Joint Chiefs of Staff

History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The series of volumes titled The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the War in Vietnam covers the activities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with regard to Vietnam from 1945 to the final withdrawal of US military forces in early 1973. The first volume describesthe beginning of the US involvement through the Geneva Conference in 1954; the second volume carries the story through 1959. The third volume, in three parts, traces the expansion of the American commitment in the years 1960-1968. The fourth volume covers the adoption of the policy of Vietnamization and the beginning of the withdrawal of US forces during 1969-1970. The final volume describes the continuing withdrawal and the negotiation of a political settlement; it concludes with the departure of all US troops in the period January through March 1973.