All the Way with jfk? Britain, the US, and the Vietnam War. By Peter Busch. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. xiv, 240 pp. $45.00, isbn 0-19-925639-X.)

Abstract

Critics of America's involvement in the Vietnam War have long proclaimed that not even the nation's closest allies supported its efforts, citing this as proof of the arrogance of American policy makers. As this excellent study of British policy throughout the early years of the conflict demonstrates, however, this claim is not always accurate. In fact, Peter Busch's portrayal suggests not only that British officials enthusiastically supported American policies but that they were at times even more bellicose than their American counterparts. Although the Kennedy years occupy most of the book, Busch begins with the 1954 formation of the South East Asia Treaty Organization (seato). It is no surprise to find that through seato Britain became embroiled in a number of potential crises. What is surprising, however, is their response, which revealed a willingness to take whatever actions were necessary to advance their interests. Busch even shows that when the British, on seato's behalf, began developing plans for counterinsurgency operations it was the United States, ironically, that led the opposition. Busch expands his argument from there, following British policies down a number of different paths. The supervisory role the British played in the International Commission of Control and Supervision (icc) in Vietnam allowed them to use this body to justify America's military intervention and to discourage any negotiated settlement. In fact, Busch demonstrates that the British opposed a settlement with even more unanimity than did the United States. Meanwhile, British officials worked quietly to encourage America's military expansion, despite their public promises to the contrary. Many other examples exist: despite the American military's opposition, the British even established an advisory mission to South Vietnam in 1961, which succeeded in influencing counterinsurgency tactics and promoting an optimistic view about the war to the Kennedy administration.