American officials underestimated Vietnamese resilience

Evidence

American officials, who have witnessed only the division and paralysis their presence has created among their own ”allies,” tend to underestimate the capacities of the Vietnamese. The American war has created a social and economic chaos, but it has not stripped the Vietnamese of their vitality and powers of resistance. The Vietnamese survived the invasions of the Mongol hordes, and they may similarly survive the American war. — Marianne DeKoven, Utopia Limited, 699

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Viet Cong inflicted heavy casualties on American forces with limited resources. — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 713; The U.S. misjudged Vietnam’s revolution as a colonial fight. — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 391; Many Vietnamese turned to the NLF as their only hope for change. — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1515

Broader Connections

• The U.S. misjudged Vietnam’s revolution as a colonial fight. #exemplifies (0.85) — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 391
• Many Vietnamese turned to the NLF as their only hope for change. #expands (0.75) — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1515
• The Viet Cong inflicted heavy casualties on American forces with limited resources. #corroborates (0.72) — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 713