THE VIETNAM WAR OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS®
David L. Bender, Publisher Bruno Leone, Executive Editor
William Dudley, Series Editor John C. Chalberg, Ph.D., professor of history, Normandale Community College, Consulting Editor
William Dudley, Book Editor
Greenhaven Press, Inc. San Diego, California Contents
Foreword 9 Map: Indochina During the Vietnam War 14 Introduction 15 Chapter 1: Early Decisions Chapter Preface 24 1. The United States Should Support an Independent Vietnam 26 HoChiMinh 2. The United States Cannot Support an Independent Vietnam Led by Communists 30 U.S. State Department 3. America Should Consider Direct Military Intervention in Indochina 36 John Foster Dulles 4. America Should Be Cautious About Direct Military Intervention in Indochina 41 John F. Kennedy Chapter 2: America Commits to South Vietnam Chapter Preface 48 1. American Aid Has Helped Create a Stable Government in South Vietnam 51 William Henderson 2. American Aid Has Not Created a Stable Government in South Vietnam 62 David Hotham 3. The United States Should Increase Its Military Commitment to South Vietnam 71 Dean Rusk and Robert S. McNamara 4. The United States Should Try to Minimize Its Military Commitment to South Vietnam 76 Mike Mansfield 5. South Vietnamese Forces Are Making Significant Progress 81 Time 6. South Vietnamese Forces Are Not Making Significant Progress 85 Sol W. Sanders Chapter 3: The Johnson Years Chapter Preface 95 1. America Is Fighting for a Just Cause in Vietnam 98 Lyndon B. Johnson 2. America Is Not Fighting for a Just Cause in Vietnam 104 Vietnam Day Committee 3. America Must Send More Troops to Vietnam 110 Robert S. McNamara 4. America Must Not Send More Troops to Vietnam 117 George Ball 5. The United States Is Winning the War in Vietnam 123 William C. Westmoreland 6. The United States Cannot Win the War in Vietnam 131 Robert F. Kennedy
Chapter 4: Vietnamization and Withdrawal Chapter Preface 138 1. Vietnamization Provides America a Way Out of Vietnam 141 Richard M. Nixon 2. Vietnamization Is a Cruel Hoax 151 George S. McGovern 3. Sending American Troops to Cambodia Is Necessary 156 Richard M. Nixon 4. Sending American Troops to Cambodia Is Immoral 162 Commonweal 5. The Christmas Bombing of Hanoi Was Indefensible 167 Anthony Lewis 6. The Christmas Bombing of Hanoi Was Justified 171 Henry A. Kissinger Chapter 5: Protesters and Soldiers Chapter Preface 177 1. Burning One's Draft Card Is a Cowardly and Despicable Act 180 William G. Bray 2. Burning One's Draft Card Is a Courageous and Moral Act 185 Martin Jezer 3. The Antiwar Movement Should Seek Radical Change in America 192 Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 4. The Antiwar Movement Should Seek to Influence Mainstream America 197 Sam Brown 5. A General Amnesty Should Be Granted to Draft Evaders . 204 John M. Swomley Jr. 6. A General Amnesty Should Not Be Granted to Draft Evaders 213 John H. Geiger 7. A Veteran Calls for Immediate Withdrawal 221 John Kerry 8. A Veteran Opposes Immediate Withdrawal 228 Melville L. Stephens Chapter 6: A Debate over the Media's Role in Vietnam Chapter Preface 235 1. Media Coverage Was a Significant Cause of the U.S. Defeat in Vietnam 238 Robert Elegant 2. Media Coverage Did Not Cause the U.S. Defeat in Vietnam 247 George Moss Glossary 253 For Discussion 256 Chronology 259 Annotated Bibliography 269 Index 281