Study Guide on Gillon, pp. 204-209

America and Vietnam, 1965-1968

• What was General Westmoreland’s main military strategy?
• What was North Vietnam’s (Hanoi’s) strategy?
• What was America’s political strategy (to win “hearts and minds”)? Was it effective?
• How does Gillon (and McNamara) explain America’s failure in Vietnam?
• Who made up the majority of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam?
• What hardships did U.S. combat soldiers face?
• What was the “primary measure of success” for combat?
• What happened at the village of My Lai?
• Explain the deterioration of U.S. troops by the end of the 60s.
• What is Gillon’s interpretation of Johnson’s decisions related to the war and the U.S. public?