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When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequencesby Eric Alterman
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:One of America's leading journalists examines how government's lies alter the nation's political landscape and, inevitably, threaten its own purposes. Lying has become pervasive in American life — but what happens when the falsehoods are perpetrated by the Oval Office? As the lies told by our government become more and more intricate, they begin to weave a tapestry of deception that creates problems far larger than those lied about in the first place. Eric Alterman's When Presidents Lie is a compelling historical examination of four specific post-World War II presidential lies whose consequences were greater than could ever have been predicted. FDR told the American people that peace was secure in Europe, setting the stage for McCarthyism and the cold war. John F. Kennedy's unyielding stance during the Cuban missile crisis masked his secret deal with the Soviet Union. Misrepresented aggression at the Gulf of Tonkin by the North Vietnamese gave LBJ the power to start a war. Finally, Ronald Reagan's Central American wars ended in the ignominy of the Iran-contra scandal. In light of George W. Bush's war in Iraq, which Alterman examines in the book's conclusion, When Presidents Lie is a warning — one more relevant today than ever before — that the only way to prevent these lies is America's collective demand for truth. Book News Annotation:Alterman (English, City U. of New York-Brooklyn College) helps dispel
two myths: that US presidents would never lie to the people; and that
presidential lying began only with the current occupant of the
position. Having a mere 500 pages, he does not go back farther than
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and leaves out all the subsequent presidents
except Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan, and of course Bush the
second.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Review:"A timely and insightful book." Booklist Review:"Throws bones worth chewing on long and hard." Kirkus Reviews Synopsis:Alterman's "When Presidents Lie" is a compelling historical examination of four specific post-World War II presidential lies whose consequences were greater than could ever have been predicted. Synopsis:Lying has become pervasive in American lifebut what happens when the falsehoods are perpetrated by the Oval Office? As the lies told by our government become more and more intricate, they begin to weave a tapestry of deception that creates problems far larger than those lied about in the first place. Eric Alterman's When Presidents Lie is a compelling historical examination of four specific post-World War II presidential lies whose consequences were greater than could ever have been predicted. FDR told the American people that peace was secure in Europe, setting the stage for McCarthyism and the cold war. John F. Kennedy's unyielding stance during the Cuban missile crisis masked his secret deal with the Soviet Union. Misrepresented aggression at the Gulf of Tonkin by the North Vietnamese gave LBJ the power to start a war. Finally, Ronald Reagan's Central American wars ended in the ignominy of the Iran-contra scandal. In light of George W. Bush's war in Iraq, which Alterman examines in the book's conclusion, When Presidents Lie is a warningone more relevant today than ever beforethat the only way to prevent these lies is America's collective demand for truth. About the AuthorEric Alterman writes the "Stop the Presses" media column in The Nation and the "Altercation" Web log for msnbc.com. He is the author of the bestseller What Liberal Media?. Table of ContentsContents I. Introduction: On Lies, Personal and Presidential 1 II. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and the Yalta Conference 23 III. John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis 90 IV. Lyndon B. Johnson and the Gulf of Tonkin Incidents 160 V. Ronald W. Reagan, Central America, and the Iran- Contra Scandal 238 VI. Conclusion: George W. Bush and the Post-Truth Presidency 294 Notes 315 Works Cited 407 Index 433 About the Author 448
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