David L. Anderson is professor of history emeritus at California State University, Monterey Bay, and past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. His books include Trapped by Success: The Eisenhower Administration and Vietnam and The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War.

[A] brilliantly edited anthology featuring a wide variety of essays by the finest experts in the field... Essential. Choice An accessible and coherent account of the war's course, from before the United States' involvement to the North's eventual victory. -- Lawrence D. Freedman Foreign Affairs Essential reading. Masterfully written by the most prominent authorities on the Vietnam War. -- Shelton Woods Journal of World History A timely book with contemporary relevance, published at a time when America's experience in Vietnam continues to figure prominently in discussions about strategy and defense... Highly recommended. -- James H. Willbanks Parameters The major attraction of this volume is its winning combination of accessibility, authority, and intellectual depth. The editor should be congratulated for assembling a collection that should appeal across a wide spectrum of readers, from advanced college students to those with more expert knowledge on the war, who are looking for fresh insight or a cogent summary of an extensive literature. -- Matthew Jones Journal of American History David Anderson and Columbia University Press have published an important addition to Vietnam War literature. It is strongly recommended for all scholars and students of the Vietnam War and should be included in all academic libraries with an interest in this area. -- Peter Bush The Journal of Military History [An] invaluable study. The Scotsman With its sterling lineup of scholars, The Columbia History provides keen insights into the history of the war in Vietnam that are accessible to a broad readership and informative we grapple with current wars. -- R.V. Lee Vietnam The invaluable Columbia History of the Vietnam War offers cautionary lessons even as our nation fights three wars and continues planning for and spending enormous amounts for our inevitable future wars. -- Murray Polner History News Network

• Preface Abbreviations Introduction: The Vietnam War and Its Enduring Historical Relevance David L. Anderson Part I. Chronological Perspectives 1. Setting the Stage: Vietnamese Revolutionary Nationalism and the First Vietnam War, by Mark Philip Bradley 2. "Dealing with a Government of Madmen": Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Ngo Dinh Diem, by Richard H. Immerman 3. South Vietnam Under Siege, 1961-1965: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Question of Escalation or Disengagement, by Gary R. Hess 4. Lyndon Johnson and the Bombing of Vietnam: Politics and Military Choices, by Lloyd C. Gardner 5. Turning Point: The Vietnam War's Pivotal Year, November 1967-November 1968, by Robert J. McMahon 6. Richard M. Nixon and the Vietnam War: The Paradox of Disengagement with Escalation, by Jeffrey P. Kimball Part II. Topical Perspectives 7. American Strategy in the Vietnam War, by John Prados 8. The Village War in Vietnam, 1965-1973, by Eric Bergerud 9. Fighting for Family: Vietnamese Women and the American War, by Helen E. Anderson 10. Vietnamese Society at War, by Robert K. Brigham 11. "Hey, Hey, LBJ!": American Domestic Politics and the Vietnam War, by Melvin Small 12. Cambodia and Laos in the Vietnam War, by Kenton Clymer Part III. Postwar Perspectives 13. The Legacy of the Vietnam War, by Robert D. Schulzinger 14. The Vietnam Syndrome, by George C. Herring List of Contributors Index

David L. Anderson is professor of history emeritus at California State University, Monterey Bay, and past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. His books include Trapped by Success: The Eisenhower Administration and Vietnam and The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War.

[A] brilliantly edited anthology featuring a wide variety of essays by the finest experts in the field... Essential. Choice An accessible and coherent account of the war's course, from before the United States' involvement to the North's eventual victory. -- Lawrence D. Freedman Foreign Affairs Essential reading. Masterfully written by the most prominent authorities on the Vietnam War. -- Shelton Woods Journal of World History A timely book with contemporary relevance, published at a time when America's experience in Vietnam continues to figure prominently in discussions about strategy and defense... Highly recommended. -- James H. Willbanks Parameters The major attraction of this volume is its winning combination of accessibility, authority, and intellectual depth. The editor should be congratulated for assembling a collection that should appeal across a wide spectrum of readers, from advanced college students to those with more expert knowledge on the war, who are looking for fresh insight or a cogent summary of an extensive literature. -- Matthew Jones Journal of American History David Anderson and Columbia University Press have published an important addition to Vietnam War literature. It is strongly recommended for all scholars and students of the Vietnam War and should be included in all academic libraries with an interest in this area. -- Peter Bush The Journal of Military History [An] invaluable study. The Scotsman With its sterling lineup of scholars, The Columbia History provides keen insights into the history of the war in Vietnam that are accessible to a broad readership and informative we grapple with current wars. -- R.V. Lee Vietnam The invaluable Columbia History of the Vietnam War offers cautionary lessons even as our nation fights three wars and continues planning for and spending enormous amounts for our inevitable future wars. -- Murray Polner History News Network

