Earle Wheeler was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1964 to 1970. Being the most prominent military figure in Washington, he had a crucial role in the design and development of policies in Southeast Asia. He skillfully managed his contacts in Congress to ensure the influence of the brass in the policy-making process.

After the Tet Offensive, Wheeler pressured Westmoreland to request more troops from Johnson. An increased military involvement in Vietnam would force the President to call up the reserves, which was part of Wheeler's agenda.

Biography of Earl Wheeler (NY Times, June 24, 1964)
From Mark Bradley's Page at the University of Milwaukee
http://www.uwm.edu/~mbradley/wheelerbio.html

1965 Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense on troop buildup
From Mark Bradley's Page at the University of Milwaukee
http://www.uwm.edu/~mbradley/wheelerdoc1.html

In this memorandum to McNamara, Wheeler argues strongly in favor of a rapid military buildup in South Vietnam and bombing raids against the North. Wheeler presents this buildup as the only adequate response to "...a communist decision to add a new dimension to the situation in Southeast Asia."

1965 Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense on the effectiveness of the bombing campaign
From the Historian of the State Department
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_ii/241_260.html (Doc. #241

In his assessment of the effects of Operation Rolling Thunder on North Vietnam, Wheeler concludes that "[t]he air strikes have not reduced in any major way the over-all military capabilities of the DRV."