The session will focus on events leading to U.S. involvement in Vietnam culminating in an avoidable war with more than two million casualties, including 58,000 Americans. There will be a discussion of the French colonial era, the rise of Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, South Vietnamese politics, and U.S. policy decisions. There will also be a detailed examination of the conduct of the war, with an emphasis on tactical decisions leading to heavy casualties among Americans and their communist opponents. This will be an interactive session soliciting questions and comments.