| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
It may finally be possible after more than 35 years of debate to form a consensus as to what John McNaughton really believed concerning U.S. involvement in Vietnam and when he believed it. The recent discovery of a diary in the possession of his family allows for an unfiltered look at his thoughts regarding the administration's commitment. This personal and confidential journal clarifies McNaughton's views and in doing so comes down strongly on the side of the recollections of his colleagues in government who contemplated, debated, and anguished over the issue with him.
The log commences on January 1, 1966 and concludes in late April, 1967, just three months prior to the death of McNaughton, his wife, and their younger son in a plane crash. Within its 181 pages are John McNaughton's thoughts about the various issues on which he worked and the individuals with whom he dealt inside the Johnson White House, State Department, and Pentagon. The Vietnam passages among the 107 separate entries document his consistent and persistent opposition to U.S. policy.
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