>>interesting piece I've just be listening too about how Nixon and the Republicans sabotaged the Vietnam peace process to keep his election on track
>>>
>>>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21768668
>>
>>Interesting! Thank you for the link.
>>
>>There is a lot I can say on the topic of Vietnam, but I will say one thing. When Nixon was campaigning for President during September of 1968, he made comments about the power of the United States. He asked why our nation could not drop atomic bombs on North Vietnam, and upon doing so we could pave it before Christmas of 1968, and make it a parking lot!
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>>The best was yet to come.
>>
>>
>>Tom
>
>I am no fan of RN (nor of LBJ) and like you and all the men of our generation I had a lot of skin in game regarding Vietnam (and, in my case, Laos) but I'm not sure about RN actually saying that in the 68 campaign (albeit I was out of the country for most of it and American election news in Turkey was not all over the place) I do remember the parking lot line - thought that was Curtis Lemay or somebody like that. Never remember nukes being mentioned by any candidate ( memories of LBJs mau-mauing Goldwater in 64 still too fresh)
>
>Doesn't sound like something Nixon would say out loud and he was a pretty careful candidate. ( the dems were doing pretty much everything they could to destroy themselves, you'll remember so Nixon was very pleased in many cases to take "the high road" - i.e come across and calm and in control )
>
>Maybe I just missed it. Do you have the source?

I heard it on KGO radio (ABC) in San Francisco. It was two months before the election. It was Nixon's voice during an interview. LBJ was my least favorite President. Nixon was down near the bottom for me. GWB is around the same place as LBJ as far as I am concerned.

Strange how LBJ did things to help Civil Rights (which many hate even to this day!) and then we have Vietnam. Nixon made Vietnam worse.

As a Vietnam vet I dislike it when "Real Americans" state we lost 58,000 of our boy's in Vietnam. We do not discuss the 3 million Vietnamese we killed. After all, only Americans have value.


As for the 1964 H bomb advertisement, I saw it and I think it ran only once. What impact! That could have double meaning! :)

One of my hobbies is Amateur Radio. In 1961 I was stationed at Orlando Air Force Base, Florida, and worked at the MARS Station. One day I was talking to Curtis LeMay on the 20 Meter band. My NCOIC and OIC were so upset as I was addressing him as if he were just another Radio Amateur. After all, he was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force! It did not bother me, but those two guys at the MARS Station who were my superiors were really upset!

McCoy Air Force Base was about 20 miles south of us, and was a SAC base. One day LeMay flew in to McCoy unannounced, one of his normal tactics. He busted one guy for not being up to his critical standards, and promoted another, all before he left the flight line! I am so glad that I never met him face to face.

Many of the people I knew would not vote for Humphrey, as he was thought of as an extension of the LBJ Vietnam policies.


Tom