This study examines the origins of the Vietnam War itself, going back to the nature of French colonial rule in the early 20th century. It investigates the original conflict between France, as well as the United States, and the forces of Vietnamese nationalism and communism.
It argues that it was probably a mistake for the United States to internationalize the war in 1954 and it discusses the American commitment to the war, directed as much against China as against North Vietnam and the ideological hostility to communism.
Chapter 1. Ho Chi Minh and the French: National Communism? 1920–1946
Chapter 2. Acheson and the entangling alliance: 1946–1952
Chapter 3. Dulles at the brink: 1952–1954
Chapter 4. The Ashes of Geneva: 1954
Chapter 5. Diem and the National Liberation Front: 1954–1960
Chapter 6. Kennedy’s Frontier: Wars of National Liberation: 1961–1963
Chapter 7. Johnson’s Choice: 1963–1965