Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
30 W. Mifflin Street  •  Madison, WI 53703
(608) 267-1799

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.

Rufus Phillips, author

Lecture and book signing

First serving in Vietnam as a member of the CIA in 1954, Rufus Phillips is one of the few remaining advisors who watched the Vietnam War grow from its infant stages to a full-scale conflict. From working with the legendary Edward Lansdale in the 1950s to overseeing USAID’s Strategic Hamlet program, Mr. Phillips will share his own experiences, discuss our many false assumptions about Vietnam, and how lessons learned in SE Asia can assist in our approach to events in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A New Deal for Vietnam

Friday, April 3, 2009 – Noon

Robert Brigham, Professor of History and International Relations, Vassar College

Lecture and discussion

For Lyndon Johnson, fighting communism in Vietnam was part and parcel of his vision for global reform through modernization. He believed that modernization would shore up the shaky government in Saigon and help consolidate its power, ultimately allowing the government to assume responsibility for the public welfare. Join Dr. Brigham as he recounts Johnson’s intended modernization projects in South Vietnam and their projected impact on a populace whose admiration he desperately sought.

Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.

Gordon Goldstein, author

Lecture and book signing

As national security adviser for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, McGeorge Bundy was one of the principal architects of the Vietnam War, pushing for escalation while others called for restraint. Several decades later, Bundy began to reexamine his decisions, collaborating with Gordon Goldstein on a book shelved following Bundy’s death in 1996. Now, over a decade later, Goldstein has revisited the enduring historical debate over Vietnam, using Bundy’s own insights to analyze America’s entanglement in the war and how events might have transpired differently.

From "Hearts and Minds" to "Shock and Awe:" What are the Lessons of the Vietnam War for the 21st Century?

Thursday, April 30, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.

Jeremi Suri, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lecture and discussion

During the Vietnam War, winning the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people was a key part of American military and pacification efforts. Ultimately, this strategy failed, but what lessons did American military and civilian leaders learn from this experience? How have these lessons been applied to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to what effect? Join Dr. Suri as he answers these questions and looks to the future and addresses how, moving forward, American leaders can improve upon past experiences.