It may not have made a difference but showing the brutality of the Maoist and communist regimes might have clarified our mission. As it were, the leftist press were allowed to only shown one side of the issue and promote the antiwar agenda. Maybe not fake news but only half of the story — the half that they favored.
My how times have changed — this would not happen today; in the age of the Internet. Most of us are much more aware of things now than ever before. Makes it harder for the propagandists.
They work hard with the images coming out of Syria nowadays but many of us see right through it.