“Fork in the Road” Memo from McGeorge Bundy to President Johnson
1/27/1965
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Add only page 1 to activity:
Add only page 2 to activity:
Assistant National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara told newly elected President Johnson that their current course in Vietnam could not succeed. They presented two alternatives: bring in the full force of the U.S. military or negotiate with the enemy. They knew Johnson would never consider the second but recommended both options be debated. Within a year, 175,000 American troops were in Vietnam. Negotiation was never discussed.
This primary source comes from the Collection LBJ-NSF: National Security Files.
Full Citation: Memo from McGeorge Bundy to President Lyndon B Johnson; 1/27/1965; McGeorge Bundy, Vol 8; Memos to the President Files, 11/23/1963 - 1/18/1969; Collection LBJ-NSF: National Security Files; Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, Austin, TX. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/fork-in-the-road, March 28, 2024]
Activities that use this document