GR & oil

[Terrance]

Doug Millison wrote:


> 
> Oil was an important element in the Vietnam War, too
> -- access to oil in that part of the world --  during
> the time that Pynchon was writing GR.  I think it's
> pretty clear that GR refers to the post-WWII period
> and to specifically to the Vietnam war.


Oil was important in the Vietnam war. 
I agree. 

You think it is clear P refers to Vietnam in GR. 
I agree. 



But how and where does P link them. Implicitly (which is what I guess
you would argue, since I have asked repeatedly for a single quote from
the text to support this claim and you have not provided one)  or
explicitly in the text. 



In September 1940 Japanese troops occupied Indochina, but the French
continued their colonial administration. When Japan's moved into the
southern part of Vietnam in July 1941, the  U.S. and Great Britain
reacted with an oil boycott.  This resulting oil shortage, in part,
motivated Japan's attack on the U.S.A. 

 P mentions the OSS in GR. Of course, the OSS went into Vietnam in
1944-45. We know that P had Vietnam on his mind, not that he did not
have W.W.II on his mind and his desk when he wrote GR, because we have
his letter, wherein he complains about the "Christian" control of
Vietnam. This complaint is explicitly referenced , as I have argued
here, in the novel V., a novel that takes up the Suez Crisis, but also
Vietnam, the peace movement etc. at Berkeley. That P will include
current events, very current events, in his novels is clear. Much of
this information, we know, he takes from the newspapers and popular
magazines, more scholarly sources not being available. 

For example, on June 16, 1963, a Buddhist monk immolated himself in
Saigon and  Buddhist demonstrations occurred from May through August of
that year. Pynchon published V. in 1963 and he includes this event in
the novel. 

So, what does P include in GR that would support the claim that P has
linked oil and Vietnam to W.W.II? And is it possible, that P slips the
"4th oil crisis" (1973)  into GR? 

I realize that you may not have the time to dig this out of the book,
but I suspect that you must have something in mind here. Let us know....

BTW, a double shot of the Pauls, Paul M. and Paul N., and WOW!