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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following ARVN infantry units is referred to as the "cockpit of war" during Vietnam?

2. The U.S. war strategy under the leadership of General William Westmoreland is described as a war of _______________.

3. What is the name of John Paul Vann's widow?

4. What organization is established by President Kennedy to act as an advisory body to the government in South Vietnam?

5. One of the early propaganda efforts on the part of Diem's South Vietnamese government is to try to identify all Viet Minh as __________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the use of terminology in reference to Ho Chi Minh's forces important for the Americans and South Vietnamese to establish?

2. How many Viet Cong were at the radio tower position at Ap Bac and what were the actual combat conditions there?

3. Why is General Huynh Van Cao's chief-of-staff, Lt. Colonel Bui Dinh Dam, selected, even though he is a North Vietnamese and General Huynh Van Cao is a general for the South?

4. What do you think John Paul Vann's motivations are when he is first sent to Vietnam to advise the South Vietnamese military in 1962?

5. From this brief vignette of the funeral of John Paul Vann, what facts can we glean about his life and personality?

6. As adviser to the 7th Infantry Division of the ARVN, John Paul Vann is responsible for the defense and preservation of what area in Vietnam?

7. In what ways does John Paul Vann's life embody the spirit of the United States in the Vietnam War?

8. Why do you believe General Harkins and others in the United States' military and intelligence communities put so much stock into the opinions of Vietnamese military leaders like General Huynh Van Cao, often at the expense of more sound advice from their own people, like John Paul Vann?

9. What is the primary shift in strategy espoused by John Paul Vann and Colonel Porter in 1962?

10. In 1962, what is the United States' stated primary role in Vietnam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What were some of John Paul Vann's specific duties and responsibilities as a civilian member of the Agency for International Development (AID) in Vietnam? How did the efforts of this agency improve the conditions of the war for combatants and innocents alike? Was John Paul Vann satisfied with the scope of his AID directives? If not, why not? What more did he feel he needed to do?

Essay Topic 2

When Richard M. Nixon was elected president in 1968, what actions did he take with regard to the war in Vietnam? Provide 2-3 examples, along with your analysis of whether or not these actions helped or hindered the war effort. Also, how did Nixon's policies mesh or differ with the views espoused throughout the book by John Paul Vann?

Essay Topic 3

John Paul Vann retired from the military in 1963. However, he re-enlisted to serve in Vietnam as a civilian with the Agency for International Development (AID) just two years later, in 1965. Briefly explain why you think John Paul Vann would make that decision and support your answer with information given in the text.

(see the answer keys)

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