‘Vietnam’: Tom’s own view
Thus far I’ve held off, because I didn’t want to get in the way of Charles Krohn’s reviews.
Thus far I’ve held off, because I didn’t want to get in the way of Charles Krohn’s reviews. But today, with his last offering, I want to say what I think:
Thus far I’ve held off, because I didn’t want to get in the way of Charles Krohn’s reviews. But today, with his last offering, I want to say what I think:
I thought the series was no great shakes. I think I didn’t learn anything new from the series. That’s Okay — I’ve read a lot about the war, partly because a few years ago I contemplated writing a history of it, and spent months studying it. So the series wasn’t aimed at the likes of me. Still, I thought it could do more than present a basic conventional history with some good footage.
That said, I don’t entirely trust my own assessment. My wife, a 19th-century historian who hasn’t read much about the Vietnam War, found it fascinating. I suspect that her valuation is closer to that of most viewers than mine is.
Photo credit: Frank C. Curtin/Associated Press, via PBS
Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1
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