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did the draft led to America's defeat in the Vietnam War?

America did not loose the military war in Vietnam, they were actually winning and rolling back the Viet Con and the North Vietnamese Army.

What the Vietnam did very cleverly was to open up a propaganda front on American and western TV. It showed in graphic pictures the horrendous conditions in Vietnam, the death of both US servicemen and Vietnam civilians and gave the impression the war was unwinnable and would drag on for years.

The draft meant any young male American could be thrown into this hell and a lot of the protests and draft dodging was due to the fact people were being sent to war against their will. A large part of America pulling out of America was because it was very unpopular due to the draft.

If there had not been a draft, there would have been far fewer protests. The American military could have increased voluntary recruitment by increasing the wages of service personnel and add more benefits or even recruit foreigners like both the French and British Armies do now.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

username878045

You're saying the Viet Cong spread anti-war propaganda in the US?

Reply 2

Clip

This is the dumbest theory I have heard in a while. It actually has almost zero merit.

Reply 3

Maker

Original post by PythianLegume

You're saying the Viet Cong spread anti-war propaganda in the US?

Of course they did, ask Jane Fonda.

Reply 4

Maker

Original post by Clip

This is the dumbest theory I have heard in a while. It actually has almost zero merit.

You have nothing to say so say nothing.

Reply 5

Clip

Original post by Maker

You have nothing to say so say nothing.

Better to say nothing than invent one of the most absurd theories ever and spew it out dressed up as reason.

I'm not certain you actually know anything about the Vietnam War, nor indeed the United States.

Reply 6

username878045

Original post by Maker

Of course they did, ask Jane Fonda.

I never realised Jane Fonda was a member of the Viet Cong. Please, enlighten me.

Reply 7

Maker

Original post by PythianLegume

I never realised Jane Fonda was a member of the Viet Cong. Please, enlighten me.

Fonda travelled to NV in 1972 and oppose the war. She was known as Hanoi Jane.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/jane-fonda-vietnam-photo-oprah_n_2994929.html

Reply 8

thegrievanceuser

Original post by Maker

America did not loose the military war in Vietnam, they were actually winning and rolling back the Viet Con and the North Vietnamese Army.

You will presumably recall that the way it ended was with the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Nixon had given undertakings that the US would continue to support South Vietnam with money, materiel and training that was crucial to the South being able to defend itself. It was also agreed that if after the Paris Peace Accords, the North launched a major offensive against the South, the United States would respond with an all-out bombing campaign similar to Linebacker II air campaign in 1972 that drove the Vietnamese to the negotiating table in the first place.

Nixon however, was no longer in office by the time the North commenced their invasion of the South in 1975, and the Democratic Party-controlled Congress would not authorise military support and President Ford was not inclined to reignite the conflict.

The failure to support the South Vietnamese in 1975 was a shameful abandonment of an ally whose entire existence relied on our support.

What the Vietnam did very cleverly was to open up a propaganda front on American and western TV. It showed in graphic pictures the horrendous conditions in Vietnam, the death of both US servicemen and Vietnam civilians and gave the impression the war was unwinnable and would drag on for years.

I'd make two points. The first is that this is a common, right-wing canard and completely mistaken. The Vietnam War was far less unpopular than is commonly believed. When Nixon ran for re-election in 1972, on a platform of seeking a negotiated end to the conflict (and using whatever means were necessary to force the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table), he was re-elected in a landslide.

The second is that the news media has not just every right, but a solemn duty to report on what is happening in a conflict. In a democracy, casting your ballot on the basis of a peace or war policy is one of the most important things you can do. To make a decision, you need to be informed.

A large part of America pulling out of America was because it was very unpopular due to the draft.

I'm sorry but it's clear that you are not particularly informed about that period of American history. Nixon ran in the 1972 election on a platform of ending the draft, between his election in 1968 and his re-election four years later, he drew down American forces from 500,000 troops in Vietnam to 50,000.

The policy of "Vietnamization" was well-advanced by 1972 and I think you can only conclude that given Nixon was re-elected in a landslide that year, there was broad support for his policy. Besides, in the end more ground troops had little effect on the conflict.

It was only when Nixon took off the gloves and ordered the air force to bomb the hell out of North Vietnam (including targets they had previously always kept off-limits for fear of killing Soviet military advisors, and also to have further targets that could be held at risk and threatened) that the conflict really started moving towards settlement.

If there had not been a draft, there would have been far fewer protests.

The really big protests were in 1968/1969 at the height of the Army/Marine deployment. By 1972, they had calmed down considerably and a substantial majority of the American population supported Nixon's Vietnam policy.

The really crucial year is years after the Americans withdrew, when the North Vietnamese broke the Paris Peace Accords and invaded North Vietnam, and Congress and the President didn't life a finger. I'd encourage you to watch the documentary The Fog of War, which is about Robert McNamara, who was the Secretary of Defense during most of the Johnson Administration and come to the conclusion that their approach to Vietnam was deeply flawed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War#Vietnamization.2C_1969.E2.80.9372

(edited 9 years ago)