• Preface Abbreviations Introduction: The Vietnam War and Its Enduring Historical Relevance David L. Anderson Part I. Chronological Perspectives 1. Setting the Stage: Vietnamese Revolutionary Nationalism and the First Vietnam War, by Mark Philip Bradley 2. "Dealing with a Government of Madmen": Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Ngo Dinh Diem, by Richard H. Immerman 3. South Vietnam Under Siege, 1961-1965: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Question of Escalation or Disengagement, by Gary R. Hess 4. Lyndon Johnson and the Bombing of Vietnam: Politics and Military Choices, by Lloyd C. Gardner 5. Turning Point: The Vietnam War's Pivotal Year, November 1967-November 1968, by Robert J. McMahon 6. Richard M. Nixon and the Vietnam War: The Paradox of Disengagement with Escalation, by Jeffrey P. Kimball Part II. Topical Perspectives 7. American Strategy in the Vietnam War, by John Prados 8. The Village War in Vietnam, 1965-1973, by Eric Bergerud 9. Fighting for Family: Vietnamese Women and the American War, by Helen E. Anderson 10. Vietnamese Society at War, by Robert K. Brigham 11. "Hey, Hey, LBJ!": American Domestic Politics and the Vietnam War, by Melvin Small 12. Cambodia and Laos in the Vietnam War, by Kenton Clymer Part III. Postwar Perspectives 13. The Legacy of the Vietnam War, by Robert D. Schulzinger 14. The Vietnam Syndrome, by George C. Herring List of Contributors Index

David L. Anderson is professor of history emeritus at California State University, Monterey Bay, and past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. His books include Trapped by Success: The Eisenhower Administration and Vietnam and The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War.

[A] brilliantly edited anthology featuring a wide variety of essays by the finest experts in the field... Essential. Choice An accessible and coherent account of the war's course, from before the United States' involvement to the North's eventual victory. -- Lawrence D. Freedman Foreign Affairs Essential reading. Masterfully written by the most prominent authorities on the Vietnam War. -- Shelton Woods Journal of World History A timely book with contemporary relevance, published at a time when America's experience in Vietnam continues to figure prominently in discussions about strategy and defense... Highly recommended. -- James H. Willbanks Parameters The major attraction of this volume is its winning combination of accessibility, authority, and intellectual depth. The editor should be congratulated for assembling a collection that should appeal across a wide spectrum of readers, from advanced college students to those with more expert knowledge on the war, who are looking for fresh insight or a cogent summary of an extensive literature. -- Matthew Jones Journal of American History David Anderson and Columbia University Press have published an important addition to Vietnam War literature. It is strongly recommended for all scholars and students of the Vietnam War and should be included in all academic libraries with an interest in this area. -- Peter Bush The Journal of Military History [An] invaluable study. The Scotsman With its sterling lineup of scholars, The Columbia History provides keen insights into the history of the war in Vietnam that are accessible to a broad readership and informative we grapple with current wars. -- R.V. Lee Vietnam The invaluable Columbia History of the Vietnam War offers cautionary lessons even as our nation fights three wars and continues planning for and spending enormous amounts for our inevitable future wars. -- Murray Polner History News Network

• Preface Abbreviations Introduction: The Vietnam War and Its Enduring Historical Relevance David L. Anderson Part I. Chronological Perspectives 1. Setting the Stage: Vietnamese Revolutionary Nationalism and the First Vietnam War, by Mark Philip Bradley 2. "Dealing with a Government of Madmen": Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Ngo Dinh Diem, by Richard H. Immerman 3. South Vietnam Under Siege, 1961-1965: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Question of Escalation or Disengagement, by Gary R. Hess 4. Lyndon Johnson and the Bombing of Vietnam: Politics and Military Choices, by Lloyd C. Gardner 5. Turning Point: The Vietnam War's Pivotal Year, November 1967-November 1968, by Robert J. McMahon 6. Richard M. Nixon and the Vietnam War: The Paradox of Disengagement with Escalation, by Jeffrey P. Kimball Part II. Topical Perspectives 7. American Strategy in the Vietnam War, by John Prados 8. The Village War in Vietnam, 1965-1973, by Eric Bergerud 9. Fighting for Family: Vietnamese Women and the American War, by Helen E. Anderson 10. Vietnamese Society at War, by Robert K. Brigham 11. "Hey, Hey, LBJ!": American Domestic Politics and the Vietnam War, by Melvin Small 12. Cambodia and Laos in the Vietnam War, by Kenton Clymer Part III. Postwar Perspectives 13. The Legacy of the Vietnam War, by Robert D. Schulzinger 14. The Vietnam Syndrome, by George C. Herring List of Contributors Index