Includes bibliographical references and index

The U.S. must stop communist expansion (1954) / John Foster Dulles -- The U.S. must be cautious (1954) / John F. Kennedy -- The U.S. must maintain its commitments (1965) / Thomas J. Dodd -- The U.S. has no binding commitments (1965) / Don R. Larson & Arthur Larson -- Vietnamization will shorten the war (1969) / Richard M. Nixon -- Vietnamization will extend the war (1970) / George S. McGovern -- U.S. failure to declare war caused defeat / Harry G. Summers Jr. -- U.S. pride caused defeat / Walter H. Capps -- Underestimating the enemy caused defeat / John Mueller -- Poorly planned strategy caused defeat / Norman Hannah -- U.S. journalists caused defeat / Robert Elegant -- U.S. journalists did not cause defeat / William M. Hammond -- U.S policy failed because it was immoral / M. Scott Peck -- U.S. policy was not immoral / Bui Diem with David Chanoff -- Vietnam remains scarred by the war / Don Luce -- Vietnam has recovered from the war / James Fallows -- The war weakened U.S. military power / Alvin H. Bernstein -- The war showed the U.S. the limits of military power / Thomas C. Fox -- The war destroyed American idealism / William Greider -- The war's impact on public attitudes is difficult to measure / Paul C. Light -- Vietnam veterans suffer from psychological problems / David Gelman -- The psychological problems of Vietnam veterans are exaggerated / William K. Lane Jr. -- Agent Orange harmed Vietnam veterans / American Legion magazine -- Agent Orange may not have harmed Vietnam veterans / Gary Taubes -- The war made veterans moral cynics / William P. Mahedy -- The war developed veterans' moral sensitivity / Peter Marin -- The U.S. should improve diplomatic relations with Vietnam / John LeBoutillier -- The U.S. should not improve diplomatic relations with Vietnam / Tran Van Luu -- The U.S. should keep searching for Vietnam War prisoners / Robert C. Smith -- There are no surviving Vietnam War prisoners / Alan Pell Crawford -- The U.S. should aid Cambodia's resistance forces / Dan Quayle -- The U.S. should not aid Cambodia's resistance forces / Susan Blaustein

Presents opposing viewpoints on various aspects of the Vietnam War, including the reasons for American involvement, the failure of United States policy there, and the effects on veterans