Times of Change Readings 1-3

A Dubious Crusade

Dubious - giving rise to uncertainty as of doubtful promise or outcome.
Crusade - A series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end.

Warren is saying that the Vietnam War was a conflict whose causes, as well as whose goals, were uncertain. It could relate to how in the mid-70's America was beginning to lose faith quickly in the national government following Vietnam and Watergate.

History

The main idea is that the history of Vietnam is one of a lot of violence.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The main thesis of the essay is that the entire Vietnam War was built on a lie.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a resolution passed overwhemingly by Congress authorizing president Johnson to take action in Vietnam.
He uses the testimony of William Fulbright as evidence.
This essay also states that the causes of the war were very uncertain.