I agree that there was unfavorable media coverage of the Vietnam Conflict. There was also a fire hose of positive media coverage, as well as a very intensive campaign to conceal how badly things were going, along with a lot of disinformation around why the US was there in the first place. Hell, I recall reading newly disclosed details about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident not too long ago.

Anecdotally, my family were boat people fleeing the Communist regime. To this day, to a one, they are all hard-line Conservative, even when subjected to profiling under this administration. I like to think I’m somewhat informed and have certainly consumed a lot of media regarding the US and Vietnam. Somehow, I only first heard of the My Lai Massacre around 2005. Again, merely anecdote, but media control by the governments is a hell of a drug.

My original points stand: we get to Monday morning quarterback a lot of shit; better an imperfect ally than more enemies; and however long it takes for someone to come around, better that they come around than not.