In an other conversation, earlier that day with then Senator Richard Russell, of Georgia, Johnson said "It's just the biggest damn mess I ever saw."
He also discussed the loss of American servicemen in Vietnam. "I've got a little old sergeant that works for me over there at the house, and he's got six children, and I just put him up as the United States Army and Air Force and Navy every time I think about making this decision..."
"Thinking about sending that father of those six kids in there... and what the hell we're going to get out of his doing it? It just makes the chills run up my back."
Johnson continued "We're in the quicksands up to our neck, and I just don't know what the hell to do about it."
In the conversation with Bundy, Johnson said " "The more that I stayed awake last night thinking of this ...it just worries the hell out of me..." "It's damned easy to get in war. But it's going to be awfully hard to ever extricate yourself if you do get in."
Johnson also discussed the sergeant again saying "What in the hell am I ordering him out there for?" "What the hell is Vietnam worth to me? What the hell is Laos worth to me? What is it worth to this country?"
Remember these conversations took place in May 1964. The first "official" combat soldiers did not arrive in Vietnam until March 8th, 1965, almost 10 months after these conversations.
Referring to Vietnam, director of the Johnson Library, Harry Middleton says these tapes show that Johnson was "He was clearly tormented by it,"
Lyndon Johnson had it within his power to end the Vietnam War before it started in earnest. Instead he chose to remain silent. He allowed men to be killed, wounded, exposed to Agent Orange, captured or become missing in action rather than act on his convictions.
In April of 1995 as the media hailed Robert Mc Namara for his courage in coming forward to denounce America's involvement in the Vietnam War. In the April 14, 1995 edition of "Bits 'N' Pieces we wrote:
"All Mc Namara's book does is prove that the U.S. Government lied about our involvement in Vietnam from the beginning of the war to the end. Former POW, James Stockdale, flew over the Tonkin Gulf on that famous day when nonexistent North Vietnamese warships launched their nonexistent attack on American Ships. For seven years James Stockdale, a true hero, sat in various North Vietnamese prisons, starved and tortured knowing that the Gulf of Tonkin incident which escalated the Vietnam War was a lie (see "In Love and War by James and Sybil Stockdale.) If Robert Mc Namara was truly a courageous man, James Stockdale, and the hundreds like him would have been home in 1968."
Now, we know that Lyndon Johnson believed, in 1964, as Robert Mc Namara came to believe by 1967.
How many men died in Southeast Asia from May 1964 to the end of the war? How many men were captured? How many died in captivity? How many would be alive today? How many would be home today, with their loved ones?
» Charles Shelton would never have been flying over Laos, in May of 1965.
» Paul Hassenbeck, Tom Mangino, David Winters and Danny Nidds would never have been in that village in April 1967.
» Victor Apodaca would never have been flying over North Vietnam in June of 1967.
» Kenny Plumadore and Mark Judge would not have been at Con Thien on September 21st 1967.
» Mel Holland, Willis Hall and the men of Site 85 would not have been sitting on a mountain top in Laos, in March of 1968.
» Danny Widner and Frederick Ransbottom and nine other Special Forces troops would not have disappeared at Kamh Duc in May 1968.
» Morgan Donahue and his crewmates would not have been flying over Laos in December of 1968.
» Joe Mc Donald would not have been flying somewhere over Vietnam, in May of 1972.
» Dan Borah would not have been ejecting from his crippled plane over Quang Tri, in Sept of 1972.
» Baron 52, with Matejov and Cressman and SIX crewmen aboard would never have taken off, in Feb. of 1973.
The list goes on and on, the dead, the wounded, the captured and the missing.
These men and tens of thousands of others would be home with their families. Some would be with their wives. They would have been bouncing their children on their knees and seen their grandchildren. Others would have spent their days chasing some pretty young girl. They would be living the lives denied them by Lyndon Johnson and Robert Mc Namara.
The halls of the White House and the Pentagon run red with the blood of those unnecessarily sacrificed by Lyndon Johnson and Robert Mc Namara. May they both burn in Hell.
"What the hell is Vietnam worth to me? What the hell is Laos worth to me? What is it worth to this country?" Lyndon Johnson, May 1964
Unfortunately, hearings on the confirmation of an Ambassador to Vietnam went as expected. The hearing began at 8:00 AM, Thursday February 13th, and was over by 9:15 AM. Chaired by Senator Craig Thomas, many committee members were noticeable absent.
One committee member present was John "Hanoi" Kerry who extolled the virtues of the Vietnamese government and their cooperation on the POW/MIA issue.
Speaking from the witness table Senator John "have you hugged a Communist today" Mc Cain echoed the sentiments of Senator Kerry. In support of the Clinton Administration's decision to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam and finally normalize relations with Vietnam, Senator Mc Cain said "I firmly believe that the president made this difficult decision on the merits." "He believed that normalization was in the best interests of the United States. He was right. He made a hard, but wise decision which he sincerely believed would cost him politically. He acted like a statesman and he earned my respect."
During his statement Ambassador designee Pete Peterson said an ambassador's presence in Vietnam "can help ensure regional stability in Southeast Asia and we will undoubtedly discover new economic opportunities for American businesses where few previously existed."
Peterson said that his highest priority would be to get the fullest possible accounting for Americans listed as missing in action in Vietnam. According to Peterson "Many of those still missing are personal friends of mine, all were with me," he said. "I assure you, I will do whatever possible to exploit every opportunity to achieve that noble goal at the earliest time possible."
Once the required and meaningless acknowledgment of the POW/MIA issue was taken care of, the true agenda surfaced as Mr. Peterson stated U. S. companies vying for contracts in Vietnam were at a "distinct disadvantage" because the normalization process is not completed.
One would think the spin doctors would come up with an new phrase to take the place of "highest priority" in connection with the POW/MIA issue. We know exactly what the U.S. Governments definition of "highest priority" on the POW/MIA issue means. Absolutely nothing!
In what has to be one of the shortest confirmation hearings on record, the deed is done. There will be an Ambassador to Vietnam.
