Comments by "" (@TheDavidlloydjones) on "Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam" video.

  1. Famous sub rosa story in Washington. When Ed Applewhite was a comptroller of the CIA in the mid-sixties, his main job was giving MacNamara his daily briefing on "the numbers" that MacNamara had thought from his Ford days were the foundation for everything. At one point Ed famously asked "Sir, may I make a personal comment?" "Hunh, Yunh? Gmph" or equivalent puzzled assent from Macnamara. "Well, sir, I don't think those numbers mean what they seem to mean." That was Ed's last day of briefing Macnamara. (Applewhite went on to other, distinguished, careers of service, on some occasions displaying extreme personal bravery. A magnificent man, and a good friend. Serving his country well, even in retirement, right up to 2004, the last time I saw him.)
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