In a memorandum to President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara states that U.S. troop strength must be substantially augmented "if we are to avoid being defeated there." Cautioning that such deployments would not ensure military success, McNamara said the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong "continue to believe that the war will be a long one, that time is their ally and their own staying power is superior to ours."
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Dec 7, 1965:
McNamara predicts that more U.S. troops will be needed
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This Week in History, Dec 7 - Dec 13
- Dec 07, 1964
- Situation deteriorates in South Vietnam
- Dec 07, 1965
- McNamara predicts that more U.S. troops will be needed
- Dec 08, 1965
- Operation Tiger Hound launched
- Dec 08, 1966
- North Vietnam rejects Johnson's prisoner exchange proposal
- Dec 08, 1969
- Nixon declares Vietnam War is ending
- Dec 09, 1965
- Newspaper reports on bombing over North Vietnam
- Dec 09, 1971
- Paris peace talks break down
- Dec 10, 1970
- Calley trial defense begins
- Dec 10, 1972
- Breakthrough appears near in Paris peace talks
- Dec 11, 1961
- First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam.
- Dec 11, 1969
- Paratroopers depart South Vietnam
- Dec 12, 1968
- Procedural questions cause difficulty at the peace talks
- Dec 12, 1969
- Philippine soldiers depart South Vietnam
- Dec 13, 1972
- Peace negotiations in Paris deadlocked
- Dec 13, 1974
- North Vietnamese commence attack on Phuoc Long Province
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