During 1965 and 1966 when the possibility of creating a U.S. riverine force for operations in the Mekong Delta was being discussed, there were three basic considerations that weighed heavily in favor of the force: a tradition of past American success in riverine operations, particularly Union operations in the Mississippi basin during the Civil War; the success more recently archived by the French in riverine operations during the Indochina War under conditions that appeared to have changed little during the years that had intervened; and, most important. a situation in the Mekong Delta that seemed ripe for exploitation by a riverine force.
220 pages
