In The Best and the Brightest, David Halberstam describes Rufus Phillips coming before President Kennedy during the Vietnam War and "admitting the failures of his own program, in itself a remarkable moment in the American bureaucracy, a moment of intellectual honesty." With that same honesty, Phillips gives an extraordinary inside history of the most critical years of American involvement in Vietnam, from 1954 to 1968, and explains why it still matters. Describing what went right and then wrong, he argues that the United ...
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In The Best and the Brightest, David Halberstam describes Rufus Phillips coming before President Kennedy during the Vietnam War and "admitting the failures of his own program, in itself a remarkable moment in the American bureaucracy, a moment of intellectual honesty." With that same honesty, Phillips gives an extraordinary inside history of the most critical years of American involvement in Vietnam, from 1954 to 1968, and explains why it still matters. Describing what went right and then wrong, he argues that the United States missed an opportunity to help the South Vietnamese develop a political cause as compelling as that of the Communists by following a"big war" strategy based on World War II perceptions. This led the Americans to mistaken assumptions that they could win the war themselves and give the country back to the Vietnamese. Documenting the story from his own private files as well as from the historical record, the former CIA officer paints thumbnail sketches of such key figures as John F. Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor, Robert McNamara, Hubert Humphrey, and Ngo Dinh Diem, among others with whom he interacted. Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that the Americans'failure to understand the Communists, their South Vietnamese allies, or even themselves took them down the wrong roads. In summing up U.S. errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the U.S. approach that the American public can support. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this long awaited account that must not be overlooked.
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Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $2.53, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Naval Institute Press.
Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $6.87, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by US Naval Institute Press.
Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $6.87, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by US Naval Institute Press.
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Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $6.89, good condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by US Naval Institute Press.
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Good. We flipped through this book and didn't notice any notes or underlines. The dust jacket shows noticeable wear and tear. This is a hardcover copy. Fast Shipping-Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!
Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $8.99, good condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by US Naval Institute Press.
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Good. THIS BOOK IS A LIBRARY DONATION THAT REMAINS IN FINE READABLE AND COMPLETE CONDITION. MAY HAVE A SMALL LIBRARY STICKER. Former Library book. hardcover 100% of proceeds go to charity! Good condition with all pages in tact. Item shows signs of use and may have cosmetic defects.
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Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $15.00, like new condition, Sold by Warren Hahn rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pleasant View, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Naval Institute Press.
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As New in Fine jacket. Book. 10 1/4h x 7 1/2w. A real nice clean unmarked 428 page first printing (stated) hardcover Has two black & white photo sections. Phillips gives an extraordinary inside history of the most critical years of American involvement in Vietnam, from 1954 to 1968, and explains why it still matters. Describing what went right and then wrong, he argues that the United States missed an opportunity to help the South Vietnamese develop a political cause as compelling as that of the Communists by following a "big war" strategy based on World War II perceptions. This led the Americans to mistaken assumptions that they could win the war themselves and give the country back to the Vietnamese.
Add this copy of Why Vietnam Matters: an Eyewitness Account of Lessons to cart. $24.75, like new condition, Sold by Sequitur Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Boonsboro, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Naval Institute Press.
