The Fall of South Vietnam: Statements by Vietnamese Military and Civilian Leaders

THE FALL OF SOUTH VIETNAM is a unique military history. It contains a wealth of original material gathered from former military and civilian officials. It is a fascinating picture of failure drawn by the participants themselves. This book captures graphically their perceptions and will serve as a sourcebook for all future students of the Vietnam War. The first part of the book is devoted to the setting before the 1975 enemy offensive, and includes discussion of the Paris Agreements of 1973. The second part deals with the course of the collapse, beginning with the loss of Phuoc Long in January 1975. A number of causes for the collapse are cited. Among them: the loss of American military support, the feeling of being abandoned by the United States, corruption and indecisiveness of the political and military command, and continued reliance on AMerican support following the Paris Agreements. Most of the respondents agreed that no single event or mistake brought on the collapse of South Vietnam. The statements presented here point out the many obstacles in the way of effective communication between allies of vastly different cultures and strengths, thus giving THE FALL OF SOUTH VIETNAM more than mere historical interest....A Rand Corporation Research Study