The amount is insignificant even by Third World standards, let alone Washington's. The purpose, to buy artificial limbs for disabled war veterans, is unexceptionable. Only one thing made the donation noteworthy: the recipient. The $1 million happens to be the first U.S. aid extended to Vietnam since the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Earlier in April, the two countries agreed to open a temporary office in Hanoi to investigate what happened to American military personnel unaccounted for since the war; the $1 million is intended in part to speed up that effort. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Solomon cautioned that the...
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