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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Halberstam say that September and October of 1963 were good for the Kennedy administration?
(a) Averell Harriman made progress on the test ban treaty.
(b) There was accord on civil rights issues.
(c) The administration was prepared to pick up seats in special elections.
(d) The military made progress in the Mekong Delta.

2. What does Halberstam say was the conclusion of the study that analyzed the results of a bombing attack against the north?
(a) The report concluded that bombing would strengthen the North by building opposition to the Americans.
(b) The report concluded that bombing would break the Vietcong's supply routes, and end resistance.
(c) The report concluded that bombing would overwhelm the people, and drain support for further attacks.
(d) The report concluded that bombing would deter any further guerilla-style attacks against the South.

3. What pressure does Halberstam say the events of September and October of 1963 relieved for Kennedy?
(a) He no longer felt the need to prove himself to Kruschev.
(b) He felt like he was finally hitting his stride in the presidency.
(c) He no longer felt the political pressure to deliver a victory.
(d) He was relieved of budgetary pressure.

4. How does Halberstam define the flash point?
(a) The point to which the U.S. could escalate without going to war.
(b) The point at which he would convince the American people to support the war.
(c) The point at which the American people were no longer going to support the war.
(d) The location at which forces could engage face to face.

5. What was Paul Kattenburg's view of the war, in early 1964?
(a) He described it as a crusade.
(b) He thought it was a waste of political and economic capital.
(c) He doubted its correctness.
(d) He saw it as an experiment in nation-building.

6. What problem does Halberstam say Maxwell Taylor had in Vietnam?
(a) Taylor could not convince his superiors that conditions were bad.
(b) Taylor could not understand how the Vietcong withstood the bombings.
(c) Taylor could not get honest reporting.
(d) Taylor could not control things like he had elsewhere.

7. What does Halberstam say the Kennedy administration found out after the coup?
(a) The government did not know what was going on in the war.
(b) The Vietnamese government did not have control of the Delta.
(c) The Vietnamese government did not have its people's support.
(d) The Buddhists were attracting dissidents in opposition to the government.

8. What does Halberstam say the U.S. assured its generals during their meeting in Vietnam?
(a) That they would continue humanitarian aid.
(b) That they would be victorious by the end of 1966.
(c) That they would continue aid in the event of a coup.
(d) That they would not cross the border into Cambodia.

9. How did McNamara's position on bombing change over time?
(a) Years later, he would say that he had doubts about how useful bombing would be.
(b) After a few months, he was convinced of bombing's effectiveness.
(c) After the first weeks, he was sure that bombing would end the war.
(d) After a year, he reversed his position entirely.

10. What does Halberstam say General Westmoreland was asking President Johnson for, now that he was in control of Vietnam?
(a) More fighter jets.
(b) More bombers.
(c) More time.
(d) More combat troops.

11. What evidence does Halberstam give for the deterioration of the mood in America?
(a) Confrontational anti-war protests.
(b) Civil rights protests.
(c) Seats being lost in mid-term elections.
(d) Budget fights in the Senate.

12. What does Halberstam say was the effect of the Gulf of Tonkin incident on the U.S. government?
(a) It convinced Americans that the war was senseless.
(b) It strengthened U.S. resolve to win in Vietnam.
(c) It led some to question the legality of the war.
(d) It demonstrated that American strategy was working.

13. What does Halberstam say was the Joint Chiefs of Staff's perception of the problem in Vietnam?
(a) They thought it was a military problem.
(b) They were planning to solve it with a coup.
(c) They thought it could be resolved diplomatically.
(d) They thought it could be solved by bombing.

14. What event does Halberstam say triggered bombing operations against the North?
(a) The Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
(b) A North Vietnamese success in the Mekong Delta.
(c) The Bay of Pigs invasion.
(d) A North Vietnamese attack on American B-57 bombers.

15. What does Halberstam say the administration had led the American people to believe about the war?
(a) That the war would pay for itself.
(b) That it would not be a large war.
(c) That international consensus would build in support of America's actions.
(d) That American air power would win the war quickly.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Who tipped off Senator Wayne Morse about the real situation of the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

3. When did Khanh overthrow the generals in Vietnam?

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

5. What was the outcome of the first confrontation between Vietcong and U.S. troops?

(see the answer keys)

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