Download the HES-70/71 hamlet evaluation dataset

Downloads and caches the Hamlet Evaluation System data from the HES-70 and HES-71 instruments, covering monthly hamlet-level security and development assessments from 1969 to 1974. For the 1967-1969 HAMLA period, see get_hes_hamla.

Usage

get_hes70(cache = TRUE, force = FALSE)

Format

A data frame with 693,862 rows and 160 variables. Key variables include:

us_hamlet_id: U.S. hamlet identifier.
corps_region_code: Corps region code.
province_code: Province code.
district_code: District code.
village_code: Village code.
hamlet_code: Hamlet code.
rectp_record_type: Record type.
date: Evaluation month.

Source

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, MD (RG 472). Electronic records collected by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). Source files: Hamlet Evaluation System HES-70 and HES-71. See Smith (2025) and its Online Appendix for full archival accession details.

Arguments

cache: Logical. If TRUE (default), the downloaded file is saved locally and reused on subsequent calls without re-downloading.
force: Logical. If TRUE, re-downloads the file even if a cached copy already exists. Default is FALSE.

Value

A data frame with 693,862 rows and 160 variables.

Details

Each row is a hamlet-month evaluation record.

References

Smith, Gregory L. (2025). "Beyond body counts: Vietnam war ground combat data." Conflict Management and Peace Science. doi:10.1177/07388942251391081

Examples

if (FALSE) { # \dontrun{
  hes70 <- get_hes70()
  head(hes70)
} # }