The Tragedy of Vietnam

by Hearden; Patrick J.

• ISBN13: 9780205744275
• ISBN10: 0205744273
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-24
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Summary

The Tragedy of Vietnamis a brief and accessible text that provides comprehensive coverage of the causes and consequences of the Vietnam War. The book provides extensive background on the Vietnam War, the relevant history of Southeast Asia and the consequences of the Vietnam conflict on the region.   Author Patrick Hearden examines the key decisions and questions surroudning the tragic American entanglement in Vietnam, providing readers with a fascinating discussion of why the United States became involved in this war and why this involvement persisted for nearly a quarter of a century. This book covers the social, economic, ideological, diplomatic and military aspects of the Vietnam War.

Author Biography

Patrick J. Hearden is the distinguished professor of diplomatic history emeritus at Purdue University. He has written extensively on American foreign policy, but he considers The Tragedy of Vietnam to be his greatest achievement in insight and synthesis on the subject. Hearden earned a Ph.D. degree in American History from the University of Wisconsin--Madison.  He has written several books on  American Foreign Relations including Roosevelt Confronts Hitler:America's Entry into World War II and Architects of Globalism: Building a New World Order during World War II.  He has also edited Vietnam: Four American Perspectives.   During his long and distinguished career, Hearden has specialized in teaching courses on American Foreign Affairs. His course on American in Vietnam was ranked as one of the ten most popular courses taught at Purdue University.

 

Table of Contents

Preface	p. x
Acronyms	p. xiii
Map of Southeast Asia	p. xiv
The French Indochina Empire	p. 1
The Emergence of Vietnam	p. 1
The Establishment of French Rule	p. 4
The Roots of Nationalism and Communism	p. 8
The Rise of the Vietminh	p. 12
Document 1-1 Jules Ferry on Colonialism and the Preservation of Capitalism	p. 17
Document 1-2 Appeal on the Founding of the Indochinese Communist Party, February 18, 1930	p. 18
Document 1-3 Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, September 2, 1945	p. 19
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 21
Study Questions	p. 21
The Dream of a Pax Americana	p. 22
Blueprints for a New World Order	p. 22
The First Indochina War	p. 26
The Crisis of World Capitalism	p. 30
The Bao Dai Regime	p. 35
Document 2-1 State Department Policy Statement on Indochina prepared on September 27, 1948	p. 39
Document 2-2 Problem Paper prepared by a Working Group in the State Department on February 1, 1950	p. 41
Document 2-3 Paper on Indochina prepared in the State Department on March 27, 1952	p. 44
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 47
Study Questions	p. 47
America's Mandarin	p. 48
The Road to Dien Bien Phu	p. 48
The Geneva Peace Settlement	p. 52
The Birth of a Client State	p. 55
The Revolt in the Rice Fields	p. 60
Document 3-1 The Final Declaration on Indochina of the Geneva Conference Promulgated on July 21, 1954	p. 65
Document 3-2 Report on the Covert Operations Conducted by the Saigon Military Mission in 1954 and 1955	p. 66
Document 3-3 John Foster Dulles, Report on Meeting with Chiefs of American Missions, March 2, 1955	p. 69
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 71
Study Questions	p. 71
The Summons of the Trumpet	p. 72
The Global Domino Theory	p. 72
The Second Indochina War	p. 75
The Growth of the Vietcong	p. 79
The Plot to Topple Diem	p. 84
Document 4-1 State Department Cable to Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., in Saigon on August 24, 1963	p. 89
Document 4-2 Ambassador Lodge Cable to the State Department on Octobers, 1963	p. 90
Document 4-3 National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy Cable to Ambassador Lodge on October 30, 1963	p. 91
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 92
Study Questions	p. 92
The Master of Deceit	p. 93
Political Disorder in South Vietnam	p. 93
The Gulf of Tonkin Affair	p. 98
The Rhetoric of Restraint	p. 101
The Decision to Bomb North Vietnam	p. 106
Document 5-1 The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, August 7, 1964	p. 112
Document 5-2 Discussion on When to Begin Bombing North Vietnam, September8, 1964	p. 113
Document 5-3 Memorandum from McGeorge Bundy to President Lyndon Johnson, February 7, 1965	p. 114
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 118
Study Questions	p. 118
The Escalating Military Stalemate	p. 119
The Dispatch of American Ground Troops	p. 119
The Protracted War of Attrition	p. 124
The American Antiwar Movement	p. 129
The Tet Offensive	p. 133
Document 6-1 Memorandum on Combat Troops in South Vietnam, July 1, 1965	p. 138
Document 6-2 Notes for a Memorandum on Increasing American Troops in Vietnam, July 20, 1965	p. 139
Document 6-3 Notes from Lyndon Johnson's Meeting with Advisory Group, March 26, 1968	p. 142
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 144
Study Questions	p. 144
Withdrawal Without Victory	p. 145
The Madman Theory	p. 145
The Vietnamization Policy	p. 148
The Paris Peace Treaty	p. 152
The Fall of Saigon	p. 157
Document 7-1 Richard Nixon, Address on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969	p. 162
Document 7-2 Statement on Vietnam Peace Treaty Negotiations, October 26, 1972	p. 164
Document 7-3 Richard Nixon, Letter to Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, February 1, 1973	p. 167
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 168
Study Questions	p. 168
The War That Nobody Won	p. 169
The Ugly Aftermath of War	p. 169
The Failure of Communism in Vietnam	p. 171
The Vietnamese Turn Toward Capitalism	p. 174
The Road to Reconciliation	p. 176
Document 8-1 Report on POW/MIAs, January 13, 1993	p. 181
Document 8-2 Free Trade Agreement, July 13, 2000	p. 184
Document 8-3 Condoleezza Rice, Remarks at Asia-Pacific Economic Summit, November 18, 2006	p. 186
Chronological List of Main Events	p. 188
Study Questions	p. 188
Selected Bibliography	p. 189
Credits	p. 195
Index	p. 196
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