Burns 'Vietnam' episode 2 another stunner

"I was from the last generation who believed our government would never lie to us."

That quote from a disillusioned Vietnam vet runs through the entire second episode of Ken Burns' Vietnam saga as lie upon lie, based from fear and ignorance pour from every statement and action of US leaders trying to will victory from the inevitable struggle for Vietnam independence. Episode 2 'Riding the Tiger' (1961-1963) covered just the three years of the Kennedy presidency. While the Viet Cong were driving relentlessly toward victory and independence from the North, the venal Diem regime in the South was self immolating, literally, as Buddhist monks were setting themselves ablaze to protest Catholic Diem's domestic tyranny against the majority religion. JFK and his dim-bulb advisers faced an insolvable dilemma: Diem had to go but there was no one both decent and strong enough to replace him. Through a mixup when JFK was sailing off Cape Cod, a minor state department official gave the US OK to a military coup that JFK thought had been approved by his braintrust, who also were inconveniently vacationing. The result was an unexpected and bloody end to Diem and his even more ruthless brother Nhu that haunted JFK during the last 18 days of his life in assassination month.

Having studied from fascination and horror the Vietnam era as it unfolded six decades ago, I thought I knew a lot. Burns' relentless, fearless truthtelling is showing me how much I missed. If you missed the first two, find a way to catch them on the rebound. When Episode 3 pops on...don't touch that dial.