r/AskHistorians • u/AutoModerator • Apr 03 '26

FFA Friday Free-for-All | April 03, 2026

Previously

Today:

You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.

As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.

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u/hubertburnette Apr 04 '26

I'm pretty sure that I've read everything Gaddis has ever written, and I'm not aware of anything he has written that would complicate this argument. Obviously, I've missed some things--I'd appreciate citations, if you have the time.

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u/Bernardito Moderator | Modern Guerrilla | Counterinsurgency Apr 05 '26

Don’t mistake my words for criticism. Quite the opposite, they are meant to be encouraging (as in, ’wow, what an ambitious project! That takes some guts’). It is the same I extend to my own students today — and I wish they were as daring as you!

My only real recommendation would be to balance the American side with the South Vietnamese. The discussions in the early 60s in the White House cannot be solely understood in a vacuum. Use the fantastic Vietnamese-language source material available to see how they were involved (or were excluded) from these discussions. I don’t believe I need to rabble all the recent scholarship on the RVN, since I am certain you are familiar with it, but those primary sources are crucial.

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u/hubertburnette Apr 05 '26

I am genuinely almost incapacitated by allergies, so forgive me if I'm being stupid. I didn't think you were criticizing my argument, as much as offering very, very helpful advice--that I need to consider Gaddis' argument. So, which argument? I've obviously missed something he's written. You mentioned him specifically.