Vietnam: It became necessary to destroy the town to save it

village in Vietnam after U.S. attack

Despite some controversy about the origins of this quote, it was published by the New York Times, in an article by veteran journalist, Peter Arnett, and became emblematic of the futility of the entire Vietnam conflict.

Arnett wrote the following in one of his most iconic dispatches, published on 7 February 1968, about the provincial capital Bến Tre: "'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today. He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties, to rout the Vietcong."

Sources:

"Major Describes Move". The New York Times. 8 February 1968.

Wikipedia

Vietnam War, Schools Wikipedia Section, McGill Univ

Aphelis, Controversy over quote