Path to War Page #14

There were tears in

the Treasury Secretary's eyes

cause he was hopin he'd be my choice.

And with tears in his eyes

he said he had to

submit three names to the bank.

I said, okay, it's McNamara,

McNamara, and McNamara.

You ask him.

Now, the bank directors vote today,

but it's uh,

it's just a formality.

Now, Bob,

I better get over to Lady Bird's

beautification awards,

important to her.

Your wife's the same

with her readin program, I know.

Yes, although with her condition

it's been difficult.

Ah, no improvements since surgery?

My son, uh... he has em as well.

You deserve whatever you want

from this government.

My obligation is to help you,

and this was within my power

to grant you.

People have an obligation

to the President,

not the other way around.

May your selfless service,

spent in defendin freedom

bring even greater rewards

in the larger work that you

now undertake to promote

freedom throughout the world.

Signed, Lyndon B. Johnson, President.

This is the Medal of Freedom,

the highest award a President

can bestow upon a citizen

of the United States.

I award it now to a loyal, brilliant,

good man,

Robert McNamara the very best we have.

Thank you, Mr. President,

this is an almost impossible

situation to respond to.

You're used to impossible situations.

Now, I stand here tonight to tell you

that I regard Bob McNamara here,

as not only one of the smartest,

but one of the most humane men I know.

One, put the men in.

Two, call up the reserves,

extend tours of duty.

And three, expand the bombing.

Mr. President, uh,

I cannot uh...

find the words to express

what lies in my heart today and uh...

I think I better respond

at another time.

Mr. Clifford

Mr. Clifford, does your acceptance

of the job

of Defense Secretary

signal your interest

in elected office?

It signals only my desire to serve

a great President

and a long-time friend.

I am 61 years old and I am sure

this will finish me off.

Quiet please! Quiet please!

Joe, Joe?

It's been observed that

in your views on Vietnam,

you've changed from dove to hawk,

which are you?

I am not conscious of falling

under any of those

ornithological divisions.

I'll tell you this, he's no ostrich.

I know of no man who will call it

as it is with such candor

and judgment as this man,

Clark Clifford.

We got a light at the end

of the tunnel now!

It's probably a small attack,

Mr. President the embassy

compound's been hit before.

Mr. Secretary,

it's not just the embassy,

the palace, legislature, airport, too

Secretary Rusk!

Put it on the speaker phone.

Go ahead, Ben.

Dean, I've got the duty officer

at the Embassy, Alan Brandt.

Mr. Brandt!

Mr. Brandt can you hear me?

They're shooting right outside,

Mr. Secretary.

Outside of the Embassy compound?

Inside! They blew through the wall,

they're at the doors.

Rostow, Casualty report.

Do you have something to defend

yourself with, Mr. Brandt?

I'm at the window! They're below me.

They see me.

They're looking right at me.

I've got to go, Mr. Secretary.

I've got to go I've got to get out

Small attack!?

These are desperation moves,

Mr. President

we've got them on the run!

It's not just Saigon.

The Vietcong have launched

surprise attacks

on 36 of the provincial capitals

of South Vietnam.

From the streets of Wai near the DMZ,

to the US Embassy compound in Saigon,

the casualty count on both sides

has been unprecedented.

The U.S. Military says

it is successfully

beating back the Vietcong attacks,

but clearly they are paying

an enormous price.

The enemy's well-laid plans

went afoul!

They tried to ignite a revolution

in the South, and they failed.

If this is a failure, God help us

when they have a success.

I've given em all the men,

the planes, the guns,

the bullets he said he needed,

I thought we were winnin this thing!

Now Westmoreland says

he wants 206,000 more troops!

We'll have 750,000 there.

Three quarters of a million men

in Vietnam.

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Hell, we don't even have a tunnel!

We don't even know

where the tunnel is!

I want you to get Westmoreland here,

get your people together

and look at this thing.

We'll give em the boys if we have to,

but on your recommendation.

You'll wait?

I'll wait, but not for long.

If he needs em what the hell

am I supposed to do!?

Old friend... get me an answer.

Give us these troops

and we can seize the initiative!

But it will just be more of the same!

The enemy's taken 200,000 killed

and he'll take 200,000 more!

We've lost a tenth that many

and Americans are rioting

in the streets.

They should be cheering!

They Vietcong lost.

We were victorious.

That's true, Walt,

but remember they only committed

to this offensive--holding

enough back to strike again.

That's right, damn it

and it could happen at any time.

I say put the men in.

There are no more trained men.

We would ship raw troops and train

them in the rear.

What rear? There is no rear

in Vietnam anymore.

I would hope we've at least learned

that from this victory.

With 206,000 more men we could go

into Laos, Cambodia,

North Vietnam and cut out

their supply routes once

and for all we have never been given

that authority!

Excuse me, General. Dean,

you said the enemy

committed 175,000 men

to the offensive.

That's right, Clark.

And General Westmoreland says

that they suffered

to wounded ratio.

It's right here in my report.

We beat the pants off them!

Then how in the hell can we justify

to the public sending

hundreds of thousands more men!?

We tell them this:

that we're within inches

of victory inches!

Yes, sir.

And 3.5 times that number

are out of action?

It's in the report, Clark.

If there's 45,000 dead and three

and a half times that number...

General, according to you

and General Westmoreland

we have killed and wounded 120%

of the enemy.

It's becoming more and more evident

that an out and out military victory

cannot be achieved with any strategy.

So... these are my recommendations:

one, send Westmoreland

only those forces

that will satisfy his immediate need.

Wheeler has agreed to 22,000 plus

the units previously approved

and already scheduled for deployment.

This would stave off immediate defeat

while we move to negotiations.

We realize that the settlemen

will not be favorable for Saigon

and they would fight it.

Two, the bombing,

Wheeler, the other Chiefs

and Walt Rostow all advocate hitting

the remaining targets in Hanoi

and Haiphong and mining and bombing

the harbors.

With the support of everyone else,

I recommend a bombing halt.

I've told you,

I'm not gonna stop the bombin .

It keeps the lead out of our boys.

There's little evidence

to support that,

sir and the bombing is going

to be the single greatest issue

in the Presidential campaign.

The perception is evolving out

there that Eugene McCarthy

is the peace candidate and

you are the war candidate.

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