Primary Sources
Bill Moyers—whose excellent Journal ends its run on April 30—traces the escalation of the war in Vietnam through phone conversations between LBJ, his advisors and members of Congress.
What strikes me most in listening is how frequently, especially in 1964-65, when the die was being cast, the Wise Men and former Best and Brightest explain recommendations in terms of a need to show: to show the Communists that the U.S. was tough; to show voters the Democrats were tough (when Goldwater wanted to use nukes); to show the South Vietnamese we were with them and the North Vietnamese that they couldn’t win, even as there was general agreement that they were, in fact, winning.
