Oral history transcript, Richard G. Stilwell, interview 1 (I), 3/19/1985, by Ted Gittinger

Title:

Oral history transcript, Richard G. Stilwell, interview 1 (I), 3/19/1985, by Ted Gittinger

Number of Pages:

26

Description:

Stilwell's relationship with General William Westmoreland; the CBS/Westmoreland lawsuit; Stilwell's involvement in the Draper Commission regarding foreign aid; Stilwell's experience with Vietnam before 1963 and his assessment of the situation in Vietnam upon his arrival in 1963; weaknesses in the Hamlet Evaluation System and other status reports from Vietnam; Stilwell's impressions of press coverage of the Vietnam War and specifically that of David Halberstam; the U.S. government's failure to understand the magnitude of the problems in Vietnam; the 1963 Vietnamese coup, Ngo Dinh Diem's death, and the upheaval that resulted; Stilwell's relationship with John Richardson; Stilwell's activities during the coup; Stilwell's opinion of Duong Van Minh, or "Big Minh"; changes following the coup; preparation for the deployment of U.S. troops in 1965; Stilwell's opinion of how the deployment should have been carried out; Ambassador Maxwell Taylor's view of the commitment of U.S. troops in Vietnam.

Contributor:

Stilwell, Richard G. (Richard Giles), 1917-1991

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 Richard G. Stilwell

Relation:

Go to Interviewee bio page

Rights:

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