‘Free’ Media and Vietnam

As much as I may agree with Phillip Knightley’s review of “The Uncensored War” (The Book Review, Aug. 3)--that the reporters and journalists followed the party line in reporting the motives and objectives of our government during the Vietnam fiasco--I know that there were always contrasting views available for the individual who really cared about what was happening.

The American people are lazy. Had they wished to better understand American involvement in the war, they only had to go to the library and find a whole slew of magazines and books that gave the “other side.” That’s the real irony of it all. So few people really cared to do their homework. Even when it was their sons who gave their lives, they still had blind faith in their government.

Reporters are asked to report the news and not the motives of those who make the news. That we leave to the commentators and the historians. And we have plenty of those.

BENNY WASSERMAN

La Palma, Calif.