Johnson and Vietnam: Decision Making during Operation Rolling Thunder

Abstract

The name of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, has practically been tied together with the Vietnam War, which raged on during the entirety of his presidency. The Johnson Presidency could have been remembered after the numerous and admirable domestic policy steps he took, yet it is Vietnam, which overshadows his historical legacy. Both the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the longest campaign of the Vietnam War, Operation Rolling Thunder took place during his terms in office. This latter was harshly criticised by his peers, especially from military leadership circles, thus it is worth re-examining this period of the war using now publicly available sources. This article aims to examine how President Johnson and his inner circle of advisors made their decisions during the period in question.