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The Vietnam Lobby

The American Friends of Vietnam, 1955-1975

By Joseph G. Morgan

The Vietnam Lobby View Inside

256 pp., 6 x 9.25, appends., notes, bibl., index

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-6571-2
    Published: July 2009
  • E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-6350-3
    Published: November 2000
  • E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-6858-9
    Published: November 2000

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Established in 1955 as a private advocacy group, the American Friends of Vietnam worked to influence U.S. attitudes and policies toward Vietnam for nearly two decades. AFV members wrote articles, gave speeches, sponsored aid drives, and forged ties with journalists, academics, and government officials in an effort to generate American assistance for South Vietnam. In The Vietnam Lobby, Joseph Morgan shifts the focus away from the much-examined antiwar demonstrations that took place in America to concentrate instead on the actions of those who endorsed U.S. intervention in Vietnam. Drawing on a wide range of documentary sources, Morgan presents a comprehensive study of the AFV and its activities. He traces the group's establishment and growth, examines its internal organization and politics, and, ultimately, evaluates its effectiveness in guiding government policy and public opinion. Morgan also assesses the charges of antiwar critics who claimed the AFV exerted an excessive, perhaps disastrous, influence in shaping America's Vietnam policy. Finally, he offers insights into the thinking of those who believed that the United States had the unique ability--even the obligation--to help shape Vietnam's future.

Originally published in 1997.

A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

About the Author

A member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Joseph G. Morgan is assistant professor of history at Iona College.


For more information about Joseph G. Morgan, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

“Well-researched, judicious, and crisply written.”--Journal of American History

"An excellent taxonomical account of the structure, leadership, function, financial resources, and policies of the Vietnam Lobby. . . . Morgan's research is meticulous and prodigious."--American Historical Review

"Fills an important niche in the story of the U.S.'s involvement in Vietnam."--Choice

"A deeply researched, clearly written history and analysis of the controversial citizens' lobbying group that worked to support anti-communism in Vietnam beginning in the early 1950s."--VVA Veteran

"The book breaks new ground, is well researched and documented, and will be a welcome addition to [scholarship on] Vietnam and the role of organized interest groups in American foreign policy."--Larry Berman, University of California, Davis

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History / United States: General

Diplomatic History / International Affairs

Political Science / Political History

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