Synopses & Reviews
The Blood Road Could the United States have won the Vietnam War if it had been able to cut off the Viet Cong from their North Vietnamese support by severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail? Acclaimed historian John Prados tackles this crucial question in an elegant, unprecedented, and exciting work of historical scholarship. Built as a vital gateway inside a divided nation, the Ho Chi Minh Trail embodied the dreams and aspirations of an entire people. As the North Vietnamese struggled to open and sustain The Trail, the American and South Vietnamese forces struggled to close ita life-and-death contest that tells the intricate and dramatic story of the Vietnam War in microcosm. The Blood Road recounts this complex story with unprecedented depth and clarity. The Ho Chi Minh Trailwhose flow of troops, civilians, and armaments became the lifeblood of a long campaign toward violent victorywas Hanois only connection by land to South Vietnam. Ultimately comprising more than twelve thousand miles of roads and paths through some of the worlds harshest geography, The Trail and the epic struggle behind building and crossing it became the central experience for an entire generation. Graves filling 72 military cemeteries in Vietnam stand as silent, grisly testimony to the notorious roads devastating toll. Aided by formerly secret government documents and previously unavailable oral histories, memoirs, and interviews, Prados explores all sides of the conflict, providing details of the action in Hanoi and North Vietnam and avoiding the narrowly focused battle histories, atomized individual accounts, and overly generalized vision that have dominated previous histories. Prados considers each of the multiple perspectives that shaped the conflict: the struggle of the Vietnamese soldiers in the jungles, the heroism of American troops, the highly influential antiwar protests of the period, the intricate machinations of the generals and diplomats, and the lingering impact on the people and governments of neighboring Laos and Cambodia. With this book, Prados achieves an illuminating and pathbreaking reassessment of the centurys most ambivalently perceived war. Resonant and carefully crafted, The Blood Road makes for absorbing, indispensable reading.
Synopsis
"Enormously illuminating. . . . John Prados can lead a reader, from the ?battle buff? to the expert, through the series of campaigns near the DMZ and along Route 9 better than any other author I have read. . . . His understanding of the decision-making process in Hanoi is nuanced and sophisticated. . . . A first-rate book from a first-rate scholar."?Robert K. Brigham, Vassar College
"The most comprehensive treatment yet of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and its place in the war."?Washington Post
"An excellent book about one of the most important facets of the Vietnam War. . . . From now on it will be irresponsible for any Vietnam War scholar to deal with the strategy for this still controversial conflict without referring to The Blood Road, a thoughtful, painstakingly researched book."?The Quarterly Journal of Military History
"A valuable work of interest to all scholars of the Vietnam War."?Journal of Military History
Could the United States have won the Vietnam War if it had been able to cut off the Viet Cong from their North Vietnamese support by severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail? Acclaimed historian John Prados tackles this crucial question in this elegant, unprecedented, and exciting work of historical scholarship. Aided by recently declassified government documents and previously unavailable oral histories, memoirs, and interviews, Prados explores all sides of the conflict, providing details of the action in Hanoi and North Vietnam and avoiding the narrowly focused battle histories, atomized individual accounts, and overly generalized visions dominating previous histories.
A History Book Club Selection
About the Author
JOHN PRADOS, Ph.D., is the author of nine other books on military history, including Combined Fleet Decoded, Hidden History of the Vietnam War, Valley of Decision, Keeper of the Keys, and Presidents Secret Wars.
Table of Contents
"Plainly a Gateway to Southeast Asia": 1954-1960.
Ants and Elephants: 1961-1962.
The Watershed: 1962-1963.
The Battle Joined: 1963-1964.
Dark Road Ahead: 1964-1965.
The World and The 'Nam.
Squeezing Hanoi: 1965-1966.
Indian Country: 1966-1967.
Forks in the Road: 1967.
Fire in the Night: 1968.
Pinball Wizards: 1968-1969.
A Strategy of Force: 1969-1970.
No Plug in the Funnel: 1971.
The Road Turns South: 1971-1975.
Afterword.
Notes.
Index.