I am a new guy here at PPRuNe, and the conversation here on this thread is high quality indeed!
I did my time in SEA 70 and 71, and Hugh Thompson CWO of My Lai fame was a personal hero, a brave and principled man.
As for these new Afghanistan Papers, they demonstrate at least 2 things--Americans learned precious little from the Pentagon Papers, and the government still lies as it pleases. The more things change, the more they remain the same.