@perigee @ailbhe That is absolutely not the intention here, and I do feel a misreading.

If anything it's the opposite. To highlight just how entrenched that idea was, how incorrect and the disastrous consequences of that.

In terms of 'white saviour'. The documented proof is that Thompson's actions were the ones that brought what was happening to an end. That this was true, and the enormous cost to him of doing so, shows again how horrific US imperialism had become.

@perigee @ailbhe ultimately, the implicit assumption that the US presence in Vietnam was just is precisely the excuse everyone else present was using for themselves, and continue to use to this day.

Indeed it's notable that Thompson remains a figure the US Army teaches about internally, but largely fails to in any way acknowledge publicly. Because doing so would require highlighting their complicity and that of individuals who are now senior there or in politics.

@annietime When the Army reluctantly agreed to investigate My Lai, Powell was one of the investigators.

The report - unsurprisingly - was largely a whitewash, which went with the classic 'a few bad apples' narrative.

In Powell's words:

“although there may be isolated cases of mistreatment of civilians and POWs, this by no means reflects the general attitude throughout the division.”