In Good Faith: A History of the Vietnam War, Volume 1, 1945 - 1965

In Good Faith: A History of the Vietnam War, Volume 1, 1945 - 1965 by Sergio Miller

American involvement in Vietnam was more a matter of unfolding accident than deliberate strategy. Washington was first drawn in to support France in its postwar bid to reestablish French Indochina as a bulwark against communism. But with the growth of nationalist sentiment in the region, the U.S. began to favor self-determination. When the French withdrew in 1954, America found itself committed to supporting the South Vietnamese regime against the growing threat of the communist North.

Determined to ensure that Hanoi's communist government led by Ho Chi Minh would not expand beyond the 17th parallel, America uneasily propped up the brutal and corrupt regime of Ngo Dinh Diem and accommodated subsequent political coups in South Vietnam. This support was initially limited to aid and the deployment of military advisors to help keep the communist Viet Cong at bay, but gradually escalated as the conflict deepened.

Deftly explaining the complex political situation, Sergio Miller analyzes how U.S. presidents and their advisors sought to avoid committing to a full war in Vietnam: how John F. Kennedy balked at the withdrawal of support but was adamant the war should remain South Vietnam's responsibility; and how the infamous Gulf of Tonkin incident provoked Lyndon B. Johnson to authorize U.S. air strikes against the North in 1964, opening the door to an expanding American war.

Osprey Publishing, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2020