America In Vietnam Paperback by William Appleman Williams

Product Details

• Publisher: WW Norton (1988-10-04)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 0 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780393305555
• Item Weight: 292.57 grams
• Dimensions: 0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0 cm

This collection of essays and documents, written and compiled by four distinguished historians, is an essential source book for anyone seeking to understand the causes, character, and consequences of American involvement in Vietnam.

Through a wide variety of documents—including newly opened presidential papers, congressional debates, military reports, treaties, and newspaper articles—the authors trace the origins of the war back to pre–World War II attitudes and then proceed through the development of the "domino theory" and the policies of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon to the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.

Each of the editors has written an introductory essay to place the documents in heir historical context. These essays explore the controversial questions raised by Vietnam—such as whether each president understood what he was getting into, whether (as some now charge) the media and public opinion undermined America's ability to win the war, whether official statements were intended to mislead the American people, and, most fundamentally, why America was in Vietnam.

About the Author

A former president of the Organization of American Historians, William Appleman Williams taught for many years at the University of Wisconsin and Oregon State University. His books include The Contours of American History, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, and Empire as a Way of Life.

Lloyd C. Gardner is the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University.

Walter LaFeber (1933—2021) was professor of history at Cornell University and the author of The Clash, winner of the 1998 Bancroft Prize, and Inevitable Revolutions.