'Peace, as well as war, can be won'

WHILE there was much on the mind of President Lyndon Baines Johnson when he landed at Subang Airport on Oct 30, 1966, checking the rise of communism, especially in South-East Asia, would have figured largely among his concerns.

Johnson, the 36th president (1963-1969) of the United States, was a believer in the “domino theory”, which postulates that if the communists of North Vietnam were allowed to conquer its southern counterpart with no resistance given, it would not be long before the rest (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and all the way down to Malaya) turned Red as well.