United States War Crimes:
During the Vietnam War about 2 million Vietnamese people were killed. Considering that the Vietnamese as a whole only had 19 million people in total, this was a large death toll. On top of that, millions more were wounded or left penniless. This was due in part to the American's new war strategy of "kill anything that moves". Because of this, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians of all ages were slaughtered. These murders were known by the Defense Secretary, but all reports were hidden away from the public's view. For example,the My Lai Massacre left 400 Vietnamese people dead. The U.S. military knew about it, however, did nothing to prevent or stop it from occurring.
During the Vietnam War about 2 million Vietnamese people were killed. Considering that the Vietnamese as a whole only had 19 million people in total, this was a large death toll. On top of that, millions more were wounded or left penniless. This was due in part to the American's new war strategy of "kill anything that moves". Because of this, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians of all ages were slaughtered. These murders were known by the Defense Secretary, but all reports were hidden away from the public's view. For example,the My Lai Massacre left 400 Vietnamese people dead. The U.S. military knew about it, however, did nothing to prevent or stop it from occurring.
Vietnamese War Crimes:
While most war crimes and unauthorized murders were committed by U.S. soldiers, the North Vietnamese did some controversial things as well. For example, they held U.S. soldiers in POW camps. While in these camps soldiers could expect to be beaten, threatened, and tortured, on a day to day basis. While considered legal by the North Vietnamese, the treatment of American POW's in North Vietnam was a war crime in the eyes of the U.S. and in the eyes of the American people.
While most war crimes and unauthorized murders were committed by U.S. soldiers, the North Vietnamese did some controversial things as well. For example, they held U.S. soldiers in POW camps. While in these camps soldiers could expect to be beaten, threatened, and tortured, on a day to day basis. While considered legal by the North Vietnamese, the treatment of American POW's in North Vietnam was a war crime in the eyes of the U.S. and in the eyes of the American people.