Synopses & Reviews
Comprehensive yet concise, Americas Longest War provides a complete and balanced history of the Vietnam War. It is not mainly a military history, but seeks to integrate military, diplomatic, and political factors in order to clarify Americas involvement and ultimate failure in Vietnam. While it focuses on the American side of the equation, it provides sufficient consideration of the Vietnamese side to make the events comprehensible.
Table of Contents
1: A Dead-End Alley: The United States, France, and the First Indochina War,1950-1954 CHAPTER 2: Our Offspring: Nation Building in South Vietnam, 1954-1961 CHAPTER 3: Limited Partnership: Kennedy and Diem, 1961-1963 CHAPTER 4: Enough, but Not Too Much: Johnson's Decisions for War, 1963-1965 CHAPTER 5: On the Tiger's Back: The United States at War, 1965-1967 CHAPTER 6: A Very Near Thing: The Tet Offensive and After, 1968 CHAPTER 7: A War for Peace: Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam, 1969-1973 CHAPTER 8: A "Postwar War" and the Legacy of Vietnam Suggestions for Additional Reading Index Maps