ABSTRACT
Pacification was intended to allow South Vietnam to stand on its own and represented a way to pursue the war at a lower cost to the United States. The prime role of American and South Vietnamese forces was to provide population security and thus support pacification. The Nguyen Van Thieu government's improved planning and emphasis on local political development generally pleased the Americans. The Americans classified terrorist actions into three categories: coercion, destruction of civilian and government facilities and vehicles, and violence. The Nixon White House believed that Hamlet Evaluation System (HES) produced vague, ambiguous findings and realized that government claims based on HES scores provoked skepticism. The ongoing presence in a hamlet of a government official or a political administration plus adequate protection by local security forces indicated governmental control. The government passed legislation increasing the authority of local elected officials, placing the local Popular Forces platoon and local cadre teams under the operational control of the village chief.
