[Intelforum] Melvin Laird on Iraq and Vietnam

[Mike Anders]

Most excellent!  My father fought in Vietnam during the so-called 
"Advisor" phase of the war and regretted most our abandonment of the 
Montangnard people--a mark of shame that this country still bears to 
this day.  It should also be remembered that the U.S. track record of 
supporting allies in Iraq is checkered at best. I recommend Robert 
Baer's book, "See No Evil" (I can't call him "Bob" because I have never 
met the man) about the subject that has a decidedly "intelligence" 
aspect.  I would hate to see us abandon our allies in Iraq, particularly 
the Kurds, with the very next change of Administration. Sad to say, it 
is a possibility.

/vr
E. R. "Mike" Anders

Paul H. Smith wrote:

>Folks--
>
>I don't post often to this list, but thought this might be useful to 
>you:    Former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird has just published an 
>article in Foreign Affairs comparing and contrasting Iraq and 
>Vietnam.    This is apparently the first time that Laird, architect of the 
>successful Vietnamization strategy and mentor to Donald Rumsfeld, has 
>published his views on this subject.   Though he supports the war, that 
>doesn't seem to get in the way of his calling the shots the way he sees 
>them, including where he thinks improvements or course-corrections might be 
>necessary.  Here is the link to the article:
>
>  http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20051101faessay84604/melvin-r-laird/iraq-learning-the-lessons-of-vietnam.html
>
>Though it isn't largely about intelligence, Laird does address intelligence 
>issues.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Paul
>(Paul H. Smith)
>
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