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SIDNEY HOOK
who give away some of their money. To the outside world, however,
America' s virtue will be evident, only in proportion as its use of power
is restrained. In Vietnam the actions of the United States give about
the same impression of virtue as did those of the Soviet Union
in
Hungary in 1956. Apologists for the Soviet Union too had their own
version of what was done there, and this version was the mirror-image
of Mrs. Trilling's language: the Russians were "helping the Hungari–
ans to resist FaS'cist aggression." This was rightly regarded as loathsome
hypocrisy on the part of the Russians. On what grounds should equivalent
American language on Vietnam be regarded in any other light?
If
the
comparison is pursued, Russian policy in Hungary comes off in some
ways better than American policy in Vietnam. The Soviet Union had,
after all, not very long before, been invaded from, among other places,
Hungary and by, among other people, Hungarians. The Soviet Govern–
ment had, therefore, rather more warrant for alarm at the emergence
of a potentially hostile Government there than the American Govern–
ment has about an equivalent development in distant Vietnam. And the
comparative duration of the armed struggle in the two countries would
suggest that many Vietnamese dislike American "help" even more than
many Hungarians disliked the Soviet kind.
The only way the comparison may be turned in America's favor is
by the departure of American troops and control from Vietnam. It was
encouraging to see how many of your replies pointed in that direction.
Some of them pointed more clearly than others. In particular I liked
Tom Hayden's contribution.
Sidney Hook
1.
There are many things wrong with America. But there
are still many more things that are right. The prospect for a better
democratic society depends upon righting what is wrong with the same
intelligent and courageous spirit that inspired enormous victories in the
field of civil rights and social welfare during the last two decadeS'. These
victories although far from insuring that the long war against racial op–
pression and poverty will soon be won have nonetheless irreversible ef-
