In the midst of the Vietnam War, two titans of the Senate, J. William Fulbright and John C. Stennis, held public hearings to debate the conflict's future. In this intriguing new work, historian Joseph A. Fry provides the first comparative analysis of these inquiries and the senior southern Senators who led them.   The Senators' shared aim was to alter the Johnson administration's strategy and bring an end to the war—but from dramatically different perspectives. Fulbright hoped to pressure Johnson to halt escalation and seek a negotiated settlement, while Stennis wanted to prompt the President to bomb North Vietnam more aggressively and secure a victorious end to the war. Publicized and televised, these hearings added fuel to the fire of national debate over Vietnam policy and captured the many arguments of both hawks and doves.   Fry details the dramatic confrontations between the Senate committees and the administration spokesmen, Dean Rusk and Robert McNamara, and he probes the success of congressional efforts to influence Vietnam policy. Ultimately, Fry shows how the Fulbright and Stennis hearings provide vivid insight into the debate over why the United States was involved in Vietnam and how the war should be conducted.

"Vivid retellings of testimonies by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Maxwell Taylor, and others enliven the text. These hearings were vital public education forums, and in the case of Fulbright's hearings, made opposition to the war respectable. Fry's book is strongly recommended." - Library Journal

"Those interested in Congress's role during the Vietnam War could do no better than this superb work. Highly recommended." - CHOICE

"Well researched and written. Debating Vietnam effectively uses the records from both Senate inquiries and draws on the relevant secondary literature. Fry's examination . . . is an important contribution to understanding the evolution of congressional and presidential relations in Vietnam." - Journal of Southern History, February 2008

"Fry handles his subject well, with a lively mix of narrative and analysis. . . . As well as helping to fill a niche in the literature on the Vietnam War, the publication of the book is also timely. Readers will find Fry's analysis of the domestic political dynamics of the period an illuminating insight into more recent events and another seemingly intractable conflict overseas. . . . A welcome addition." - International History Review, March 2008

"Those new to the war (including students) will find Fry's expert, tight, and accessible rendering an excellent introduction to big issues of lasting importance." - The Historian