0 - The Black Vault

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THE BDM CORPORATION
non-communist, Third World nation or superpower. The dictates of domestic
and international politics, however,
impinge upon both the formulation and
ultimate effectiveness of national strategy. A nation may pursue two
objectives simultaneously whirh, in reality, are contradictory or work at
cross-purposes, Likewise, a strategy devised by a nation for the attainment
of a specific objective may
fact, become, more elusive.
,,use the desired goal to appea-, or, in
The powers involved in the Vietnam conflict were often confronted with
problems such as these. This chapter provides a brief review uf each
participant's respective objectives and strategies during Cie period 1960-
1975. These parameters are chosen because problems such as these are the
most readily apparent during this timeframe.
The major portion of tfe
discussion will focus on a number of the contradictions inherent in the
participants' stated objectives and strategies, on the deficiencies or
merits of strategies designed by the participant to meet their objectives
(primary focus will be placed on the US), on the incompatibilities of
objectives and strategies pursued by assumed allies, and on the perceptions
and misoerceptions that the powers involved had of both enemy and allied
powers.
B. A REVTEW OF DRV, NLF (PRP & PRG), USSR, AND PRC OBJECTIVES AND
STRATEGIES
Detailed analytic discussions of each participant's national objectives
and strategies in the Vietnam War appear in other chapters of this
eight-volume study.3/ Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion, only
a brief review of these concerns will be included here.
1. The Objectives and Strategies of the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam (DRV) in Review
One of the most salient features of the Hanoi regime was its
capacity to integrate and coordinate its political and military strategies
during most, if not all, of the time period under consideration. Moreover,
with respect to its military strategy, Hanoi
appreciated the merits of
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