The Best and the Brightest

The Best and the Brightest is Halberstam's account of the Vietnam War's origins. His focus is on the policies of academics and intellectuals in JFK's administration and their consequences. The book details how decisions of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations led to war, focusing on 1960-65 but also covering earlier and later years up to publication. Factors examined include:

Democrats, haunted by claims they'd lost China to Communism, didn't want to be accused of losing Vietnam
McCarthyism had rid the government of Far East experts
Studies called for up to a million troops, but it was impossible to convince Congress to deploy so many
Declaration of war, bombing close to China or too many troops might've caused China's entry to the war and greater Soviet involvement, repairing the Sino-Soviet rift
War games showed gradual escalation could be evenly matched by Vietnam: 200,000 came of draft age yearly to replace losses
Shows of force like bombing or ground forces show interest in defending S. Vietnam & cause greater shame in defeat
LBJ's believed too much attention given war efforts threatened Great Society programs
Strategic bombing: most believed N. Vietnam prized its industrial base, wouldn't risk its destruction and would negotiate, but some recalled that in WWII it united victims and didn't cripple industrial output.
Domino Theory rationales are simplistic
Upon placing thousands in harm's way, it became politically easier to send hundreds of thousands with the promise that with enough they could protect themselves and that to abandon Vietnam would mean earlier investment would be lost.
Gradual escalation allowed LBJ to avoid negative publicity, congressional criticism and war with China, but made victory or withdrawal impossible.

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The Best and the Brightest

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