Cover title.

The development of a military herbicide capability -- The decision to send spray-equipped C-123s to South Vietnam -- The deployment of spray aircraft to South Vietnam and initial defoliation operations -- Early evaluations and expanded operations -- Crop destruction begins and Washington further relaxes controls on defoliation -- Ranch Hand's mission expands and becomes routine -- Herbicides reach their peak while the war deepens and widens -- Herbicide use declines -- Ranch Hand ends its work -- Epilogue -- Appendices- A1:Characteristics of herbicides used in Southeast Asia -- A2: Summary of herbicides operation -- A3: Ranch Hand organizational Designations -- A4: Key leaders -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliographic esssay -- Index -- List of photographs -- Maps.