From the beginnings of the Kennedy Administration to this fifth year of the Lyndon Johnson presidency, a small group, which has not undergone substantial changes, has presided over the destiny of the United States. During that period they have led the country from limited engagement in Vietnam to a full scale war that is brutal, almost impossible to win, and - to a growing body of opinion - dire and immoral. How could something like this happen? First, the US government lacked real experience and expertise on Vietnam or Indochina, among a persistent confusion as to what kind of war is being fought and, as a consequence, how to end it, yielding to the pressure for a military solution and only minimal and sporadic efforts towards a diplomatic and political one.
Keywords:
American Politics, Vietnam War, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Foreign Policy
Author Biography
James C. Thomson
Especialista en asuntos del Extremo Oriente y profesor de historia en la Universidad de Harvard
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