Why can't you bother to look as well, and why should I take all the burden of research? You have equally vested as much as I. If you have a resource, post it so I can look. That's all I ask. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. If I'm right, I'm right.If you are unaware of and can't bother to look up such things as number of weapons of every class ordered by JFK as opposed to Reagan or Eisenhower, or number of American ICBMs in service in 1960 compared to Soviet ICBMS in service then I'm wasting my time.
It was not on the assumption that the situation would improve in Vietnam. Withdrawal in the memorandum was to prod the Republic of Vietnam to build up on its own rather than forcing the US to support it in total, and to send a message that the US was not pleased with Diem's authoritarian nature. The assassination, which came after the memorandum as the memorandum addressed withdrawal of 1,000 troops as a sign to Diem in part, was because the US felt Diem was too corrupt and despotic and that he should no longer continue to rule, and therefore the US did not act to stop the coup. The plan to withdraw in 1964 was in the belief that the Vietnamese should fight the war, not that the situation was going to get better from Diem's death. The US only wanted the same situation as under Diem save the dictatorial actions he took such as imprisonment of dissidents.Then again, since you stand by your opinion that JFK would pull troops out of South Vietnam based on the assumption that Diem's death would improve the situation in South Vietnam, continuing to operate under those assumptions after they were proven to be entirely wrong...![]()
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