This volume is a compilation of the papers, commentaries, and discussions of a symposium on the Second Indochina War held by the U.S. Army Center of Military History in November 1984 at Airlie House in Virginia. This conference was conceived and directed by Dr. Douglas Kinnard, the former Chief of Military History. His goal in selecting topics, papers, and conferees was to examine the current status of issues and scholarship relating to the war in Vietnam. The success of this conference, as reflected in this volume, was largely attributable to the validity of his original concept and his appreciation of the many factors surrounding that conflict.