Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Whom had Eleanor Roosevelt wanted Kennedy to appoint as Secretary of State?
2. What rule does Halberstam say Kennedy was following in trying to appoint a Secretary of State?
3. Why didn't Kennedy offer the position of Secretary of State to J. William Fulbright?
4. How did McNamara achieve his goals while he was at Ford?
5. What did Chester Bowles think was the most important issue to confront?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Halberstam say Kennedy was confronted with at the beginning of "The Best and the Brightest"?
2. Who was Robert McNamara and what was his role in the formation of Vietnam policy?
3. What crises confronted the Kennedy administration in 1961?
4. What was McNamara's stance with regard to nuclear weapons?
5. Describe the atmosphere in America when Kennedy took office.
6. Why did Diem and the U.S. end up working together?
7. What did Lovett and Kennedy discuss during their meeting?
8. Who was McGeorge Bundy, and what was his role in the Kennedy administration?
9. Describe U.S. engagements in Vietnam in the 1950s.
10. Describe the confrontation in Laos.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Argue for the appropriateness or the inappropriateness of executive secrecy as it was used during the Johnson administration. What factors and evidence mitigates the need for executive transparency? What factors and evidence makes transparency an absolute requirement?
Essay Topic 2
How did American support influence Diem and Khanh? Did it make them more or less legitimate in the eyes of the Vietnamese? If there were problems caused by overt American support, say also what roles were played by Vietnamese society and by the personalities of Diem and Khanh.
Essay Topic 3
Write a critical review of "The Best and the Brightest": what does Halberstam do well, and what parts of the book are not well-executed? Considering recent revelations regarding the war, how prescient was Halberstam in his history?
|
This section contains 855 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
