ABSTRACT
The vast region of Southeast Asia became a contentious battleground in the postwar era of decolonization and cold war. Though far from American shores, US national security elites viewed Southeast Asia as a vital proving ground in the global cam paign against communism. US foreign policy affected every country in the region, notably Vietnam where the United States entered into a long and ultimately futile war to prevent unification of the country under the communist banner. US strategies delivered massive destruction but could not prevent Indochina from “falling” to communism. By the time it finally came to an end in 1975 the Second Indochina War left Americans divided at home and the nation’s reputation damaged abroad.
