--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Much of the conventional wisdom…" description: "\"Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg" --- # Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam… ![“Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war was only made possible through lies and deceptions aimed at the American public, Congress, and members of Lyndon Johnson's own administration.” quote by H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg) > “Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war was only made possible through lies and deceptions aimed at the American public, Congress, and members of Lyndon Johnson's own administration.” [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Vietnam war was driven by misinformation and political manipulation rather than pure strategic necessity. **In simple terms:** War was justified by lies, not just strategy. Key Takeaway Question narratives before accepting policy decisions. Themes history politics media war Mood critical skeptical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - public debate - policy analysis - educational curricula - media literacy Key Concepts propaganda government accountability Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens verify government claims? - What safeguards prevent misinformation? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitics also played a role, not solely deception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Communism War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism-war-2262513/) [Contain Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contain-communism-2262512/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Deceptions Aimed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceptions-aimed-2262514/) [Lyndon johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyndon-johnson/) [Result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/result/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [The years ahead will be great ones for our country, for the cause of freedom and the spread of civilization. The West will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-years-ahead-will-be-great-ones-for-our-country-for-the-cause-of/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [War is worthless except for ending slavery, Nazism, fascism, and communism. Other than that, war is pointless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/war-is-worthless-except-for-ending-slavery-nazism-fascism-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ Those days \[of the Vietnam War\] you couldn't get on a bus going to the South without expecting a riot over something or the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/those-days-of-the-vietnam-war-you-couldn-t-get-on-a-bus-going-to-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Lyndon Johnson who was the president who was executing that war, announced in the spring of 1968 that he would not seek the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/lyndon-johnson-who-was-the-president-who-was-executing-that-war/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [“Of the things I had not known when I started out, I think the most important was the degree to which the legacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/of-the-things-i-had-not-known-when-i-started-out-i-think-the-most/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [Lyndon Johnson may have escalated the war, but when I was drafted and shipped off to Vietnam, the signature on my orders was Nixon's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-gunton/lyndon-johnson-may-have-escalated-the-war-but-when-i-was-drafted-and/) [Bob Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-gunton/) > [Brainy folks were also present in Lyndon Johnson's administration, especially in the Pentagon, where Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's brilliant 'whiz kids' tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/brainy-folks-were-also-present-in-lyndon-johnson-s-administration/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Lyndon Johnson is not a comfortable model for President Obama to imitate. He is an all-but-forgotten president - pilloried for the failed war in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/lyndon-johnson-is-not-a-comfortable-model-for-president-obama-to/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Lyndon Johnson was a profoundly insecure man who feared dissent and craved reassurance. In 1964 and 1965, Johnson's principal goals were to win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/lyndon-johnson-was-a-profoundly-insecure-man-who-feared-dissent-and/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [“One of the most frustrating aspects of the Vietnam war from the Army's point of view is that as far as logistics and tactics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-most-frustrating-aspects-of-the-vietnam-war-from-the-army/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/the-war-in-vietnam-was-not-lost-in-the-field-nor-was-it-lost-on-the/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Like Lyndon Johnson, President Obama understands that timidity in a time of troubles is a prescription for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/like-lyndon-johnson-president-obama-understands-that-timidity-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Lyndon Johnson faced some clear moral issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/lyndon-johnson-faced-some-clear-moral-issues/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [ \[Lyndon \] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black-freedom-movement-that-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) ## More by H. R. McMaster > [We confuse activity with progress, and that's always dangerous, especially in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/we-confuse-activity-with-progress-and-that-s-always-dangerous/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [What is certain about the future is that even the best efforts to predict the conditions of future war will prove erroneous. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/what-is-certain-about-the-future-is-that-even-the-best-efforts-to/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [We often operate effectively on the physical battleground but not on the psychological battleground. We fail to communicate our resolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/we-often-operate-effectively-on-the-physical-battleground-but-not-on/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Consequences of linear thinking in Afghanistan and Iraq included overestimating indigenous forces' capabilities, underestimating the enemy, and the associated expectation that the coalition could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/consequences-of-linear-thinking-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-included/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/the-war-in-vietnam-was-not-lost-in-the-field-nor-was-it-lost-on-the/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/bombing-particularly-from-the-perspective-of-the-receiving-end-is-not/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [When we came to Iraq, we didn't understand the complexity - what it meant for a society to live under a brutal dictatorship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/when-we-came-to-iraq-we-didn-t-understand-the-complexity-what-it/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [I think any of us who have been involved in the mission of Iraq have developed a great deal of affection for the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/i-think-any-of-us-who-have-been-involved-in-the-mission-of-iraq-have/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Muslims who commit terrorist acts are perverting their religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/muslims-who-commit-terrorist-acts-are-perverting-their-religion/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Because war is a competition involving life and death, and in which national security and vital interests are at stake, establishing an objective other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/because-war-is-a-competition-involving-life-and-death-and-in-which/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [What we can afford least is to define the problem of future war as we would like it to be and, by doing so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/what-we-can-afford-least-is-to-define-the-problem-of-future-war-as-we/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Offensive operations and hunting down the enemy is an integral part of any counterinsurgency approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/offensive-operations-and-hunting-down-the-enemy-is-an-integral-part/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Be skeptical of concepts that divorce war from its political nature, particularly those that promise fast, cheap victory through technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/be-skeptical-of-concepts-that-divorce-war-from-its-political-nature/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Although combat operations unseated the Taliban and the Saddam Hussein regime, a poor understanding of the recent histories of the Afghan and Iraqi peoples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/although-combat-operations-unseated-the-taliban-and-the-saddam/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [It is important to understand how leaders have adapted and thought about war and warfare across their careers. 'The Autobiography of General Ulysses S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/it-is-important-to-understand-how-leaders-have-adapted-and-thought/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) [Explore all 40 H. R. McMaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war was only made possible through lies and deceptions aimed at the American public, Congress, and members of Lyndon Johnson's own administration.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. R. McMaster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/h-r-mcmaster-16254_american_much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associat_221512.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result…” — H. R. McMaster", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "H. R. McMaster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Much of the conventional wisdom associated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```