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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Kennedy represent to Eleanor Roosevelt's followers?

2. When did Kennedy first send advisers to Vietnam?

3. What does Halberstam say was the state of tensions within the White House as involvement in Vietnam escalated?

4. Whom did Robert Lovett recommend to Kennedy for Secretary of State?

5. What had McNamara done by the time he took over as Secretary of Defense?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Halberstam say was Robert McNamara's background before becoming Secretary of Defense?

2. What did Lovett and Kennedy discuss during their meeting?

3. Who was McGeorge Bundy, and what was his role in the Kennedy administration?

4. Who was Robert A. Lovett, and what does Halberstam say he signified for Kennedy?

5. Whom did Kennedy consider for the position of Secretary of State?

6. Who was Chester Bowles, and what did Kennedy get by tapping Bowles to be an adviser?

7. What were Americans beginning to say with regard to Diem after the Buddhist monk problems began?

8. Describe the atmosphere in America when Kennedy took office.

9. What did Kennedy's representatives report back after their 1961 fact-finding mission?

10. Who was Frederick Nolting, and what was his role in Vietnam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using evidence from Halberstam's text, describe how the Vietnam War affected America's relationship with the community of nations--particularly China and Russia, its Communist foes. What did the Vietnam war do for American interests abroad? How did it affect America's reputation and image?

Essay Topic 2

Using the hindsight gained by "The Best and the Brightest", would you say that the war in Vietnam was a local conflict that could have been left to resolve itself, or would you say that if left unaddressed, Vietnam would have been one of the dominoes in a string of nations the Communists took over? Put another way: would the internal tensions in Vietnam have dogged the Communists just as badly as they dogged the Americans and the American-backed South Vietnamese government, if the Vietcong had ever acquired power there?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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