The burning of Ben Tre: in a firefight against Viet Cong guerillas, United states Armed Forces (private mercenaries) set fire to the capital city of the namesake Mekong Delta province.  Peter Arnett, a war correspondent, for the Associated Press, reports the quote of an alleged unnamed officer as saying, “[I]t became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”

       NOTE: More than four decades later, Arnett had yet to identify who actually made the statement.  It is doubted by many that anyone said it at all.

       [restored 10/21/2022]