Ibhalwe ngu-Arnold R. Isaacs, Salon, Disemba 15, 2022
Endabeni yaseMelika, ukuhlasela kokugcina kwamabhomu eNyakatho yeVietnam kwaletha ukuthula. Lokho kuyinganekwane yokuzenzela wena
Njengoba abantu baseMelika bephokophele enkathini yamaholide, siphinde sisondela kungqopha-mlando ebalulekile kusukela empini yase-US e-Vietnam: unyaka wama-50 wokuhlasela kwe-US okokugcina eNyakatho Vietnam, umkhankaso wezinsuku eziyi-11 owaqala ngobusuku bukaDis. 18, 1972, futhi yehle emlandweni ngokuthi "ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kaKhisimusi."
Okuphinde kwehle emlandweni, nokho, okungenani ekulandiseni okuningi, kuwukumela okungenzeka okungelona iqiniso kwemvelo nencazelo yaleso senzakalo, nemiphumela yaso. Lezo zinsolo ezisabalele zokuthi ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kwaphoqa abaseNyakatho neVietnam ukuthi baxoxisane ngesivumelwano sokuthula abasisayina eParis ngenyanga elandelayo, futhi ngaleyo ndlela amandla omoya ase-US abe yisici esibalulekile ekuqedeni impi yaseMelika.
Lokho kuzisholo okungamanga, okumenyezelwe kancane kancane futhi kabanzi phakathi neminyaka engu-50 edlule, akugcini nje ngokuphikisa amaqiniso omlando angenakuphikiswa. Kuyafaneleka namanje, futhi, ngoba kuyaqhubeka nokufaka isandla ekukholweni okuyihaba emandleni omoya okwahlanekezela ukucabanga kwamasu aseMelika eVietnam kusukela ngaleso sikhathi.
Ngokungangabazeki, le nguqulo yenganekwane izophinde ivele esikhumbuzweni esizofika nokugubha usuku olusondelayo. Kodwa mhlawumbe lolo phawu luzophinde lunikeze ithuba lokuqondisa irekhodi ngalokho okwenzeka ngempela emoyeni phezu kweVietnam kanye netafula lezingxoxo eParis ngoDisemba 1972 nangoJanuwari 1973.
Indaba iqala eParis ngo-Okthoba, lapho ngemuva kweminyaka yokushuba, izingxoxo zokuthula zashintsha kungazelelwe lapho abaxoxisana base-US nabaseNyakatho neVietnam benikeza imvume ebalulekile. Uhlangothi lwaseMelika lwehlise ngokungananazi isidingo salo sokuthi iNyakatho yeVietnam ihoxise amasosha ayo eningizimu, okuyisikhundla ebesishiwo kodwa esingacacisi ngokuphelele eziphakamisweni ezedlule zase-US. Khonamanjalo abameleli bakaHanoi okokuqala bakuyeka ukugcizelela kwabo kokuthi uhulumeni waseNingizimu Vietnam oholwa nguNguyen Van Thieu kumele asuswe ngaphambi kokuthi kuphothulwe noma yisiphi isivumelwano sokuthula.
Lapho lezo zikhubekiso ezimbili sezisusiwe, izingxoxo zaqhubekela phambili ngokushesha, futhi ngo-Okthoba 18 izinhlangothi zombili zase zigunyaze uhlaka lokugcina. Ngemuva kwezinguquko ezimbalwa zemizuzu yokugcina, uMongameli uRichard Nixon uthumele intambo kuNdunankulu waseNyakatho yeVietnam uPham Van Dong ememezela, njengoba wabhala enkumbulweni yakhe, ukuthi isivumelwano “manje sesingabhekwa njengesiphelele” nokuthi i-United States, ngemva kokwamukela bese ihlehlisa izinsuku ezimbili zangaphambili, “ingabalwa” ukuthi isisayine emcimbini osemthethweni ngo-Oct. 31. Kodwa lokho kusayinwa akuzange kwenzeke, ngenxa yokuthi i-US yahoxisa ukuzibophezela kwayo ngemuva komngane wayo, uMongameli Thieu, uhulumeni wakhe owawukhishwe ngokuphelele ezingxoxweni, wenqaba ukwamukela isivumelwano. Kungakho impi yaseMelika yayisaqhubeka ngoDisemba, ngokungananaziyo njengomphumela wezinqumo zase-US, hhayi zaseNyakatho neVietnam.
Phakathi kwalezo zenzakalo, ekaHanoi isikhungo sezindaba esisemthethweni sasakaza isimemezelo ngo-Okthoba 26 eqinisekisa isivumelwano futhi enikeza uhlaka oluningiliziwe lwemigomo yaso (okwenza isimemezelo esidumile sikaHenry Kissinger emahoreni ambalwa kamuva sokuthi “ukuthula kuseduze”). Ngakho-ke uhlaka lwangaphambili lwalungeyona imfihlo lapho izinhlangothi zombili zimemezela isivumelwano esisha ngoJanuwari.
