ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that a mythology has been prevalent for some years regarding Lyndon Johnson, his willingness to listen to varied advice on handling the Vietnam situation in 1965, and the scope of the advice he in fact received before deciding on escalation. It shows that Johnson was not a victim of groupthink and that he received and listened to significant advice warning him against sending troops to Vietnam. The chapter considers in more depth than Berman's book the advice Johnson heard from significant figures opposing escalation. It focuses on definitive picture of the Johnson-Humphrey relationship. The chapter also suggests that particular lesson for political scientists doing historical analyses of presidential decision-making systems. Larry Berman's Planning a Tragedy links the Vietnam decision of 1965 to the domestic political agenda of Johnson, chiefly the desire to move Great Society and civil rights legislation through Congress.
