Statesmen versus WarlordsPerhaps no event in recent history has so profoundly affected the political, sociological and philosophical outlook of the American people than the Vietnam War. George Bell, Undersecretary of State from 1961 to 1966, called Vietnam "the greatest mistake America has made in its national history" (Legacies). As the first war the United States lost, Vietnam shattered American confidence in its military supremacy and spawned a new wave of isolationist sentiment at home. Distrusting their government and retreating into a state of general disillusionment, the public demanded to know what was wrong. The people needed a scapegoat. Some groups criticized military commanders for failing to adapt to Vietnam's unique circumstances; some condemned politicians for not fully supporting the military effort; while still others asserted that victory was never possible. Today, years after the last Marine left Vietnamese soil, the debate continues, but the evidence places the majority of blame on U.S. foreign policy makers. Because, as Paul Elliott writes in his book Vietnam: Conflict and Controversy, "everything about Vietnam was seen through the distorting prism of the Cold War and against the fear of atomic holocaust" (92), Congress and the president refused to make decisions. a total commitment to victory in Indochina. This lack of commitment led directly to American defeat. But, given the social and political situation of the late 1960s and early 1970s, was such a commitment feasible? Total victory would have required a full mobilization of American armed forces, an invasion of North Vietnam, and the possible use of nuclear weapons... middle of paper ......d. Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1983. 488-506.Legacies. Part 13 of Vietnam: A History of Television. Richard Ellison, producer. WGBH Educational Foundation. Millis, Walter, ed. American military thought. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1966. 480-95. Schloming, Gordon. American foreign policy and the nuclear dilemma. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987. 14-16. Sharp, Ulysses. Strategy for Defeat: Vietnam in Retrospect. San Rafael: Presidio, 1978. 267-71. Schechter, Danny. “Introduction: The Fall of Washington. » How we won the war. Vo Nguyen Giap. Philadelphia: RECON, 1976. 13-14. Summers, Harold, G. On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War. Novato: Presidio, 1982. 63-9. “Vietnam War”. Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia 1999. CD-ROM. Redmond: Microsoft Corporation, 1998.