Final answer:
It is false that Paul Potter defended the goal of freeing Vietnam from Communism. Potter was critical of the Vietnam War and the American military intervention. The complexities of the war challenge the notion that it was solely about protecting Vietnam from Communism.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is false that in his writing on the war in Vietnam, Paul Potter defends the goal of freeing the people of Vietnam from the threat of Communism. Paul Potter was an activist and president of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and he was known for his opposition to the Vietnam War. The information provided describes a complex scenario where the war's original goal, according to American officials, was to maintain America's credibility and fight against Communism. However, the conflict changed as it progressed, with debates about military strategies, the validity of information provided to the public, and the morale and political perspective of the Vietnamese people.
The Vietnamese Communists (VC), or Viet Cong, believed that the Vietnamese people would rally to their cause against the United States and the South Vietnamese government, although this support did not fully materialize as many South Vietnamese simply desired an end to the war. These dynamics, along with the revelations of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed misleading information from military and government officials, further complicated the American objective in Vietnam.