Assignment to Vietnam; situation there at the time; view of Diem in late 1950s; Wolf Ladejinsky; land reform; problems with relocation program; the Montagnards; conflict with General Sam Williams; MAAG and the embassy; Williams and Diem; infiltration; executive order making the ambassador the principal representative of the U.S. government; acquiring more helicopters; Viet Cong step up effort in 1959-1960; opening up the Ho Chi Minh Trail; Sihanouk; 1960 counterinsurgency plan; JFK taking office; Can Loa Party; David Halberstam; Mrs. Nhu; Diem and interpreters; reaction to the coup; reflections on Vietnam