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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. Who does Halberstam say was especially vocal in calling for a change in U.S. Vietnam policy?

2. Why did President Johnson authorize bombing attacks on North Vietnam, in Halberstam's account?

3. Who was it who authorized a paper that would rationalize an exit from Vietnam?

4. Who oversaw domestic operations of the operation code named 34A?

5. What evidence does Halberstam give for the deterioration of the mood in America?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Halberstam say happened when Westmoreland assumed control?

2. What was Dean Rusk's role in Vietnam after Kennedy's assassination?

3. What does Halberstam say began to change in early 1964?

4. What were the alternatives the staff in Vietnam laid out for Maxwell Taylor when he visited Vietnam in the fall of 1964?

5. What does Halberstam say the effect of the Vietnam war on the American people was?

6. What did the Johnson administration tell America as it committed more troops to Vietnam?

7. What was President Johnson's position with regard to bombing?

8. What happened during the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

9. What was Rolling Thunder and what was its purpose?

10. What happened during the second Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Was it necessary for opponents of the war to be marginalized within the American government? Describe the organizational and bureaucratic rules and pressures that were used to effectively silence or transfer officials who spoke out against the war. Was this required, for efficient planning, or did the transfers constitute repression?

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