Britain, America, and the Vietnam War

Book flyer
MS Word
International
MS Word

Sylvia Ellis

Book Code: C7381

ISBN: 0-275-97381-6

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97381-0

DOI:

328 pages, n/a

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 5/30/2004

List Price: $82.95 (UK Sterling Price: £47.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: International History

Awards:

Choice Outstanding Academic Titles, 2004

Reviews:

Ellis makes a fine and original contribution to the historiographies of the Vietnam War and the "special relationship" between the US and Great Britain with this international history of their allied relations in the shadow of Vietnam. Clearly written and deeply researched on both sides of the Atlantic, the book extends the frame of reference for the Vietnam War beyond the confines of Washington, Saigon, and Hanoi, a recognized historiographical need....Highly recommended. All levels.
—Choice November 2004
It cannot be said that Ellis changes dramatically our conception of Anglo-American ties in general or relations concerning Vietnam in particular; previous authors have made the same general arguments. What she does, however, on the basis of discerning archival research on both sides of the Atlantic as well as productive use of oral histories and transcripts of telephone conversation, is provide important new detail that substantiates these arguments; in so doing she enhances our understanding of the international context of the war. Clearly written and sensibly organized, her book is a significant contribution to the historiography.
—Journal of American History September 2005
[S]hows how the strong disagreement over the war did not have a strong negative impact on overall relations between the two long-time allies.
—The VVA Veteran March/April 2005

Description: Isolated by much of the world for its conduct of the war in Vietnam, the United States saw British support as a key component of its efforts to sway public opinion. This is the first serious examination of the impact of the Vietnam War on the Anglo-American "special relationship" during the years of the Johnson presidency. Using recently released government papers, oral interviews, and transcripts of presidential phone conversations, Ellis discusses the discord between the United Kingdom and the United States over the war in Southeast Asia. She focuses on the pressures placed on Prime Minister Harold Wilson's Labor Government to provide material aid to the war and to remain squarely behind the U.S. war effort in public. Britain's refusal to send troops to Vietnam and Wilson's insistence on trying to mediate the conflict were both sources of tension between the allies. This study explores the extent to which the United Kingdom was pressured to send troops to the combat zone, the part that the personal relationship between Wilson and Johnson played in the tensions, and the evidence that a deal was done to link the maintenance of British defenses East of Suez with U.S. support for the pound sterling. It concludes that Wilson managed to walk a political tightrope on Vietnam, providing just enough diplomatic support for the Americans to keep Washington satisfied and putting just enough limits on that support to keep an increasingly vociferous domestic anti-war movement at bay.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
The Labour Government's Position on Vietnam
The Search for an Understanding on Vietnam, January-April 1965
The Search for a Wider Understanding, May-December 1965
The Understandings Tested: January-July 1966
The Collapse of the Understandings, August 1966-February 1968
Conclusion
Bibliography

LC Card Number: 2004000291

LCC Class: DS557

Dewey Class: 959


All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2008 Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881, (203) 226-3571