Full Description
"This book has been long needed: a concise, complete and dispassionate survey of the Vietnam War. . . . Best of all, the no-nonsense approach answers questions as soon as they arise in the reader's mind." —Kliatt
"If there is such a thing as an objective account [of the Vietnam War], this is it. . . . If you want to read one book about Vietnam, read this one." —New York Review of Books
A short, narrative history of the origins, course, and outcome of America's military involvement in Vietnam by an experienced guide to the causes and conduct of war, Larry H. Addington. He begins with a history of Vietnam before and after French occupation, the Cold War origins of American involvement, the domestic impact of American policies on public support, and the reasons for the ultimate failure of U.S. policy.
Contents
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
Some Abbreviations Used in the Text
1. The Geography and History of Vietnam to World War Two
2. The Career of Ho Chi Minh to 1939
3. World War Two and America's Collaboration with Ho
4. America and the Indochina War, 1946-1954
5. Eisenhower and the Road to the Vietnam War, 1954-60
6. Kennedy's War: Counter-Insurgency and the Fall of Diem, 1961-1963
7. Johnson's War I: To the Brink, 1964
8. Johnson's War II: The Year of the Plunge, 1965
9. Johnson's War III: Moving Toward Defeat, 1966-1967
10. Johnson's War IV: The Turning Year, 1968
11. Nixon's War I: The Strategy of Withdrawal, 1969-1970
12. Nixon's War II: The Final Round, 1971-1972
13. The Paris Peace Accords and the Fall of Indochina, 1973-1975
14. Aftermath and Summing Up
Selected Bibliography
Index
