"This highly useful book--because of its informed, succinct narrative; wonderful series of short biographies;
knowledgeable annotations of the most important works, including films, poetry, and novels; and valuable collection
of documents--belongs on the short shelf of indispensable volumes on the Vietnam War."
--Walter LaFeber, author of America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-2002
"A concise, lucid, and carefully balanced introduction to the history of America's involvement in Vietnam.
With its clear narrative and well chosen sampling of crucial documents, and with no apparent political axes to
grind, this book will be invaluable as a basic primer for use in introductory courses on both the collegiate and
high school level."
--Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried
"An invaluable introduction to the study of one of the most searing and still controversial episodes in U.S.
history."
--George Herring, author of America's Longest War
"An outstanding ready-reference source....Anderson should be commended for compiling such an informative,
balanced, and unbiased reference source for the most contentious war in American history."
-- Booklist
Publisher Web Site, June, 2004
Summary
More than a quarter of a century after the last Marine Corps Huey left the American embassy in Saigon, the lessons
and legacies of the most divisive war in twentieth-century American history are as hotly debated as ever. Why did
successive administrations choose little-known Vietnam as the "test case" of American commitment in the
fight against communism? Why were the "best and brightest" apparently blind to the illegitimacy of the
state of South Vietnam? Would Kennedy have pulled out had he lived? And what lessons regarding American foreign
policy emerged from the war?
The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War helps readers understand this tragic and complex conflict. The book contains
both interpretive information and a wealth of facts in easy-to-find form. Part I provides a lucid narrative overview
of contested issues and interpretations in Vietnam scholarship. Part II is a mini-encyclopedia with descriptions
and analysis of individuals, events, groups, and military operations. Arranged alphabetically, this section enables
readers to look up isolated facts and specialized terms. Part III is a chronology of key events. Part IV is an
annotated guide to resources, including films, documentaries, CD-ROMs, and reliable Web sites. Part V contains
excerpts from historical documents and statistical data.
Table of Contents
Part I: Historical Narrative
1. Studying the Vietnam War
2. Vietnam: Historical Background
Roots of the Vietnamese Culture and State
The Impact of French Colonialism
The Rise of Vietnamese Nationalism
The Origins of Vietnamese Communism
3. United States: Historical Background
Idealism and Realism in U.S. Foreign Relations
The United States and the Open Door in Asia
The World Wars: The Legacies of Wilson and Munich
The Origins of the Cold War
4. The French War in Vietnam
The August Revolution
Outbreak of the Franco-Vietminh War
U.S. Support of France
Dienbienphu and the Geneva Conference
5. The Diem Years: Eisenhower
The Decision to Back Ngo Dinh Diem
The Non-election of 1956
The Illusion of Nation Building
NLF: Rise of the Southern Insurgency
6. The Diem Years: Kennedy
Counterinsurgency Warfare
The Buddhist Crisis
The Diem Assassination
What if Kennedy Had Lived?
7. The American War in Vietnam: Escalation
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Rolling Thunder
Johnson Decides on a Land War in Asia
Theories of Causation
8. The American War in Vietnam: Strategy
The Draf
Attrition Strategy and Body Count
Humpin' It: The American Soldier
The Air War
Diplomacy
The Resilient Enemy
9. The American War in Vietnam: The Limits of Power
The Tet offensive
The Antiwar Movement and the Media
Johnson's Decision to Stop Escalation
The Presidential Election of 1968
10. The American War in Vietnam: De-escalation
Vietnamization and More Bombing
Cambodia and Kent State
Negotiations and the Paris Peace Accords
DRV Victory in 1975
11. The War What Will Not Go Away
The Postwar Wars in Southeast Asia
American Vietnam Veterans
Films, Fiction, and Poetry
Postmortems
