Their estimates of the situation were the opposite.[1] Mecklin wrote afterwards that it "was a remarkable assignment, to travel twenty-four thousand miles and assess a situation as complex as Vietnam and return in just four days. It was a symptom of the state the US Government was in".[7] The mission was marked by the tension between its leaders. Mendenhall and Krulak intensely disliked one another, speaking to each other only when necessary.[7][8] Mecklin and Krulak became embroiled in a dispute during the return flight.