11. Myth: American commanders’ hands were tied by interference of politicians and bureaucrats in Washington
In June of 1965, the senior American commander in South Vietnam, William C. Westmoreland, was given permission to commit the rapidly strengthening American combat forces in Vietnam to battle where and when he saw fit to support the forces of South Vietnam. Westmoreland asked for a ground combat force of 44 battalions, and after the requisite debate and discussion in Washington, which at first only wanted to send 34 battalions, “Westy” as he was called by the troops, got what he asked for. Forty-four battalions equaled just under 200,000 men, and as the troops deployed to Vietnam throughout the remainder of 1965, American strength, and the authority to use it rested in Westmoreland’s hands and judgment.