Death of a Generation

Mr. Jones talked about his book Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam War, published by Oxford University Press. According to Professor Jones, President Kennedy was planning a troop withdrawal from Vietnam and intended to pursue a diplomatic solution to end the conflict. He asserts that the President sanctioned a coup against Premier Diem as a means for facilitating the withdrawal, but the assassination de-stabilized South Vietnam, thus preventing the return of U. S. troops. After the Kennedy assassination, the exit strategy was taken off the table by his successor President Johnson. Professor Jones argues that if Kennedy had not been assassinated, his withdrawal plan would have spared the lives of 58,000 Americans. In researching the book, Professor Jones examined recently declassified hearings by the Church Committee on the U.S. role in assassinations, and newly released tapes of Kennedy White House discussions. He also interviewed John Kenneth Galbraith, Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, and other Kennedy advisers. Professor Jones answered questions from members of the audience after his presentation. close