John T. McNaughton -- Find a Way Out

In the long and troubled saga of America’s involvement in Vietnam, few people in Washington were as influential as John T. McNaughton in building the case for escalation of the conflict and few worked so diligently in the background to find a way out. His 1967 death in a mid-air plane crash and the loss of many of his papers have thwarted thorough examination of his career. I have established this blog with the objective of assembling information about McNaughton's life and conflicts.

Thursday, March 20, 2025

I recently discovered this paper (Tempered by War: the military experiences of Vietnam decision makers) by Aurilie Basha i Novosejt and Christopher J. McNulty. When I initially published this blog,I expressed hope that scholars would dig deeper into McNaughton's diaries and other archival material to provide more insight into his influences. The Basha i Novosejt/McNulty paper, which discusses McNaughton, Walter Rostow, and Roger Hilsman, offers interesting descriptions and analyses of McNaughton's wartime experience.

Full article: Tempered by war: the military experiences of Vietnam decision-makers

1 comment:

TimJuly 22, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Hello - I'm a historian as well, one who was pleased to come across this blog and the leads it offers on McNaughton's diaries. Have the diaries, or copies thereof, been deposited anywhere where other scholars might examine them? Thanks again for your work.
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