1. Introduction -- 2. Prologue to tragedy: US military opposition to intervention in Vietnam, 1950-1954 -- 3. Preparing for and avoiding war: military affairs and politics in Vietnam and the United States, 1955-1960 -- 4. Pinning down the president: JFK, the military, and political manoeuvering over Vietnam, January-October 1961 -- 5. The best and worst of times: the US war against Vietnam, October 1961-November 1963 -- 6. 'Seeing things through Vietnam': LBJ, the military, and the growing U.S. commitment to Vietnam, November 1963-December 1964 -- 7. Hope for the best, expect the worst: US ground troops enter the war in Vietnam, January-July 1965 -- 8. War on three fronts: US forces vs. the VC, Westmoreland vs. the marine, and the military leaders vs. the White House, July 1965-December 1966 -- 9. 'The platform of false prophets is crowded': public hope and private despair in Vietnam, 1967 -- 10. The myth of the Tet: military failure and the politics of war -- 11. Conclusion: bringing it all back home -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Bibliography