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5 Army Hist. 1 (1984)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0005 and id is 1 raw text is: The ARMY HISTORIAN A PUBLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY Number 5 Washington, D.C Fal 1984 Center Symposium The Second Indochina War Ihis November's symposium on the Second Indochina War, held at Airlie House near War- renton, Virginia, is a new departure for the Center of Military History. Aware that its Viet- nam book-publishing series is the largest project of its kind in the country, the Center has arranged o upplement the series by bringing together what is hoped will be the most significant smblage to date of both private and public researchers of the war. The spirit animaing the meeting is one of inquiry in which scholars can reexamine and reinterpret the major i ties of the con flict. Specifically, participants consider how and why the United States became involved in Vietnam, how the United States and its alhles fought the war, and the immediate effects of the war on the United States Arnl and on American foreign policy. the question of how and why the United States got involved in Vietnam is one that still excites and divides scholars. Existing interpretations of the genesis of this involvement extend fron the broadest to the most narrow, proposing causes that range from the more remote to oth most proximate. In the first category, explanations see American involvement as the product of real- politik as expressed in the policy of contain- ment, and as the inevitable result of the posses- sian of immense power by the United States. More immediate causal theories emphasize the imperatives of domestic politics the inherent tendency of decision makers to place excessive faith in the efficacy of power, America's mis- perception of Vietnam as another western nation, and her misunderstanding of the motives of the Vietnamese. All of these views and others, in- dividually and in cmbination, figure ito the presentations and discussions. Widely divergent opinions also persist over the military strategy pursued in Vietnam. These, too, are explored. One major issue speaks to the general nature of the war, questioning whether it was indeed the insurgency the United Siates assumed it was at the time, or whether North Vietnam planned a conventional war, using the southern guerrillas merely as a diversion, A fur- ther set of issues addresses the manner in which allied forces were employed. Some argue that allied military power was misused to signal our desires for negotiation, rather than as an Instru- mert for defeating the enemy. Restrctions n the use of military power figure prominently in these arguments. Others, particularly among those who fought the war, point to an absence of clear political objectives that rendered futile the efforts to devise an effective strategy. Further, many questions remain converning Vietnamization: the senousness with which American decision makers viewed it, the possibhlity of its suce ss, and the reasonableness of expecting the South Vict- nanese to shoulder such a burden successfully. There even remains disagreement as to whether or not it actually did work. Finally, there is the overarching quest on of what went wrong (or, in- deed, whether anything went wrong). One school of thought highlight the series of blunders pur- ported to have spelled defeat for the anticom- A'trPIt4w }llo iat, 8tlte I j , t( .Fr + ri,5:4r.

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