The CIA in Vietnam

The chapter begins with a survey of the various declassified volumes from numerous strands of the US Government that detail events from the mid-1950s onwards in relation to South East Asia. It then moves on to consider the role that CIA officer, Ed Lansdale had in the late 1950s and 1960s in establishing intelligence networks and paramilitary activities in South Vietnam. As the war developed, however, it became increasingly difficult to gain any kind of meaningful strategic intelligence from Hanoi. And despite notable advances, the US was prone to being surprised. This chapter discusses these issues in the context of the Tet Offensive. Document: Intelligence Warning of the Tet Offensive in South Vietnam.