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Show Columnists Mixed Up; Viet Nam Not Indochina By N. T. HIEN Political columnists in this country, when writing about the war in Viet Nam, never forget to mention the Indochinese war that involved French colonial forces and the Viet Minh. They often compare the two, stages by stages, squeezing similarities out of mere appearances. Once in a while they claim they have discovered why the South Vietnamese have so far suffered only setbacks. Or if any "cautious optimism" is expressed elsewhere, they say there are signs of troubles ahead. One example is James Reston's column which appeared in the Salt Lake "Tribune" Wednesday. After noting that the Viet Cong monsoon season offensive has failed, Mr. Reston added: "This is a standard operating procedure for the North Vietnamese guerillas. Against the French, the North Vietnamese gathered their units together for a major test of strength in 1950 . . . There is some evidence this same strategy is being employed again . . . All this is very much in keeping with th military doctrine of the Chinese Communists ..." And so they go on, people like Mr. Reston, sometimes called armchair strategists. There is no cloubt that they form the section of American intelligentsia which is best informed, widely travelled and at least nationally respected for their judgments. However, in the case of Viet Nam, they seem to have overlooked some . fundamental facts: The Viet Minh was primarily a nationalist movement aimed at gaining independence for Viet Nam. Men who fought against the French were on the whole not Communist, except for a hard core of Ho Chi Minh's followers. When the French were defeated some of these men went back to civilan life in North or South Viet Nam. Some stayed in the People's Army of North Viet Nam. Quite a few joined the armed forces of South Viet Nam, where they now form some of the better soldiers and officers. The present war in South Viet Nam is being fought again by nationalists, but against Communist Vietnamese in the South. The South Vietnamese call themselves nationalists because to them the Viet Cong, if they win, will bring their country under submission to new masters, in this instance Communist China pbviously. That is why they insist so much on victory as opposed to President Johnson's goals of unconditional negotiations. That is why thousands of them have been willing to die every year for twenty years. They do not want to get rid of the French to have the Communists. When this is accepted it will seem most unappropriate to compare the Indochinese war with the South Vietnamese, at least in the way it has been done. |
