A Bright Shining Lie Page #4

to win the war in South Asia.

Rice. Rice, gentlemen.

Rice.

For the Vietnamese peasant, it is everything.

They fought the Chinese, the Japanese,

they fought the French for their rice fields.

The Communists have hijacked that rebellion.

This man, Ho Chi Minh, and his General Giap,

have promised the farmers

they will give them back their rice,

while our man, President Diem...

...continues dealing it.

We must regain the goodwill of the peasants...

...restore the good faith of the people.

To win the war in Vietnam,

we must take back the rice revolution,

throw out the rice dealers

and give them back their rice.

We must wage war for the peasants,

not against them.

Build their houses, don't destroy them.

Kill the enemy with this, instead of this.

In short, we must harness

the peasant revolution

to defeat the Communist revolution.

Thank you.

- Outstanding, Colonel.

- Thank you, sir.

I'm gonna recommend that the Joint Chiefs

hear this as soon as possible.

That's great news, sir.

(Man) Send him over to my office,

I'd appreciate it.

Lt Colonel Vann to see the Joint Chiefs.

- Please have a seat, sir.

- Thank you.

Lt Colonel Vann to see you, sir.

- Great to meet you, Colonel Vann.

- Real pleasure to be here.

I'm sorry I didn't get in touch sooner

but your briefing's been cancelled.

There must be a mistake. I was assured

an audience with the Joint Chiefs.

It appears there was a conflict in scheduling

and the chairman is anxious

to hear your briefing at a later date.

(Burnett) The old guard closed ranks

and shut him out.

Vann resigned.

His military career was ruined.

That's what he led us to believe.

But John Paul Vann had no career.

He was an outcast, a man whose dark past

had denied him the general stars

he thought he deserved.

(Mary Jane) Where were you last night?

(John) Don't...

(Shouts) No, don't lie to me.

Don't lie. I know where you were.

- (John) Wait, honey...

- To hell with this.

- Honey, wait.

- You are a liar and a cheat

- and you will never change.

- Don't do this now.

We are finished. I am so sick of putting up

this front for you, for your career.

(Scoffs) Your career? You screwed yourself

out of your career years ago.

We are gonna do something

or I am outta here.

Come in, Mrs Vann.

- I think we've made some progress here.

- Good.

Your husband has been

quite forthright about his lapses.

If I could just explain something.

Often when military men

get put in pressure situations,

they find themselves in a difficult position.

They see sex as a kind of an outlet,

it's a release.

Erm, it's almost unconscious,

you might say.

I thought we came here

to be honest with each other.

I am being honest.

Did he tell you about

the housemaids in Japan?

Well, er, Mrs Vann,

we didn't go into every specific case.

Oh, not every specific case, OK.

How about the baby-sitter in Kansas?

- Go on and tell him.

- Mrs Vann, I don't think it's productive...

This is a very specific case.

He slept with our baby-sitter.

She was 15 years of age. She told the army.

He was gonna be court-martialled

until he asked me to lie for him.

No more lies, please.

- Tell him about your mother.

- (Quietly) That's enough.

Please, tell him about Myrtle.

This is where it all came from.

We can talk it out, please.

Mr Vann, maybe you would like to talk

a little bit about this.

- That's it.

- (Mary Jane) Please.

I... I can't do this.

Just, just tell me what it'll take

to make you stay.

I want a life for us.

I don't wanna be warehoused

in some army base.

You got it.

Just don't bring Myrtle up again.

Come on.

(Hollering)

Let's go. Take your toast with you.

Here's your lunch.

- Thanks, Mom.

- I love you.

- (Radio) The regime of South Vietnam...

- I want to hear that.

...comes to an end in a wave of violence.

- Can it.

Honey, leave him alone, he's just playing.

...a man who seemed to have no...

Oh, I love this song.

(# Pete Seeger:

Where Have All The Flowers Gone)

# Gone for soldiers every one

# When will they ever learn?

# When will they ever learn?

# Where have all the soldiers gone?

# Long time passing #

(Woman) What?

Oh, my God.

(Radio) We interrupt this programme

for an important news flash.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy,

president of the United States,

shot by an assassin as he drove

through the streets of Dallas, Texas.

(TV) He is three years old

on this day, November 25th.

He moves a pace apart from his mother

and lifts his hand...

- What is that boy doing?

...saluting his father...

- He's saying goodbye to his daddy.

...one last time.

Renewed hostile actions

against United States ships

on the high seas in the Gulf of Tonkin

have today required me to order

the military forces of the United States

to take action in reply.

We intend to convince the Communists

that we cannot be defeated by force of arms

or by superior power.

General Weyand, please,

Lt Colonel John Vann calling.

Hello, sir?

Yes, sir, I resigned my commission

but I knew I couldn't get through.

Everybody's fine, thanks.

I'm doing great, just great.

Well, no, I'm not.

Fred, I'm dying here.

I need to be in on the action.

Anything, Fred, I mean anything.

Must be something I can do. Anything at all.

I understand. You can't fight this war

without me, Fred.

OK, I appreciate it. Goodbye.

You're supposed to be

at the productivity meeting.

Oh, yeah, right. I'll be right along, Don.

(Phone)

(John) Hello. Hello, sir.

(Dog barks)

Boys. Throw it here.

- Shoot, Dad, shoot.

- Yeah, baby, he shoots...

...and it's nothing but net.

Take it back to the line. Three seconds left.

Come on, double team, get him.

- Hey. What's up?

- Hey, honey.

You guys go ahead.

The army called me today.

Guess what.

They offered me a job

in the civilian aid programme.

What is that?

It's back in Vietnam.

Vietnam, oh, I see.

Once again we're gonna get dumped?

No, listen. This is another chance for me.

I can't let it go. I know how to win that war.

I tried.

I thought maybe you could've been

the kind of father you never had.

(Boy) Catch.

Make sure I can have

a decent home for these kids.

- Hey, Dad.

- Hey.

Shoot.

(Gl) Let's go. Let's move it.

Move it on. Move, move.

Formation. Let's go. Let's go.

Left, right, left, right, left.

# Goodbye my sweetheart, hello Vietnam... #

John Paul Vann with the aid programme.

Where's my ride?

- Ride's right there, sir.

- Thank you.

- Move over, soldier, I'll drive.

- Yes, sir.

Thank you.

# And you know it involves us one and all

# I don't suppose that war will ever end... #

Fred. How the hell are you?

God damn, it's good to be back.

- Good to see you, John.

- Thank you, sir.

That's a lot of hardware out there.

It's phase one of General Westmoreland's

three-stage plan.

We put together a superior force,

then engage the enemy on the battlefield.

- Three, wipe them out.

- W...

Well hell, Fred, I don't know if the enemy's

gonna go along with that plan.

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