Abstract
The most dominant conflict of the 1960s was certainly the Vietnam war. The conflict underwent a myriad of transformations over the years and evolved into a clear case of great power tripolarity. The case study that follows will analyse the twists and turns in order to understand the most salient features of the triangular relationship. The war not only involved specific Southeast Asian issues, but also had a great significance for the strategic balance of power. In this chapter the tripolar relations in Vietnam will be related to the changes on the strategic level and vice versa.
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Notes and References
Schurmann, The Logic of World Power p.466. For a detailed analysis of US decision making see Leslie Gelb and Richard Betts, The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked (Washington: Brookings, 1979).
Edgar Snow, ‘Interview with Mao’ The New Republic, vol.152 no.9 (27 Feb. 1965) p.22.
S. Sergeichuk, Through Russian Eyes: American-Chinese Relations (Arlington: International Library, 1975) pp.119–21.
Tass on 8 Feb. reported Kosygin’s 7 Feb. speech. Pravda 9 Feb. in CDSP, vol.17, no.6 p.5. Lyndon Johnson, Vantage Point (New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1971) p.123. Whiting, Deterrence p.178. It was Whiting’s idea. On the ‘streetcar principle’ see Townsend Hoopes, The Limits of Intervention (New York: David McKay, 1969) p.30.
Ross Terrill, ‘On the Brink of Ambiguity: China Without Mao’ The New Republic, vol.175 no.13 25 Sept. 1976 p.27.
Leslie Gelb and Richard Betts, The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked (Washington: Brookings, 1979).
Cited in Jay Taylor, China and Southeast Asia (New York: Praeger, 1976) p.46.
Ibid, pp.97–9. Marvin Kalb and Eli Abel, Roots of Involvement: the US in Asia 1784–1971 (London: Pall Mall, 1971) p.188.
Dorris Kearns, Lyndon Johnson the American Dream (London: Andre Deutsch, 1976) pp.264–5. To Evans and Novack cited in Pentagon Papers (Gravel) vol.3, p.354. Ibid, p.348.
On the debate we rely on Segal, ‘Soviet Connection’, Harry Harding and Melvin Gurtov, The Purge of Lo-Jui-ch’ing (Santa Monica: Rand Corp., Feb. 1971)
and Thomas Gottlieb, Chinese Foreign Policy Factionalism and the Origins of the Strategic Triangle, R-1902-NA (Santa Monica: Rand Corp., Nov. 1977).
Reported in Harvy Nelsen, The Chinese Military System (London: Thornton Cox, 1977) pp.96–7.
Lin’s argument is best discussed by D.P. Mozingo and Thomas Robinson, Lin Piao on ‘People’s War’: China Takes a Second Look at Vietnam. RM-4814 (Santa Monica: Rand Corp., Nov. 1965). See also Zagoria, Vietnam Triangle pp.78–83,87–91 Lo’s speech in Peking Review, vol.8, no.36 (3 Sept. 1965).
Ibid, and Harding and Gurtov, Lo Jui-ch’ing pp.41–3. Ellis Joffe, ‘China’s Intraleadership Conflict, 1959–1962’, Michigan Papers in Chinese Studies No.22, 1975.
David Kraslow and Stuart Loory, Diplomacy of Chaos (London: MacDonald, 1968) pp.129–33
and Mario Rossi, ‘U Thant and Vietnam: The Untold Story’ New York Review of Books, vol.17, no.8 (17 Nov. 1966) p.10.
Kenneth Lieberthal, A Research Guide to Central Party and Government Meetings in China, 1949–1975 (White Plains New York: International Arts and Science Press, 1976) pp.241–4.
Edgar Snow, ‘Mao Tse-tung and the Cost of Living’ The New Republic, vol.167, no.15 (10 April 1971) p.19.
Zagoria, Vietnam Triangle Moscow, Peking, Hanoi (New York: Pegasus, 1967) pp.83–6.
Harold Wilson, The Labour Government 1964–70 (London: Penguin, 1974) p.445.
Ibid, pp.199–200 and K.S. Karol, China’s Second Revolution (London: Jonathan Cape, 1975) p.394.
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© 1982 Gerald Segal
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Segal, G. (1982). The Vietnam War, 1963–8. In: The Great Power Triangle. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06059-7_4
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