Coming to Grips with Lyndon Johnson's War

Matt Clements

Article Abstract: Larry Berman “Coming to Grips with Lyndon Johnson’s War”

History 470.01

Dr. Frankum

14 March 2013

“Coming to Grips with Lyndon Johnson’s War”, written by Larry Berman, analyzes escalation of the war in Vietnam under the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson and how the decisions made by President Johnson affected his future in politics. Larry Berman’s main areas of studies include American politics, foreign policy, the American presidency and the war in Vietnam. Berman has a PhD from Princeton University. Many of his writings focus on the war in Vietnam and the politics, both domestic and foreign, involved. In “Coming to Grips with Lyndon Johnson’s War” Berman utilizes declassified correspondence between President Johnson and his advisors to explain the events that transpired during the Johnson administration.

Berman explains how the American strategy in the war moved from passive to aggressive in the mid-1960s. Johnson was pressured by members of his staff to increase involvement in Vietnam which led to a personal dilemma for Johnson. Johnson did not want to be known as a war-type president; rather he sought to be a champion of peace and equality domestically. Berman asserts that Johnson tried to take on more than he could handle by trying to fight a war in Vietnam and fix problems at home. Berman reveals that Johnson was under tremendous pressure from his advisors to escalate the war. Berman offers one exception, Undersecretary of State George Ball. Ball advised the president that the situation in Vietnam was a dire one and introducing more troops into South Vietnam would surely put the United States into a war that was unwinnable. Ball told Johnson that he should pull all troops out of Vietnam. Ball’s arguments had very little influence on policy and policy makers according to Berman.

Johnson would send some of his advisors, including Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, to Vietnam to discuss the...