Vietnam: Defeat U.S. Imperialism
A Progressive Labor Party Pamphlet
1954 To 1960 - U.S. Rulers Bet On Diem
1965 To 1968 -- U.S. Rulers Invade
Negotiate? Or U.S. Get Out Now!
Negotiations Drain People's War
Russia, Revisionism And Vietnam
Conclusion -- Drive The U.S. Out Of Asia! Build Internationalism! Fight For Workers' Power
Appendix 1: The Economics Of Imperialism In Vietnam
Appendix 2: More On Revisionism
This pamphlet explains the history of the Vietnam war and gives a program for fighting against it. It's written by the Progressive Labor Party, a revolutionary communist party. PLP has been organizing to get the U.S. out of Vietnam since our party was formed. We know most working people and students oppose the war and want the U.S. out. But there are still disagreements, and these disagreements make a big difference in the way people fight against the war -- in fact in the way people fight any injustice. This pamphlet is addressed to people who oppose the war but who don't look at it the way we do.
For example-some people oppose the war but at the same time accept part of the government's story. They don't think the U.S. has rotten goals in Vietnam. They're against the war because: "there's no point; it just drags on and on. Vietnam isn't worth one American boy's Life." These people accept some or all of the following pro-government argument:
"The U.S. wants to do in Vietnam what it's trying to do everywhere: prop up free regimes. A free regime in Saigon asked the U.S. to help roll back a northern communist invasion. The north Vietnamese reds want to enslave south Vietnamese peasants and force them to work the rich southern lands;
The U.S. gave its sacred word, promised to help; The only problem is --these Orientals are so damn apathetic. What do they care about freedom? They think with their bellies and they're ready to follow any con-man who waves a cup full of rice. Anyway they've always died like flies."
We think this pro-government argument is 100 per cent wrong.
A second group of people agree that this pro-government argument is a lie. But as opposed to us, they think the war is a mistake. "Right wing generals have gotten us into this mess," they believe. They think Nixon is a vicious fool or a tool of crazed rightists, or maybe both. They once looked to RFK or McCarthy. Now they hope Fulbright and McGovern can "beat the hawks" and "bring peace to a war-torn world."
The first view, which accepts the government story but is against the endless killing, leads to taking very little action. The second view, that the war is a right-wing monstrosity, leads to backing liberal "doves." Our view -- that the war is a war to protect and expand big business profits, that it's a class war by the rich against working people in Vietnam (and in the U.S.!) -- leads to linking 'the anti-war fight to the class struggle of U.S. workers. It leads to a movement to fight all the big-business politicians, liberal and conservative alike.
In this pamphlet we will show:
1) The U. S. government itself installed the Saigon regime which then "begged for U.S. help." The government's "we made a promise" claim is
2) The U.S. government's attempt to suppress Vietnamese workers and peasants started the war. There never was any northern invasion. And anyway, the point is - who is right and who is wrong?
3) Attacked by the U.S., most Vietnamese workers and peasants fought back. They're not "apathetic sheep who think with their stomachs." These working people have carried out one of the longest, most heroic revolutionary struggles in history. The "mindless-Asians-they-always-died-like-flies" image -- which the U.S. government pushes -- is racist filth intended to build contempt for the Vietnamese heroes. The government spread this filth to suck U.S. working people -- soldiers for instance -- into hating the Vietnamese.
4) Reds have fought hard and played a leading part in the struggle. This is to their credit since the fight is just. It's very unfortunate that wrong ideas have led most of the Vietnamese revolutionary leaders -- including many (who call themselves communists -- to betray this great struggle now.
5) U.S. foreign policy has nothing to do with "protecting freedom." It is aimed at holding onto sources of cheap labor, raw materials, investment and market opportunities - and providing new sources - for vast U.S. corporations, It's a rich man's policy, the way it's always been, just the same as the U.S. government protects the rich and suppresses working people in this country. All workers should back Vietnamese working people: an injury to one is an injury to all.
8) Vietnam is no mistake no "rightist aberration." It's just one page in a rotten book. It was liberal "dove" politicians, not nasty "hawks" who mainly worked out U.S. Vietnam strategy in the first place -- John F. Kennedy for instance. "Doves" and "hawks" talk different, but talk is cheap. In practice, their disagreement is over how they can best beep working people down and smash communism. They agree that brute font and polite negotiations (including working with sellouts who pose as reds) are both useful tactics. The question is when to use the carrot and when to use the stick. Thus "hawk" Nixon is all for U.S./Soviet cooperation against revolution. And after all, it was "hawk" LBJ who started negotiations in 1968.
There's no big disagreement in the "dove-hawk" imperialist family. The real disagreement is between all these rich-men's politicians and revolutionary communists. They say that only the rich can rule. We reds say: overthrow these leeches, this rule of billionaires. The working class must have all power!
Note: Throughout the pamphlet we refer to NLF and DRV leaders. NLF stands for National Liberation Front, what the U.S. government calls the "Viet Cong". It was formed in 1960. DRV stands for Democratic Republic of Vietnam, what the U.S. calls "North Vietnam." The DRV was formed as a result of the supposedly temporary division of Vietnam into northern and southern sections in 1954, following the Geneva Conference.
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