The Vietnam War (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

Julia Taft: “It was an incredible effort, just an incredible effort, and when I think back of the role of the president at the time, he was really committed to making sure that these innocent victims and people who had been allies of the U.S., that we just didn't abandon them.

It was not a popular decision at first, although there were some people in Congress who were very helpful. Senator Kennedy is one of them. But there was high unemployment in the United States; there was still a lot of division of opinion and passions running high about who lost the war and why did we lose the war and the treatment of the veterans that were coming back.”

A transcript of the interview with Debbie Elliott and Julia Taft, “A Lesson in History: Resettling Refugees of Vietnam,” January 14, 2007

Critics challenged the relaxation of immigration laws in the 1970s on the grounds that it

Julia Taft: “It was an incredible effort, just an incredible effort, and when I think back of the role of the president at the time, he was really committed to making sure that these innocent victims and people who had been allies of the U.S., that we just didn't abandon them.

It was not a popular decision at first, although there were some people in Congress who were very helpful. Senator Kennedy is one of them. But there was high unemployment in the United States; there was still a lot of division of opinion and passions running high about who lost the war and why did we lose the war and the treatment of the veterans that were coming back.”

A transcript of the interview with Debbie Elliott and Julia Taft, “A Lesson in History: Resettling Refugees of Vietnam,” January 14, 2007

The passage and implementation of the Indochina Migration and Refugee Act reflected an ongoing conflict between

"The loss of South Vietnam to the communists would presage a loss of the remainder of the United States position in Southeast Asia. It sets forth a number of actions which the United States should be prepared to take in order to ensure victory."

Maxwell D. Taylor, “Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” memorandum, January 22, 1964

The ideas expressed in Taylor’s memorandum were most directly a reaction to

"The loss of South Vietnam to the communists would presage a loss of the remainder of the United States position in Southeast Asia. It sets forth a number of actions which the United States should be prepared to take in order to ensure victory."

Maxwell D. Taylor, “Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” memorandum, January 22, 1964

Maxwell D. Taylor’s memorandum most directly reflects which Cold War theory?

"The loss of South Vietnam to the communists would presage a loss of the remainder of the United States position in Southeast Asia. It sets forth a number of actions which the United States should be prepared to take in order to ensure victory."

Maxwell D. Taylor, “Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” memorandum, January 22, 1964

Which of the following criticisms of U.S. involvement in Vietnam most directly challenges the rationale expressed in Taylor’s memorandum?

"The loss of South Vietnam to the communists would presage a loss of the remainder of the United States position in Southeast Asia. It sets forth a number of actions which the United States should be prepared to take in order to ensure victory."

Maxwell D. Taylor, “Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” memorandum, January 22, 1964

The concerns in Taylor’s memorandum most directly influenced which of the following U.S. actions during the Vietnam War?

"The loss of South Vietnam to the communists would presage a loss of the remainder of the United States position in Southeast Asia. It sets forth a number of actions which the United States should be prepared to take in order to ensure victory."

Maxwell D. Taylor, “Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” memorandum, January 22, 1964

Which of the following developments in the Vietnam War most directly reflected the strategies proposed in Taylor’s memorandum?