the Russell tribunal, are "grotesque" and "absurd," says Lewy. The Vietnamese population increased during the war; American aid substantially improved medical care and (temporarily) raised the Vietnamese standard of living. The proportion of civilians killed-45 percent of all war deaths-was no higher than in other conflicts of this century and less than some, including Korea (70 percent of all war deaths).
These "cobwebs of mythology" that contribute to the sense of...