From 1955 to 1962, Michigan State University worked with the US and South Vietnamese governments to assist the Republic of South Vietnam in the establishment of governmental systems and infrastructure. A pivotal and controversial part of this program revolved around the police forces responsible for internal security. The MSU group assisted the South Vietnamese Government to develop police forces. The results were unsatisfactory. Saigon was somewhat secure, but the rural regions of South Vietnam remained prime areas for insurgent activity. These failures at internal security can be, in part, attributed to three main concerns. First was the attempt to impose western style governance procedures on a non-western people. Second, the lack of understanding associated with the complex operational environment. Third was the lack of unity of effort between the MSU Group, the Department of Defense, and other US governmental agencies. These shortfalls contributed to the American failure to construct an effective internal security mechanism that would lead to a viable, non-Communist nation.

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