EPISODES
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 How does the "Vietnam War" begin?
How did the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) get its name? Why did Sihanouk start making so many movies in the 1960's? Time Period Covered 1964 - 1967 In this episode, Lachlan revisits Vietnam as LBJ wages war upon the North and the Viet Cong. Pol Pot leaves the jungle to visit Hanoi, and Beijing, and changes the direction of Khmer Communism. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Sihanouk begins losing his magic touch as various quarters become less enamoured with his policies. The Cambodian Civil War approaches, as the war in Vietnam begins to spread. Sources Philip Short Pol Pot: History of a Nightmare David Chandler The Tragedy of Cambodian History & Brother Number One Ben Kiernan How Pol Pot Came to Power Milton Osbourne Sihanouk Steve Heder Cambodian Communism and the Vietnamese Model Edward Miller The Vietnam War Mark Atwood Lawrence A Concise History of the Vietnam War Democratic Kampuchea Livre Noir
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 What is Agent Orange and why did the Kennedy Administration decide to use it?
How did Diem's Regime collapse? What was the Buddhist Crisis? Time Period Covered 1961 - 1963 In the final part of our exploration into the beginnings of the "Vietnam War", we look at the circumstances surrounding the early Kennedy years and how a 'prudent' approach to South Vietnam resulted in a number of problems, both immediate and in the future. We look in depth at Operation Ranch Hand, the decision to use defoliants in South Vietnam, as well as how the Diem Regime becomes a no longer viable partner for the US and their wider strategic interests. We explain the Buddhist Crisis and the self-immolation of Quang Duc and the competing visions of a new South Vietnam. Finally the coup against Diem, Kennedy's assassination as well as the return of Pol Pot to the jungles of Vietnam represents a new chapter in the coming historical hurricane. Sources Christopher Goscha Vietnam: A New History Fredrick Logevall The Embers of War Edward Miller The Vietnam War & Reinterpreting the Buddhist Crisis (Modern Asian Studies November 2015) Neil Sheehan The Pentagon Papers Geoffrey Warner The United States and Vietnam 1945-1965 (International Affairs October 1972) William Buckingham The US Air Force and Herbicides in Southeast Asia  How did a succession of US administrations become stuck in Vietnam?
How did Diem's policies create the conditions for insurgency? What did the early activities of the NLF look like? Time Period Covered 1954 - 1961 In part two of our exploration of the path to the Second Indochina War, we focus on early American efforts to create a stable regime in South Vietnam. The activities of the CIA and Edward Lansdale in the aftermath of Geneva are used to introduce this relationship, as well as the growing realisation in some quarters that perhaps Diem was not the best person for the job of leading the country. We look at the 'paradox' of Vietnam, why escalation slowly continued in the face of private doubts. NLF operations in the Mekong Delta are discussed from the point of view of those staging these actions, as well as those civilians who were effected by the authoritarianism of Diem and the intimidating tactics of those that wished to overthrow him. Sources Christopher Goscha Vietnam: A New History Fredrick Logevall The Embers of War Edward Miller The Vietnam War Neil Sheehan The Pentagon Papers Geoffrey Warner The United States and Vietnam 1945-1965 (International Affairs October 1972)  What occurred in a divided Vietnam in the aftermath of the Geneva Accords?
How did so many die during the North Vietnamese “Land Reform Campaign”? Why was South Vietnam described as an ‘emerging fascist state’? Time Period Covered 1954 - 1963 In this first part of a kind of mini-series on the origins of the Vietnam War, Lachlan investigates the state building in the divided Vietnam. Exploring the ideology and benefactors of the separate regimes, we touch upon the thousands of those who died during the efforts to revolutionise the North – as well as similarly draconian methods to consolidate power in the hands of one family in the South. Sources Christopher Goscha Vietnam: A New History Ben Kiernan Viet Nam Edward Miller The Vietnam War Alec Holcombe Mass Mobilisation in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam |