Oral history transcript, Robert M. Montague, interview 2 (II), 11/5/1985, by Ted Gittinger

Title:

Oral history transcript, Robert M. Montague, interview 2 (II), 11/5/1985, by Ted Gittinger

Number of Pages:

36

Description:

Montague's appointment to West Point; Montague's background and experience relating to nuclear weapons development; Montague's work as assistant senior adviser to the 21st Vietnamese Infantry Division under Jack Cushman; Montague's work with General Hon and Colonel Y; the importance of district-level politics; initiating programs in Vietnam relating to pacification, the strategic hamlet program and other government agencies' view of it; the spread of the strategic hamlet program from Bac Lieu province to other provinces in the 21st Division; how Montague later worked under William DePuy; the strategic hamlet program's reputation for failure in Vietnam; problems with province chiefs and district chiefs and the assessment system that developed to improved the placement of new chiefs and staff; dealing with questions from the press; how Jack Cushman dealt with the press; Montague's role in planning the Hop Tac operation and why it was unsuccessful; General Westmoreland's request for an estimate of the situation in Vietnam and the resulting recommendations; the state of pacification when Montague left Vietnam after his first tour; Montague's work for Robert Komer and Ambassador William Porter; the development of the Office of Civil Operations (OCO) and Montague's role within it; how Montague's military career choices thwarted his personal success and popularity; problems getting military and civilian organizations to work together in Vietnam; Komer's work as deputy COMUSMACV [Commander U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]; Komer's aide, David Pabst.

Contributor:

Montague, Robert M.

Collection:

LBJ Library Oral Histories

Collection Description:

Go to List of Holdings

Series:

Transcripts of LBJ Library Oral Histories

See Also:

See all online interviews with Robert M. Montague

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

Possibly copyright restricted: see deed at end of transcript for details