First Assignment on Korean War as Prolog to Vietnam War

[I have put the review into HTML code on my own web page, because the original -- done before the WWW was in common use -- is a text file with some "junk" characters left over from conversion from some word processing program. Files were exchanged in this format, by FTP (file transfer protocol) routinely until the advent of the WWW and of HTML rendered FTP an Internet mode of file transfer mainly used for large graphics or program files. If you want to see the original at the original site, go to the URL at the top of the review.]

Please read the review of Prof. Bruce Cumings's book, War and Television, from the University of Texas media page. Please pay special attention to the sections in bold type, and to those in blue and in underlined type. These sections deal most specifically with

• the parallels between the Vietnam War and the Korean War;

• the documentary series "Korea: The Unknown War", of which you will see the first part (of six) in class;

• the censoring of that documentary; and

• the technique of "participant interview", used as a method of biasing or censorship.

Please write about these issues -- at least two or three of them. You may want to comment on all four. Discuss and, if you like (and I hope you do), discuss critically and take issue with the positions expressed in the review itself. We will be examining these very issues in class.

Please post your assignment on our Discussion Forum. Write about 200 words at first, and then go back and post a reply or comment on a post by another student. Our aim should be to discuss and exchange ideas.