The Vietnam War (Part V): America's Costly Lesson.

The fifth episode picks up right where part four left off. Nixon takes the reigns of Presidential burden and responsibility from the hands of Lyndon Baines Johnson. The most daunting task ahead of the nation and the new administration, to no one's surprise, is the looming war in Vietnam and the path out of the conflict. 

Nixon and Henry Kissinger fell into a trap that was partly due to their own pride, their own arrogance and their own insecurities. It was also in part due to the nature of the Vietnam War itself. It was a bloody, gruesome and gory affair. The arrogant Nixon and Kissinger duo somehow managed to convince themselves that reality was something other than what was in front of them. They decided on the paradoxical, if not tragically ironic, policy of "War for Peace". 

Nixon allowed himself to believe he could use brute force to force the North Vietnamese into a peace settlement adhering to his definitoin of "peace with honor". Each step and decision he took became more obsessive, paranoid and constitutionally unsound as he drug America through its final stages of the conflict in Vietnam that would become America's longest war; as well as one of it's most costly lessons.

• This episode is sponsored by Sudio. Sudio is a company making studio quality headphones with a stylish design; all while not overcharging just because they can. Visit the website and use the promo code THEMONDAYAMERICAN for 15% off any order!
• This episode is also brought to you by "The Three Brothers: When George Washington and Edmund Barton Sat Down to Dinner" This is a book written by Australian author Stephen E. Marantelli. The best way to sum up this book is the phrase "history with a mystery". Stephen sent me a copy and I've been thoroughly enjoying it! If you're a fan of history this book is a must read!
• To find a list of sources used please visit the website where you'll find a Chicago Manual of Style list of Works Cited. 

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