ABSTRACT
The attempt to control the production and use of unnecessarily cruel weapons is another form of recognition of the inhumanity in warfare. This chapter explores the modern regulation of unnecessarily cruel weapons and briefly describes their use during the Vietnam conflict. The views of the Vietnam Generation are then presented regarding the cruelty of specified weapons, the conditions under which they can be used, and the respondents' personal exposure to their use. The Vietnam War intensified the concern about unnecessarily cruel weapons and accelerated the work being done in this area, not only at the United Nations, but also in specialized conferences. The issue of firepower was central to the Vietnam War controversy. Some veterans felt that the enemy was using unnecessarily cruel weapons against the American forces, while the United States was respecting the laws of warfare. Some Vietnam veterans justified the use of these weapons and argued in support of minimal or no restrictions on their use.
