emphasizedtheneedtoconcludetheagreement.Ifourtea‐leafreadingwas
correct,MoscowandPekingweretellingHanoithatitwouldnotbeabletouse
ourbombingtoextractanotheropen‐endedcommitmentforcontinuedwarfare.
Hanoiwasbeingtoldbyitspatrons,s ubtlybutunmistakably,tosettle.Andthe
countriesthathadcontributedtroopstooureffort,suchasThailandandSouth
Korea,applauded;thoseinthedirectlineofCommunistadvance,likeIndonesia
andMalaysia,expressednooppositiontoouractionpublicly,whilesupportingit
privately.Saigon,ofcourse,wasdelighted;itsoffic ialspokesmancouldnot
restrainhimselffromanunsubtledigtotheeffectthatthewholesequenceof
eventshadleftmeinan“embarrassedposition.”
“Indiscriminatecarpetbombingofheavilypopulatedareas”wasthe
principalaccusation.Oncethephrase caughtonamongcommentators,ittookon
alifeofitsown.Thefactswereotherwise.Ascholar whohasexaminedthe
evidencewrites:
Thesechargesaredisprovenbyevidenceavailablethenandbylaterreportsfromthe
scene.TheNorthVietnamesethemselvesatthetimeclaimedbetween1,300and1,600
fatalities,andeventhoughbothHanoiandHaiphongwerepartiallyevacuated,suchanumber
ofvictims—regrettableasanyciviliancasualtiesalwaysare—issurelynotindicativeofterror‐
bombing.AttacksexplicitlyaimedatthemoraleofthepopulationtookplaceagainstGermany
andJapanduringWorldWarIIandkilledtensofthousands.AccordingtoanEastGerman
estimate,35,000diedinthetripleraidonDresdeninFebruary1945;theofficialcasualtytollof
thebombingofTokyowithincendiarieson9‐10March1945,standsat83,793deadand40,918
wounded.TheHanoideathtoll,wrotetheLondonEconomist,“issmallerthanthenumberof
civilianskilledbytheNorthVietnameseintheirartillerybombardmentofAnLocinAprilorthe
tollofrefugeesambushedwhentryingtoescapefromQuangTriatthebeginningofMay.This
iswhatmakesthedenunciationofMr.NixonasanotherHitlersoundsounreal.”Partofthe
deathtollwasundoubtedlycausedbytheNorthVietnamesethemselves,fortheylaunched
about1.000SAMs,manyofwhichimpactedinthecitiesofHanoiandHaiphongandtooktheir
tollontheirownpeople…
MalcolmW.BrowneoftheNewYorkTimeswasgreatlysurprisedbytheconditionin
whichhefoundHanoiandwrotethat“thedamagecausedbyAmericanbombingwasgrossly
overstatedbyNorthVietnamesepropaganda…”“Hanoihascertainlybeendamaged,”noted
PeterWardoftheBaltimoreSunon25March1973afteravisit,“butevidenceontheground
disproveschargesofindiscriminatebombing.Severalbombloadsobviouslywentastrayinto
civilianresidentialareas,butdamagethereisminor,comparedtothetotaldestructionof
selectedtargets.”
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