Letter from Franz Schurmann to Senator Gale McGee, February 7, 1966

Schurmann, a history professor, writes to McGee. He attaches an open letter to congress, in which he warns that America’s bombing of North Vietnam could lead to a much larger war with China. He urged Congress to fully debate why the U.S. was in Vietnam, arguing that the real issue was containing China’s rise to power, and said that without open discussion, America risked sliding into an unnecessary and dangerous war.