Eisenhower and Dulles had their own doubts about the prospects in Vietnam, and in particular about the Diem government’s long-term viability, but they did not waver in their determination. To do nothing would risk the loss of all of Indochina, and that remained anathema to them, for geopolitical as well as domestic political reasons. Accordingly, the administration moved energetically to reorganize and retrain the Vietnamese National Army, eventually winning the acquiescence of the Joint Chiefs in doing so.
