policy - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
to persuasive orators, etc. An alternative interpretation would be that inA
their reservoir of common sense, the less-educated public, unlike their
more educated neighbors, were never persuaded that the events in Southeast
Asia threatened the interests of the Republic.
war never reached the highs found among the more educated.
Thus, their support for the
Another interpretation
is that the less-educated public does not read. or comprehend is
much information as the more-educated public, and therefore, is not
affected by the media as much.
precipitous among the more-educated.
F. LESSONS
The decline of support for the war was most
The American people have demonstrated clearly that in spite of normally
decreasing support over time they are willing to follow the president's
leadership when it
Essential,
is associated with decisive and positive action.
too, is the need for presidential certainty regarding policy.
Lyndon B. Johnson's inability to commit the nation's resources to the war,
for whatever political reasons, demonstrated that the center of power was
uncertain. While domestic politics is the subject of Chapter 5, it is
necessary to point out here that general public support for a war has
little chance of coalescing when presidential commitment is not complete.
The Vietnam War was never projected as the crusade that World War II was.
For his own political reasons, President Johnson wished to play down the
extent of our involvement in Vietnam. America's economic, industrial and
manpower resources were never fully mobilized to fight the war.
Presinential policies led the American public to believe that we could
"fight a limited war in a distant country and support massive domestic
social programs simutaneously. The focus of American attention was
directed inward until it became apparent through intensive media coverage
VI. •that the American participation in Vietnam could no 'longer be underplayed
Sg
by the government.
The American people tend to support decisions by which US military 4
forces are committed to war or contingency operations, but in the absence
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