Series Editors’ Preface x
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 Colonialism, Nationalism, and Communism 1
1.1 Tam Lang, I Pulled a Rickshaw (1932) 1
1.2 The Trial Testimony of Phan Boi Chau (1925) 5
1.3 Ho Chi Minh, The Path which Led Me to Leninism (1960) 7
1.4 Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh), Appeal Made on the Occasion of the Founding of the Vietnamese Communist Party (1930) 9
1.5 Ho Chi Minh, The Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945) 11
Chapter 2 The First Indochina War and the Origins of American Involvement 15
2.1 Oral History of Xuan Vu, Viet Minh War Reporter and Propagandist (1987) 15
2.2 US Department of State Airgram on French–Vietnamese Relations (1946) 20
2.3 Truong Chinh, “We Struggle for Independence and Democracy” (1948) 22
2.4 US National Security Council, Report on the Position of the United States with Respect to Indochina (1950) 26
2.5 Robert Blum, Telegram on US Economic Aid to France in Indochina (1951) 29
2.6 Memorandum of a Conversation with President Eisenhower about Dien Bien Phu (1954) 31
2.7 Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference (1954) 32
Chapter 3 The Two Vietnams 37
3.1 Col. Edward G. Lansdale, Report on the activities of the Saigon Military Mission (1955) 37
3.2 Ngo Dinh Diem,Message to the RVN National Assembly on the Foundations of the Constitution (1956) 46
3.3 Wolf Ladejinsky, A Visit with President Ngo Dinh Diem (1955) 49
3.4 Vietnam Workers’ Party Politburo, Directive Regarding Land Reform (1953) 52
3.5 Oral History of Han Vi, Musicologist and Communist Party Cadre 55
Chapter 4 The Rise of the “Viet Cong” 61
4.1 Le Duan, The Path to Revolution in the South (1956) 61
4.2 A Communist Party Account of the Situation in the Nam Bo Region of South Vietnam (1961) 69
4.3 A Poor Farmer’s Account of the 1960 “Concerted Uprising” in My Tho Province (1967) 72
4.4 Program of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (1960) 75
Chapter 5 The Fall of Diem 81
5.1 The Caravelle Manifesto (1960) 81
5.2 Report of the Taylor Mission to South Vietnam (1961) 88
5.3 The Self-Immolation of Thich Quang Duc (1963) 90
5.4 Transcript of a Phone Conversation between Ngo Dinh Diem and Henry Cabot Lodge (November 1, 1963) 92
5.5 John F. Kennedy, Comments on the Saigon Coup (November 4, 1963) 93
Chapter 6 Escalation 96
6.1 Resolution of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Workers’ Party: Strive to Struggle, Rush Forward to Win New Victories in the South (December 1963) 96
6.2 Recording of a Phone Conversation between Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara (April 30, 1964) 100
6.3 The Tonkin Gulf Resolution (August 1964) 103
6.4 US Senator Wayne Morse, Speech on the Tonkin Gulf Resolution (August 5, 1964) 104
6.5 George Ball, “A Compromise Solution for South Vietnam” (1965) 106
6.6 Notes of a Meeting at the White House (July 21, 1965) 110
Chapter 7 On the Battlefield 115
7.1 A South Vietnamese Account of the Battle of Ap Bac (1995) 115
7.2 Interrogation of a Captured NLF Fighter (1967) 120
7.3 Oral History of Tom Esslinger, US Marine Lieutenant and Veteran of the Battle of Khe Sanh (2003) 124
7.4 Varnado Simpson, Testimony about the My Lai Massacre (1969) 132
7.5 Oral History of Wilson Key, US Navy Pilot and Prisoner of War (2004) 135
7.6 A North Vietnamese soldier remembers the Bombing of North Vietnam (1970) 142
7.7 Kim Phuc and the Napalm Attack on Trang Bang Village (1972) 144
Chapter 8 The Tet Offensive 147
8.1 Resolution of the 14th Plenum of the VWP Central Committee (January 1968) 147
8.2 US Central Intelligence Agency Report on the Communist Tet Offensive (January 31, 1968) 152
8.3 The Execution of Nguyen Van Lem 155
8.4 General Huynh Cong Than, “The General Offensive and Uprising in the Southern Sector of Saigon” (1994) 156
8.5 Walter Cronkite, Remarks on the Tet Offensive (February 1968) 163
8.6 Lyndon B. Johnson, Address to the Nation Announcing Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam (March 31, 1968) 165
Chapter 9 Home Fronts 172
9.1 Students for a Democratic Society, “Build, Not Burn” (1965) 172
9.2 Young Americans for Freedom, “Aid and Comfort to the Enemy” (1965) 174
9.3 Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, Statement Against the War in Vietnam (1966) 176
9.4 Nicholas Garland, Cartoon of Lyndon Johnson (1966) 178
9.5 Pete Seeger, “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”(1967) 179
9.6 Senator George McGovern, Speech in Support of the McGovern–Hatfield Amendment to End the War in Indochina (1970) 181
9.7 Ngo Cong Duc, “Anti-Americanism: Common Cause in Vietnam” (1970) 183
9.8 Terry Nelson and C-Company, “The Battle Hymn of Lt Calley” (1971) 190
9.9 Daniel Ellsberg, “Murder and the Lying Machine” (2002) 192
Chapter 10 Pacification, Vietnamization, and “Fighting While Negotiating” 197
10.1 William Westmoreland, “The Refugee Problem” (1968) 197
10.2 Robert Komer, “The Phoenix Program and the Attack on the Viet Cong Infrastructure” (1969) 200
10.3 A Communist Cadre Describes Pacification in My Tho Province During 1969–1970 204
10.4 Le Duc Tho and Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Yi Discuss the Paris Peace Talks (1968) 205
10.5 Henry Kissinger Negotiates with Le Duc Tho (1971) 207
10.6 Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger Discuss the Fate of South Vietnam (August 1972) 213
Chapter 11 Victory and Defeat 216
11.1 Jacques Leslie, A Visit to Viet Cong Territory (1995) 216
11.2 Bui Tin, An Account of the Surrender of South Vietnam (1981) 221
11.3 Nguyen Thi Hoa, “Mom, I’m leaving now. I will make you very proud of me.” 223
Chapter 12 Memories and Legacies 226
12.1 The POW/MIA Flag 226
12.2 Excerpt from Quang X. Pham, Excerpt from A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam to America (2005) 227
12.3 A US Army Nurse Remembers Vietnam (2004) 232
12.4 A Letter Left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 238
12.5 George W. Bush, Speech at a Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention (2007) 239
12.6 Vo Van Kiet, “Healing the Wound” (2005) 243
Index 249
