case against the mistake of not supporting Chiang Kai-Shek in China against the communists as well as the insanity of bombing restrictions in the Korean War such as not bombing the Yalu River bridges, not hitting targets in China, etc. In Vietnam, Wayne makes a compelling argument that the "fighting with one hand tied behind the back" approach to was being used by the US. Many areas were placed off limits to US airpower and naval might such as Haiphong Harbor. On top of this, it is pointed out that the war was micromanaged from Washington and that targets had to be approved. (LBJ famously opined that the US couldn't "bomb an outhouse" without his approval.) This took time and sometimes the approval never came. Wayne further makes the overwhelming case that bringing the other side to the peace table cannot be done with bombing halts, only through massive strength. He has a former Korean War general to make this case and also points out that bombing halts didn't spur the North Vietnamese efforts for peace. (Indeed, Nixon in 1972 used city bombing to bring the North Vietnamese back to the peace table.) Overall, quite a bit of what the documentary warned about came to pass. After the US pull-out, Laos, South Vietnam, and Cambodia fell to the communists, and bloodbaths did result, especially in Cambodia with the deaths of 2 million people. Other predictions, though, (communist insugency in Australia, for example) did not. Far from Wayne having "blood on his hands" as some would say, Wayne accurately depicted communist aggression throughout the world and demanded from the US a will to win against it. Even with the technical problems that the film has, it still is an important piece of Cold War history.

Wayne's attitude is something like this:

"WE SHOULD KILL ALL GODLESS COMMUNISTS"

"THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN OUR GOD"

"WIPE THEM OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH"

(And buy my movies so I can get drunk and beat my wife)

Extreme Right Wing Propaganda

"The Communists Will Kill Every Every Mayor in Every Town in America"

John Wayne has much blood on his hands!

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5.0 out of 5 stars John Wayne at his Best
John Wayne tells (told) it like it was. For those of us who had first hand knowledge of this subject can not help but give this video a big 5 stars. Read more

Published on April 17 2004 by Philip A Crocker

1.0 out of 5 stars US Propaganda at it's Worst
This movie is US Propaganda at it's worst. Worst in terms of blatant propaganda, and worst in terms of poor production. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2004 by 1

5.0 out of 5 stars common sense against leftist propaganda
From the 40's till 1990, the communist threat war real. It was a totalitarian dictatorship the free world had to fight - just like some years earlier the totalitarian Nazi thread... Read more

Published on July 1 2003 by ulyssed

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