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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. How does Halberstam define the flash point?

2. Who does Halberstam say set the tone for Vietnam policy for the beginning of the Johnson administration?

3. What did Johnson say he needed before they could move against the North?

4. What did the report that came out of the fact-finding trip to Vietnam in early 1965 ultimately advocate?

5. What does Halberstam say happened to Diem and Nhu after they fled?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was interested in overthrowing Diem?

2. What issues were discussed as there started to be struggles over Vietnam strategy in mid-1965?

3. Describe what Halberstam calls 'the Bundy trip' to Vietnam.

4. What were the questions people were asking on the issue of bombing the North?

5. Who expressed doubt about the Vietnam war, and what happened to their opposition?

6. What does Halberstam say was Johnson's approach to paying for the war?

7. What were the alternatives the staff in Vietnam laid out for Maxwell Taylor when he visited Vietnam in the fall of 1964?

8. What does Halberstam say began to change in early 1964?

9. What does Halberstam say Maxwell Taylor said were the three issues confronting the U.S. in its Vietnam planning?

10. What was the result of the Spring Offensive?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyzing the evidence from Halberstam's text, describe the change that took place in American minds as a result of the Vietnam War. Put another way: Compare and contrast the administrations that preceded Kennedy's administration, and the Nixon administration, which followed the Johnson administration. How does Halberstam describe the different cultures that existed before and after the Vietnam war?

Essay Topic 2

Judging by what you know of contemporary culture, what lessons has America learned about domestic policies and politics after the Vietnam era? What has changed in how the government works, in how it funds wars, and in how it relates to internal opposition?

Essay Topic 3

What kind of administrative or bureaucratic changes could have helped the war effort in Vietnam? Specifically, how could U.S. commanders have ensured that accurate information flowed unimpeded from troops and analysts in Vietnam to military planners in the U.S.? What factors in the military or political establishment created this problem?

(see the answer keys)

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