Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945-1975The Vietnam war continues to be the focus of intense controversy. While most people—liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, historians, pundits, and citizens alike—agree that the United States did not win the war, a vocal minority argue the opposite or debate why victory never came, attributing the quagmire to everything from domestic politics to the press. The military never lost a battle, how then did it not win the war? Stepping back from this overheated fray, bestselling author John Prados takes a fresh look at both the war and the debates about it to produce a much-needed and long-overdue reassessment of one of our nation's most tragic episodes. Drawing upon several decades of research-including recently declassified documents, newly available presidential tapes, and a wide range of Vietnamese and other international sources—Prados's magisterial account weaves together multiple perspectives across an epic-sized canvas where domestic politics, ideologies, nations, and militaries all collide. Prados patiently pieces back together the events and moments, from the end of World War II until our dispiriting departure from Vietnam in 1975, that reveal a war that now appears to have been truly unwinnable—due to opportunities lost, missed, ignored, or refused. He shows how—from the Truman through the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations—American leaders consistently ignored or misunderstood the realities in Southeast Asia and passed up every opportunity to avoid war in the first place or avoid becoming ever more mired in it after it began. Highlighting especially Ike's seminal and long-lasting influence on our Vietnam policy, Prados demonstrates how and why our range of choices narrowed with each passing year, while our decision-making continued to be distorted by Cold War politics and fundamental misperceptions about the culture, psychology, goals, and abilities of both our enemies and our allies in Vietnam. By turns engaging narrative history, compelling analytic treatise, and moving personal account, Prados's magnum opus challenges previous authors and should rightfully take its place as the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate one-volume account of a war that—judging by the frequent analogies to the current war in Iraq—has not yet really ended for any of us. |
Contents
Veterans at War | 1 |
A Splendid Little War | 13 |
Many Roads to Quagmire 19541960 | 39 |
Loose the Fateful Lightning 19611964 | 62 |
Burnished Rows of Steel 19641965 | 102 |
A Hundred Circling Camps 19651967 | 133 |
Trampling Out the Vintage 1967 | 174 |
Tet Mau Than | 223 |
Crush the Serpent under Heel 1969 | 288 |
Dim and Flaring Lamps 19691971 | 316 |
Die to Make Men Free 1970 | 354 |
Sound Forth the Trumpet 1971 | 404 |
Evening Dews and Damps 19711972 | 455 |
Sifting Out the Hearts of Men 1972 | 488 |
The Truth Comes Marching Home | 518 |
634 | |
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Abrams action Air Force American April ARVN attack battalions battle became began bombing Bundy Cambodia campaign commander Committee communist Corps COSVN coup decision declassified defense Diem Diem's Dien Bien Phu Dinh diplomatic Division draft efforts Eisenhower Ellsberg enemy fighting French Giap Haig Haiphong Haldeman Hanoi History Indochina intelligence John Kennedy Khanh Khe Sanh Kissinger Laird Laos later LBJ's leaders Liberation Front Lyndon Johnson MACV March Marine McNamara memorandum ment namese National Security negotiations Nguyen Nguyen Van Thieu North offensive officers operations pacification peace Pentagon Papers People's Army percent political President Johnson presidential protesters Quang Quoted reports Richard Nixon Robert Rostow Saigon secret Senate soldiers South Vietnamese Soviet strategy tactics talks Thieu tion told took troops United University Press veterans vets Viet Vietminh Vietnam Vietnam War VVAW Washington Westmoreland White House withdrawal York