Overview

Written to complement The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy series, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the War in Vietnam focuses upon the activities of the Joint Chiefs that were concerned with events in Vietnam. Two prior volumes dealt with Indochina and the prelude to Vietnam. The nature of the activities of the JCS and the sensitivity of the sources used caused the volume to originally be written as a classified document. This volume describes those JCS activities related to developments in Vietnam during the period 1960-1963. At times, the role of the Joint Chiefs may appear to be submerged in the description of foreign relations, politics, economics, and other areas having little to do with military matters. However, developments in these areas provide essential background for understanding the military activity of the 1960s. 1. Vietnam and the Eisenhower Administration: The View from Washington and Vietnam * 2. The Kennedy Administration and Crisis Management: Vietnam and Laos, January-March 1961 * 3. Continuing Crises: Laos and Vietnam, March-May 1961 * 4. A New Emphasis on Vietnam * 5. Continuing Reassessment and the Taylor Mission * 6. From MAAG to MACV * 7. A New Beginning * 8. The Continuing War in Vietnam and the Laotian Interlude * 9. The Ongoing War * 10. Uncertain Progress, October 1962-March 1963 * 11. From Laotian Crisis to Buddhist Revolt * 12. From Crisis to Crisis, June-August 1963 * 13. The Aftermath * 14. Conclusion 1. Vietnam and the Eisenhower Administration: The View from Washington and Vietnam * Prelude * Policy Formulation in the Eisenhower Administration * Vietnam Policy in the Eisenhower Administration * The Beginnings of a New War * Some Divergences * Another Look at Counterinsurgency * The Failed Coup * The End of the Year and the Beginning of the New * 2. The Kennedy Administration and Crisis Management: Vietnam and Laos, January-March 1961 * A New Administration * The Lansdale Report and the Counterinsurgency Plan * Civilian and Military Tensions * The Eisenhower Laotian Heritage * The Initial Kennedy Laotian Policy, January-February 1961 * Growing Crisis in Laos, February-March, 1961 * Vietnam Again, February-March 1961 * 3. Continuing Crises: Laos and Vietnam, March-May 1961 * The Trapnell Report on Laos and Status of Contingency Planning, March 1961 * Diplomatic Attempts to Resolve the Laotian Crisis * SEATO Contingency Planning, April 1961 * To Talk or to Fight, April 1961 * The Struggle against the Viet Cong, March-April 1961 * The Bay of Pigs Episode, April 1961 * Once More Laos * Temporary Denouement of the Laotian Situation * 4. A New Emphasis on Vietnam * The Vietnam Task Force * The Vice President's Trip to Vietnam * Implementation of the New Plan, May-August 1961 * 5. Continuing Reassessment and the Taylor Mission * The Communists Renew the Offensive * On-Going Contingency Planning and President Diem's Increasing Demands * The NSC Meeting of 11 October and the Decision to Send General Taylor to Vietnam * Newspaper Speculation about the Taylor Trip * The Taylor Mission * The Taylor Recommendations * The Presidential Decision * 6. From MAAG to MACV * A Reluctant Partnership * Secretary McNamara and the Buildup * Defoliation * International Public Opinion * Laos * The Thanksgiving Massacre * Proposed Changes in the US Military Organization in Vietnam * The Situation in Vietnam * December Honolulu Conference * Continuing Discussions about Vietnam Command Structure * New Initiatives, January-8 February 1962 * 7. A New Beginning * Hopes and Doubts * Resistance on the Home Front * The February Honolulu Conference * The New Command * The Attack on the Palace * The March Honolulu Conference * Operation SUNRISE * Continuing Deployments and the Arrival of Marine Helicopters * The Washington Scene * War Clouds Loom over Laos * 8. The Continuing War in Vietnam and the Laotian Interlude

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