• Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Skip to content
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
HistoryNet

HistoryNet

The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet.

  • Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
Posted inStories

Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97

“Politically, people can’t understand why we would run grave risks to support a country which is totally unable to put its own house in order," wrote Hughes, suggesting U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.
by Zita Ballinger Fletcher1/12/20233/31/2024
Hughes advised LBJ to seek a peace settlement with North Vietnam rather than involve American troops in a ground war. (U.S. National Archives)
Share This Article

Thomas L. Hughes, former foreign policy advisor and Vietnam War critic within the administrations of U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, died Jan. 2, 2023.

A Midwesterner from Mankato, Minn., Hughes was born Dec. 11, 1925. Developing an interest in politics, he became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, attended Yale Law School, and rose quickly in the political world after arriving in Washington, D.C. in 1955.

Hughes directed the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) on behalf of the U.S. State Department in the 1960s, serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 1961 to 1969.

Hughes was critical of the Vietnam War and helped LBJ’s Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, draw up a memorandum in 1965 outlining various reasons why the war was not worth fighting.

In the memo, Hughes wrote that a “full-scale military attack” against North Vietnam would “postpone any progress on arms control… weaken our position in the United Nations; it might require a call-up of reservists if we were to get involved in a large-scale land war—and a consequent increase in defense expenditures…finally and most important it would damage the image of the President of the United States—and that of the United States itself.”

“American wars have to be politically understandable by the American public,” Hughes went in the memo. “In World Wars I and II we had this…From a political viewpoint, the American people find it hard to understand why we risk World War III by enlarging a war under terms we found unacceptable 12 years ago in Korea, particularly since the chances of success are slimmer.”

Hughes questioned what American goals were in Vietnam and criticized the instability of the South Vietnamese government, adding, “Politically, people can’t understand why we would run grave risks to support a country which is totally unable to put its own house in order.”

He suggested that Johnson withdraw. “The best possible outcome a year from now would be a Vietnam settlement which turns out to be better than was in the cards because the President’s political talents for the first time came to grips with a fateful world crisis and so successfully.”

Johnson however did not heed the memorandum and subsequently excluded Vice President Humphrey from matters relating to Vietnam, according to The Washington Post, although he left Hughes in his position.

Hughes subsequently served as deputy ambassador to Britain and retired from government work in 1970. He became president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 1971-1991, where he continued to pursue his interests in foreign policy.

Share This Article
by Zita Ballinger Fletcher

Zita is the editor of both Military History Quarterly and Vietnam Magazine. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in military history. She received an award from the National Federation of Press Women in 2022 for her editing work on Vietnam Magazine. She has written numerous military history books, articles and book reviews and is also an award-winning author. Her book “Bernard Montgomery’s Art of War” won a Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. She is fluent in German and is a member of the U.K. Military Historical Society. Her areas of interest include the Vietnam War and World Wars I and II, with a focus on Great Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe.

more by Zita Ballinger Fletcher

    Citation information

    Zita Ballinger Fletcher (6/21/2025) Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/.
    "Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97."Zita Ballinger Fletcher - 6/21/2025, https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/
    Zita Ballinger Fletcher 1/12/2023 Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97., viewed 6/21/2025,<https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/>
    Zita Ballinger Fletcher - Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97. [Internet]. [Accessed 6/21/2025]. Available from: https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/
    Zita Ballinger Fletcher. "Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97." Zita Ballinger Fletcher - Accessed 6/21/2025. https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/
    "Thomas Hughes, Vietnam War Advisor And Foreign Policy Expert, Dies At Age 97." Zita Ballinger Fletcher [Online]. Available: https://www.historynet.com/thomas-hughes-vietnam-war/. [Accessed: 6/21/2025]

    Related stories

    Stories

    Portfolio: Images of War as Landscape

    Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, […]

    Stories

    Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot

    In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

    Buffalo Bill Cody
    Stories

    10 Pivotal Events in the Life of Buffalo Bill

    William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) led a signal life, from his youthful exploits with the Pony Express and in service as a U.S. Army scout to his globetrotting days as a showman and international icon Buffalo Bill.

    ww2-homefront-poster-war-bond
    Portfolio

    During the War Years, Posters From the American Homefront Told You What to Do — And What Not to Do

    If you needed some motivation during the war years, there was probably a poster for that.

    HistoryNet
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”

    David McCullough, author of “1776”

    HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the world’s largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines.

    Our Magazines

    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II

    About Us

    • What Is HistoryNet.com?
    • Advertise With Us
    • Careers
    • Meet Our Staff!

    Stay Curious

    Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians.

    sign me up!

    © 2025 HistoryNet.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service