As was the case in the United States and other European countries, there was much social criticism in the Netherlands against the American military intervention in Vietnam (1965-1973). Much of the criticism was levelled at the Dutch government. This thesis examines the tension between public opinion and the government in relation to the Vietnam War. The first Hoofdstuk deals with how the official Dutch position was formed and also looks at the history of the conflict and American attempts to involve the Netherlands in it. The second Hoofdstuk examines the increasing social and political criticism in 1965 and 1966 of American presence in South Vietnam. The criticism did not leave Cals's centrist-left cabinet unscathed (1965-1966). However, the criticism did not bring about a change in policy on Vietnam. The Catholic Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Luns, continued to support the American action, mainly as an attempt to maintain unity within NATO. The third Hoofdstuk pauses to assess the controversy between parliament and the new centrist-right De Jong cabinet in 1967 and 1968. The reason was the decision of De Jong's cabinet to disregard a motion of parliament on the Vietnam War. The motion called on the government to urge the Americans to cease their bombardment of North Vietnam. The Hoofdstuk shows that critical voices from parliament, especially from the confessional government parties, worried the government. The controversy was fuelled by the leftist opposition, led by the PvdA. By taking a strong stance on the Vietnam War, this party tried to increase the dissension among the Christian governing parties. Finally, in February 1968, and by way of compromise, Luns started an initiative for an international call for peace. This initiative foundered in its infancy. The fourth Hoofdstuk deals with the protest against the arrests of people carrying posters with the slogan 'Johnson war criminal' in the spring of 1968. This slogan had been banned in the Netherlands as an insult against a 'friendly head of state'. ...