One issue divided them, however: whether to commit U.S. ground forces to Vietnam as part of the escalation. McGeorge Bundy, Rusk, and McCone were sympathetic to the idea, whereas McNamara saw no military need for ground troops and stated his strong preference for bombing alone. Ball also argued against sending troops, pointing to the French experience in the Indochina war. It is a measure of Taylor’s influence on the thinking in Washington that the principals looked to him to help resolve this issue and to give his input on the final recommendations to the president.
