Photo
from Mark Bradley's Page at the
University of Milwaukee Photo
from Mark Bradley's Page at the
University of Milwaukee
Clark Clifford was appointed Secretary of Defense in March 1968 by Lyndon Johnson, who was disappointed with McNamara's growing dissatisfaction with the policies in Vietnam. Clifford was reputedly a hard-liner, thought to support a tougher approach to the war.
However, his views on Vietnam changed shortly after taking office. Understanding the futility of a troop build-up, Clifford started maneuvering to stop the escalation, contradicting the approach favored by Wheeler and Westmoreland.
Biography of
Clark Clifford
From The U.S. Defense Department
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/secdef_histories/bios/clifford.htm
Letter from
Clifford to Johnson on Vietnam quagmire
From the National Security Archive at George Washington University
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/coldwar/documents/episode-11/06-01.htm
Clifford, at the time a prominent Washington lawyer and friend of Johnson's, argues for limiting the troop deployment in South Vietnam to a minimum. Clifford warns of a possible "open end commitment."
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