Tragedy or Choice in Vietnam? Learning to Think Outside the Archival Box: A Review Essay

Abstract

John Garofano of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University reviews three books on the Vietnam War: Kennedy’s Wars, by Lawrence Freedman; American Tragedy, by David Kaiser; and Choosing War, by Fredrik Logevall. Garofano examines the contributions of each volume to the debate over what compelled the national leadership to increase U.S. military involvement in Vietnam in the mid-1960s.