The Strangelove Plan for Winning Vietnam

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12:31 PM, Apr 17, 2008 • By JOHN NOONAN

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Eh, I suppose that's one way to conduct counterinsurgency operations:

The US Air Force wanted to use nuclear weapons against Vietnam in 1959 and 1968, and Laos in 1961, to obliterate communist guerrillas, according to newly declassified secret US Air Force documents.

In 1959, US Air Force chief of staff General Thomas D White chose several targets in northern Vietnam, but other military officials blocked his demand to nuke the Southeast Asian nation.

Confucius say, do not use cannon to kill mosquito. Still, I kind of miss the days of crazy old Air Force generals:

Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed.
But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.