0 - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
Volur.e III of this study, entitled US Foreign Policy and Vietnam,
1945-1975, provides the reader an in-depth assessment of tho US involvement
in Vietnam through an examination of the global context in which that
involvement occurred, the major historical precedents influencing US
involvement and the US national-level policy process which shaped that
involvement. Volume IV, entitled US Domestic Factors Influencing Vietnam
War Policy Making, explores the US domestic scene, including its political
and economic components, the role of the media during the conflict, and the
extent of domestic support for the government's policies toward the war.
In addition, Chapter 1 of this Volume provides a comparison of the
objectives and strategies between the US and its allies and those of the
North Vietnamese and their allies, The information developed in the foregoing
will serve as the basis for the analysis of US policy developed
herein.
This chapter will examine the effectiveness of US foreign policy in
providing support for US objectives in Vietnam. In so doing, a phased
assessment in the following major periods will be developed:
Phase 1: 1945 to 1961
This phase was marked by the return of France to Indochina, the
establishment of a Vietnam state under Bao Dai with a constitution, US
provision of military assistance to Vietnam with the establishment of a
MAAG, the Geneva Conference, the consolidation of the Diem "miracle" regime
and national elections, growing internal dissidence and guerrilla activity.
Phase 2: 1961 to 1965
The impact of the Kennedy years and the beginning of the Johnson
Adminictration were the hallmarks of this period.
The years find the NLF
coming into being, and expansion of US military and economic support.
The advisory effort to Diem is rapidly built up, coup attempts become
frequent, Diem is assassinated and revolving door governments become a
characteristic.
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