Pentagon Papers

History of the Vietnam War

The Pentagon Papers

The links on this page connect to digit files of what many consider the seminal resource for study of the U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War:

The Pentagon Papers, Gravel edition
Senator Mike Gravel, editor
Boston: Beacon Pess, 1972

Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4

These files are hosted by Mount Holyoke College. The efforts of the faculty and staff of Mount Holyoke to present and perpetuate these and other important documents of the Vietnam War are gratefully acknowlwdged. Theirs is a significant and enduring contribution for scholars and students alike toward the understanding of a complex and turbulent period of American history.

Background of the Pentagon Papers

Review of this edition

Many of the actual documents mentioned in The Pentagon Papers as well as other supporting material on this period are available from another Mount Holyoke College site:

Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: Vietnam

Glossary of Acronyms and Terms

Volume 1

Chapter 1: Background to the Crisis, 1940-1950

Chapter 2: U.S. Involvement in the Franco-Viet Minh War, 1950-1954

Chapter 3: The Geneva Conference, May-July, 1954

Chapter 4: U.S. and France in Indochina, 1950-56

Chapter 5: Origins of the Insurgency in South Vietnam, 1954-1960

Volume 2

Chapter 1: The Kennedy Commitments and Programs, 1961

Chapter 2: The Strategic Hamlet Program, 1961-1963

Chapter 3: Phased Withdrawal of U.S. Forces, 1962-1964

Chapter 4: The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, May-November, 1963,

Chapter 5: US-GVN Relations, 1964-1967

Chapter 6: The Advisory Build-up, 1961-67

Chapter 7: Re-Emphasis on Pacification: 1965-1967

Volume 3

Chapter 1: U.S. Programs in South Vietnam, Nov. 1963-Apr. 1965

Chapter 2: Military Pressures Against North Vietnam, February 1964-January 1965,

Chapter 3: The Air War in North Vietnam: Rolling Thunder Begins, February-June, 1965

Chapter 4: American Troops Enter the Ground War, March-July 1965

Volume 4

Chapter 1: The Air War in North Vietnam, 1965-1968

Chapter 2: U.S. Ground Strategy and Force Deployments, 1965-1968

Glossary of Acronyms and Terms

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