Now over two decades removed from the events that led to the major American intervention in the Second Indochina War (called the Vietnam War), the U.S. involvement still haunts Americans. In the most fundamental sense, it is the only war this country ever lost, and it was one in which so much was expended by so many for such a questionable purpose. Why did American policy makers determine that South Vietnam, a nation with no industry and few natural resources of value, was worth defending against communism? Why did they draw the line in Southeast Asia? How could they determine that it was in America's interest to go half-way around the world and spend billions of dollars to defend the so called "honor" of the free world? Once in Vietnam, why did America's seemingly omnipotent military power fail to bring to heel a Third World nation in a backwater of the world? This book examines a group of the salient factors that contributed to the outcome of the American war in Vietnam. These include decision making, the air war, and the ground war. In addition, the book examines some critical legacies that have impacted the United States since the end of the war.

This collection began as a body of research from a small group of scholars and seekers concerned about the Vietnam War and what it did to America, Vietnam, and the world. Over one hundred people met at Georgia Tech in February 1991, under the sponsorship of the Association of Third World Studies and the Georgia Tech School of International Affairs. Twenty-five widely recognized scholars presented and discussed every aspect of the war. Entitled "Vietnam: Impact and Legacy," the round table also included graduate students and nonacademics who lent a touch of new blood and perspective to the proceedings.

The conference took place in the midst of the American-Iraqi conflict in the Persian Gulf--a fact that even scholars of Vietnam, trying to remain objective and focused, could not ignore. In the end, it proved to be fortuitous since the Persian Gulf provided us with a foil that made our analysis of the Vietnam conflict all the more effective. These prominent scholars have reconsidered and revised their analyses especially for the use of fellow academics, students, and the general public. Of greatest importance is the fact that all of the chapters are based on new research and new sources. Many of the sources are from places like the Johnson Library, the Indochina Archives at the University of California, the National Archives, and the Air Force Historical Research Agency. Most have only been made available for research since 1990. This has led to some new and controversial conclusions by the authors--theories and conclusions only hinted at before but now supported by important new primary research. If for no other reason, this alone makes this book unique and significant.

This book is dedicated to those who still struggle to overcome ideological prejudice about the Vietnam War at both extremes and find, if not perfect truth, at least a possibility of future peace. It is also for those who suffer painful memories but refuse to turn away from reality in order to remind our posterity that Vietnam, like all wars, isn't about Rambo but about dying. It is for those who fought, who shed their blood, who served, who studied and protested, who anguished and suffered and, especially, those on all sides who did not return home alive.

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