America and Vietnam, 1954-1963

Michael M. Walker, Colonel, USMC (Ret.) served in the Marine Corps for 26 years as an infantry and intelligence officer to include three tours in the Pacific–East Asia region, one in Europe, and two in Southwest Asia. He lives in Meridian, Idaho.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Preface

Part I—The Path to War

 1. Going to War in 1959

 2. Fight for Survival in South Vietnam

 3. The 1955 Battle for Saigon and Diem Consolidates Power

 4. South Vietnam Under Ngo Dinh Diem in 1959

Part II—The Combatants

 5. A Comparison of the Two Vietnams, 1959

 6. South Vietnam’s Military in 1959

 7. The People’s Army of Vietnam and the Entry of the Viet Cong

 8. Who Were the Viet Cong? Part 1

 9. Who Were the Viet Cong? Part 2

Part III—What About Laos?

10. The Agony of Laos

11. Geneva, the Battle of Nam Tha, and Hanoi’s Logistics War

12. End of the Laos Crisis: A Solution that Doomed the Peace

Part IV—How the War Went and the Fall of Diem (1959–1963)

13. The Vietnam War in 1959–1961 and the CIA’s Secret Wars

14. The Vietnam War in 1962–1963 and the Battle of Ap Bac

15. What Was the 1963 Buddhist Crisis?

16. How About a Coup?

17. The Murder of Diem and Its Consequences

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index