American general

An American general was speaking, via an interpreter, to a battalion of Vietnamese troops. At one point, he told a rather long and somewhat convoluted joke. When it was the interpreter's turn to interpret, he spoke for about 4 seconds, and the audience burst into laughter, pleasing the general. A captain, along on the trip, turned to a Vietnamese officer and asked how the interpreter managed to convey the general's joke so quickly.

The Vietnamese officer replied, "The interpreter said 'The American general has just told a joke. Everyone please laugh.'"

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