"VindicatorOnlyof HerOwn" 2 I Irupttyrannicalregimesintheinterestsofanticommunism,theUnited
Statesactuallystrengthenedtheforces itsoughttooppose.Disgusted
by thecorruption, incompetence, andgreedofkleptocratic butpro-
Washingtondictators, manyofthe brightestand most idealistic of
therisinggenerationofthedevelopingworldweredrawntowardthe
communists-justasidealisticEuropeanshadbeendrawn,temporarily,
towardthecommunistsduringtheantifasciststrugglesofthe 1930s.
Manyoftherevolutionswewereopposing,arguedsomejeffersonian
critics,actuallydeservedtowin.Wewerebetrayingourownprofessed
commitmenttohumanrightsanddemocraticinstitutions,andsullying
ourselvesbybecomingtheaccomplices-indeed,insomecasesthetrain-
ersandenablers-ofmurderers,torturers,andthieves.
MoremoderateJeffersonianopinionwas influencedbytheseargu-
ments,butnotsofarastodissentfromtheColdWareffortcompletely.
Rather,moderatejeffersonianslookedforwaystominimizethecostof
whattheysawasa necessarystruggle(necessary,somethought,because
ofSovietintransigence;necessary,othersbelieved,becauseofthestrength
ofpro-ColdWaropinionintheUnitedStates).
Desperateforalternativestowhatwasseenas anexcessivelyrisky,
dangerous, and expensive Cold Warstrategy, jeffersonians looked
forcheaperways tocontaintheSovietUnionthana worldwidecoali-
tionfinancedandledbytheUnitedStates.Manysupporteda positive
responsetothe1950SpeacefeelersfromtheSovietUnion,proposinga
settlementonthebasisofa neutralized,permanentlydisarmedGermany.
Perhapsthemostoftenmentionedalternativestrategywastoidentify
andexploitdivisionswithintheCommunistbloc.ArguingthatMao,
HoChiMinh,andotherswere,likeTito,moreprofoundlynationalist
thantheywerepro-Soviet,jeffersoniansurgedtheearlyrecognitionof
China,andproposedthattheUnitedStatestryhardertodetachChina,
Vietnam,Romania,andothercountriesfromtheSovietUnion.Treating
thesecountrieswithunremittinghostilitywouldonlydrivethemfur-
therinto theSovietembrace,strengtheningratherthanunderminingthe
opposingbloc.
Anotherjeffersonianresponse to theColdWarwas toargue the
logicofarmscontrol.IfAmerica'sstrategicgoalwas deterrenceanda
balanceofarmaments,therewasnothingtobelostanda greatdealtobe
gained-moneysaved,military-industrialcomplexweakened,perhapsa
lessenedchancefornuclearwar-andnothingtobelostbyreachinga
strategicbalanceatthelowestpossiblelevelofarms.
Inkeepingwiththeirtraditionalideasandpriorities,jeffersonians