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| Southeast Asia |
| Obama Restores Rank of Disgraced Vietnam General |
| 2010-08-06 |
| During the summer of 1972, official Washington was dragging Air Force Gen. John D. Lavelle's name and reputation through the mud. Multiple investigations by the Pentagon and Congress concluded that the four-star commander had ordered unauthorized bombing missions in North Vietnam and then tried to cover them up. He was demoted to major general and forced to retire, in disgrace. Lavelle maintained his rectitude until his death, saying he was acting on orders. Nearly four decades later, it turns out he was right. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 IIRC the missions were tied to North Vietnam's expansion of its activities as per the HO CHI MINH trail into CAMBODIA + LAOS. The NIXON ADMIN did not wish to be accused of unilaterally expanding the war outside of Vietnam. FEW IFF ANY AT THE TIME BELIEVED LAVELLE TRULY ACTED ON HIS OWN - THE REAL CRUZ WAS HOW LONG [years or decades] IT WOULD TAKE BEFORE THE NIXON ADMIN OR THE FED GOVT ACKNOWLEDGED IT. Also, it wasn't only NIXON or the USDOD-USAF > many Reelection-minded, anti-Nixon or anti-War DEMS + OTHER covertly supported Gen. Lavelle's "action" despite their public rhetoric. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-08-06 20:29 |
| #2 Let's see now, just who would a four-star be taking orders from? Historical records unearthed by two biographers who came across the material by happenstance show that Lavelle was indeed acting on orders to conduct the bombing missions and that the orders came from the commander in chief himself: President Richard M. Nixon. Not only did Nixon give the secret orders, but transcripts of his recorded Oval Office conversations show that he stood by, albeit uncomfortably, as Lavelle suffered a scapegoat's fate. "I just don't want him to be made a goat, goddamnit," Nixon told his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, on June 14, 1972, a few days after it was disclosed that Lavelle had been demoted for the allegedly unauthorized attacks. "You, you destroy a man's career. . . . Can we do anything now to stop this damn thing?" On June 26, Nixon's conscience intervened in another conversation with Kissinger. "Frankly, Henry, I don't feel right about our pushing him into this thing and then, and then giving him a bad rap," the president said. "I don't want to hurt an innocent man." Henry F. Kissinger. Thought so. |
| Posted by: KBK 2010-08-06 19:59 |
| #1 The clue he was acting under orders was that the Air Force didn't court-martial him, something one would think would be mandatory in something so grave as what he was accused of. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-08-06 02:38 |