Ukuqhathanisa le mibhalo emibili kukhombisa ngombala omnyama nomhlophe ukuthi ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kaDisemba akuzange kushintshe isikhundla sikaHanoi. AbaseNyakatho neVietnam abavumanga lutho esivumelwaneni sokugcina abebengakasivumi emzuliswaneni wangaphambili, ngaphambi kokuqhuma kwamabhomu. Ngaphandle kwezinguquko ezimbalwa zezinqubo ezincane kanye nezibuyekezo ezimbalwa zezimonyo emagameni, imibhalo ka-Okthoba nekaDisemba yenzelwe izinjongo ezingokoqobo ezifanayo, okwenza kube sobala ukuthi ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kwakwenza. hhayi shintsha izinqumo zika-Hanoi nganoma iyiphi indlela enengqondo.
Njengoba kunikezwe lelo rekhodi elicace bha, inganekwane yokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu kaKhisimusi njengempumelelo enkulu yezempi ibonise amandla amangalisayo okuhlala kuzo zombili izikhungo zezokuphepha zezwe lase-US kanye nenkumbulo yomphakathi.
Iphuzu elibalulekile yiwebhusayithi esemthethweni ye- Isikhumbuzo seminyaka engama-50 yePentagon yaseVietnam. Phakathi kwezibonelo eziningi kuleso siza i-Air Force "Iphepha leqiniso" okungasho lutho ngohlaka luka-Okthoba lwesivumelwano sokuthula noma ukuhoxa kwe-US kuleso sivumelwano (lezo azishiwo kwenye indawo endaweni yesikhumbuzo, noma). Esikhundleni salokho, ithi kuphela "njengoba izingxoxo ziqhubeka," uNixon wayala umkhankaso womoya kaDisemba, okwathi ngemuva kwalokho "iNorth Vietnamese, manje engenakuzivikela, yabuyela ezingxoxweni futhi yaphetha ngokushesha isivumelwano." Umbiko ube ususho lesi siphetho: “Ngakho-ke iziphathimandla zezindiza zaseMelika zaba nengxenye ewujuqu ekuqedeni le ngxabano eyathatha isikhathi eside.”
Okunye okuthunyelwe okuhlukahlukene endaweni yesikhumbuzo kufakazela ukuthi izithunywa zikaHanoi “ngokungahlangene hlangothi” noma “ngokufingqiwe” zazinqamula izingxoxo zangemva kuka-Okthoba - okufanele kukhunjulwe ukuthi, zazimayelana nokushintsha izinhlinzeko i-US eyayivele yamukele - nokuthi umyalo wokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu kaNixon. kwakuhloselwe ukubaphoqa ukuba babuyele etafuleni lezingxoxo.
Eqinisweni, uma noma ubani ophumile ezingxoxweni kwakungabantu baseMelika, okungenani abaxoxisana nabo abakhulu. I-akhawunti ye-Pentagon inikeza idethi ethile yokuhoxiswa kwe-North Vietnamese: Disemba 18, usuku olufanayo nokuqaliswa kwebhomu. Kodwa empeleni izingxoxo zaphela ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngaphambi kwalokho. Kissinger wasuka eParis ngomhlaka-13; abasizi bakhe abakhulu baphuma ngendiza ngosuku noma kamuva. Umhlangano wokugcina we-pro forma phakathi kwalezi zinhlangothi zombili wenzeka ngoDisemba 16 kwathi lapho uphela, abaseNyakatho neVietnam bathi bafuna ukuqhubeka “ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka.”
Ngicwaninga ngalo mlando esikhathini esingeside esidlule, ngamangala ngezinga ukulandisa okungamanga okubonakala sengathi kuye kwayiqeda kakhulu indaba yeqiniso. Amaqiniso abelokhu aziwa kusukela lezo zenzakalo zenzeka, kodwa kunzima ngokuphawulekayo ukutholakala emlandweni womphakathi wanamuhla. Ngisesha ku-inthanethi ukuthi "ukuthula kuseduze" noma "I-Linebacker II" (igama lekhodi yokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu kaDisemba), ngithole inqwaba yemibhalo esho iziphetho ezifanayo ezidukisayo ezivela endaweni yesikhumbuzo yePentagon. Kwadingeka ngibheke kanzima kakhulu ukuze ngithole imithombo esho noma imaphi amaqiniso abhaliwe aphikisana naleyo nguqulo yenganekwane.
Kungase kube kuningi kakhulu ukukubuza, kodwa ngibhala lokhu ngethemba lokuthi isikhumbuzo seminyaka ezayo sizophinde sinikeze ithuba lokubheka ngokucophelela emuva ekuguqukeni okubalulekile empini engaphumeleli nengathandeki. Uma izazi-mlando ezazisa iqiniso kanye nabaseMelika abakhathazeke ngezindaba zamanje zokuphepha kwezwe bazothatha isikhathi sokuvuselela izinkumbulo zabo nokuqonda, mhlawumbe bangaqala ukulwa nenganekwane nge-akhawunti enembe kakhudlwana yalezo zenzakalo engxenyeni yekhulu leminyaka edlule. Uma lokho kwenzeka kuzoba isevisi ephusile, hhayi nje eqinisweni elingokomlando kodwa ekubukeni okungokoqobo nokuhluzekile kwesu lanamuhla lokuvikela - futhi, ikakhulukazi, lokho amabhomu angakwenza ukuze afeze izinjongo zezwe, nalokho angeke akwazi ukukwenza. .
