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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. Why did the Americans back down on demands for reform in Vietnam in 1962, in Halberstam's account?

2. What were Diem and Nhu's politics relative to the Vietnamese population's politics?

3. What policy did Rostow support in Vietnam?

4. What had Robert Lovett been before entering government?

5. What does Halberstam say McNamara tried to do with his fact-finding missions to Vietnam?

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. How did the situation in Vietnam unfold?

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

5. What crises confronted the Kennedy administration in 1961?

6. What was the American government's relationship with Diem in 1961?

7. What does Halberstam say was McNamara's relationship with Kennedy?

8. Why does Halberstam say Chester Bowles' popularity faded?

9. How did the meeting between Lovett and Kennedy play in the press?

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

Did the Vietnam War mark a change in American ideology? Was the concept of natural rights changed or abandoned? Was Vietnam a war like other wars America had fought, or was it unprecedented? How did the U.S. government's response to the opposition to the war change the nature of citizenship and political activity in America?

Essay Topic 2

Kennedy was a young president, and he was thought to be inexperienced. What was Kennedy's relationship with the past, and with politicians who went before him? What did he take from them, and which of their policies was he intent on changing?

Essay Topic 3

What kind of administrative or bureaucratic changes could have helped the war effort in Vietnam? Specifically, how could U.S. commanders have ensured that accurate information flowed unimpeded from troops and analysts in Vietnam to military planners in the U.S.? What factors in the military or political establishment created this problem?

(see the answer keys)

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