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“But in recent years, the withdrawal from the hysteria of the Cold War and the development of a more aggressive, activist foreign policy have done much to force many of us to rethink attitudes that were deep and basic sentiments about our country. And now the incredible war in Vietnam has provided the razor, the terrifying sharp cutting edge that has finally severed the last vestiges of our illusion that morality and democracy are the guiding principles of American foreign policy. . . .
“Not even the President can say that we are defending freedom in Vietnam. Perhaps what the President wants to say is that we are attempting to defend the freedom of the American people.”
-Source: Paul Potter, president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), “The Incredible War,” 1965
