Marvin Kalb returned to the Gerard R. Ford Presidential Library for the first time since 1997 in a presentation sponsored by the National Archives and Records Administration and The Gerard R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Kalb is a distinguished journalist and author & co-author of 12 non-fiction books and two best selling novels. He has provided over 30 years of distinguished reporting for NBC and CBS News as Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, Moscow Bureau Chief and Anchor of “Meet The Press". He is currently the host of the “Kalb Report”, a program that focuses on media ethics and responsibility at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.. Kalb is a regular contributor to National Public Radio and a plethora of television programs. He is also Guest Scholar of Foreign Policy at The Brookings Institute and the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice Emeritus at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Kalb visited the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library to discuss his newest book, “Haunting Legacy”, which he co-authored with his daughter, Debbie. In the process of writing it, he spent five years interviewing hundreds of officials and visited Archives and Presidential Libraries across the Nation. “Haunting Legacy” discusses the Vietnam War’s far reaching shadow and its impact on both U.S. foreign and military policy across the terms of seven Presidents. Kalb highlighted the long-lasting residual effects of the Vietnam War on four Presidents. He first addressed the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. In the late 1940's, Gerald R. Ford described U.S. involvement and the situation in Vietnam as "big mistakes". He believed that the U.S. was trying to do what the French were trying to do in Indochina and that they were not doing it well and had serious doubts about why the U.S. should be in the region. In 1952, as Congressman Ford was just beginning his career in Washington, D.C., he visited Vietnam as part of a U.S. Congressional delegation. Soon after his arrival to Vietnam, Ford believed that the French did not understand the nature of the war they were trying to fight in the region. This began what would be Ford’s reluctant support of the Vietnam War. In April 1975, President Ford, having inherited Vietnam, became the first President in U.S. history to “lose” a war. This left Ford with the responsibility of “picking up the entrails of a lost war, and figuring out what was America’s responsibility at the time”--in essence, how do we act after being defeated? Ford’s first test of post-Vietnam conflict would take place on May 12, 1975 with the Mayaguez Incident. Members of the Khmer Rouge hijacked an American container ship, the SS Mayaguez in International waters near Cambodia, capturing with it the vessels crew. Ford’s response was swift and decisive and resulted in the release of the crew and helped to show the U.S. and the world that our military still had “muscle” after the loss in Vietnam. Next, Kalb made remarks regarding President Ronald Reagan’s time in office and battle with the shadow of Vietnam. Kalb described Reagan as a superb politician and great patriot, forever projecting the image of the United States as a great power. In researching for his book, Kalb read many of Reagan’s personal letters. He quickly found a common theme expressed in them. Reagan fervently believed that the loss in Vietnam had a terrible impact on the Presidency and the American People. He believed that the Vietnam War robbed the Presidency of a degree of its power, and that never again would a President reacquire that kind of power. In October 1983 with the bombing of Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, leaving 241 Marines dead, Reagan would be tested. Reagan, provided detailed intelligence of who carried out the bombing, and their exact locations which allowed for “direct target bombing” pulled back. Worried about the American people being “spooked” by Vietnam and the prospect of another war where there was no real contour, he did not retaliate as he could have. Three months later, with the victory in the war with Grenada as cover, all forces were pulled from Lebanon. In hindsight, a terrible price was paid for that decision. It put the idea into the terrorist that if you bloody Americans, they will withdrawal. Something Kalb pointed out, is all to evident in the atrocities we see today. Kalb credited George H.W. Bush as having had the most professional grasp on the use of American power. Kalb pointed out that Bush’s experiences before taking office and surrounding himself with a superb team of people allowed for him to understand American Military might. Bush’s battle with the Vietnam shadow was seen during the war in Iraq. Knowing there was no question that if he sent in troops to beat back the Iraqi Military from Kuwait, Bush struggled with numerous questions; “Should I? How many troops? For what length of time?”. Bush, h

• published: 28 Jun 2012
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