Description
Book SynopsisRetracing the steps that brought the United States into the Vietnam conflict and evaluating them in terms of conditions at the time and the information then available to policymakers, this book provides an overview of the U.S. experience in Vietnam and a discussion of whether there were feasible alternatives to the containment strategy that was pursued.
Trade Review"This is an important book on the growth of U.S. involvement in Vietnam from World War II through the Johnson administration's escalation decisions in mid 1965. . . . What makes this book particularly important . . . is his discussion of the thinking in Hanoi. . . . A sound book, one that deserves an important place in the large and growing body of literature on the Vietnam War." --
The Historian"Duiker, a former foreign service officer in Saigon in the mid-1960s, is one of the most judicious, tempered, and respected scholars on Vietnam. His six previous books have established his authority, and this is his crowning achievement. . . . The fine narrative and careful, insightful assessments make this book the new standard source for both scholar and novice student alike." --
ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. First encounters 2. The restoration of French sovereignty 3. Years of indecision 4. Indochina enters the Cold War 5. The road to Geneva 6. The end of the beginning 7. Experiment in nation building 8. Kennedy and counterinsurgency 9. Into the quagmire 10. The limits of containment Notes Bibliography Index.
