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"The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C."- H. R. McMaster (from the Conclusion)
Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning new analysis of how and why the United States became involved in an all-out and disastrous war in Southeast Asia. Fully and convincingly researched, based on recently released transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. It also pinpoints the policies and decisions that got the United States into the morass and reveals who made these decisions and the motives behind them, disproving the published theories of other historians and excuses of the participants.
Dereliction Of Duty covers the story in strong narrative fashion, focusing on a fascinating cast of characters: President Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, General Maxwell Taylor, McGeorge Bundy and other top aides who deliberately deceived the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Congress and the American public.
Sure to generate controversy, Dereliction Of Duty is an explosive and authoritative new look at the controversy concerning the United States involvement in Vietnam.
Anonymous
Posted August 25, 2008
Dereliction of Duty is a truly outstanding work. Thoroughly researched and documented. As a former infantry officer who served from 1966 to 1969 (and still a hawk)I believe Johnson and McNamara should have gone to prison for their actions, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff court martialed. They were not fit to serve. Sadly, the same poor leadership exists today.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 10, 2005
This is a must read for anyone interested in LBJ, his terms in office, McNamara and our nation's manipulation into a situation which could have been avoided in Vietnam. Hindsight is 20/20 but it looks like we still haven't learned.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 28, 2004
As a Vietnam Veteran, of the many books written on the subject, there have been only a handfull that MUST be read to understand Vietnam. This book is one of them. LBJ and his gang should have ended up in the dock at the Hague being tried for war crimes.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 23, 2003
So shocking you will wonder how the Vietnam war ever really started. You will then see how secretly it was planned by LBJ, McNamara, and the rest of the incompetants, including the cowardly Joint Chiefs of Staff who had no backbone to stand up and fight against what was innately wrong from the start. This is the sixth book I have read on Vietnam and what a shocker....Do not take for truth what any White House politician says..ALWAYS question their motivations for what they do and say, and then VOTE your conscience when the time comes, and hopefully our world will never experience another LBJ or McNamara again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 28, 2006
There were important reasons McNamara and company ignored the Joint Chiefs... The Air force was bombing the hell out of north vietam and the ho chi minh trail to no avail. This went on for 3 years. The Joint Chiefs refused to believe the common sense that the U.S. was not going to defeat an extremely dedicated guerrila enemy (in their homeland) in a war of attrition. Mcnamara knew this and ultimately got fired for being a pessimist. Johnson and McNamara were trying to appease the military command in vietnam the best they could while basically protecting the southern government while trying to reach a diplomatic solution with the stubborn norhern government. Easier said than done... The demands by the joint chiefs could have easily expanded the war further into Indochina involving both Communist China and the U.S.S.R. Anyone that understands the Vietnam war should understand that on a international level it was political conflict more than a military one, therefore it needed a political solution. Don't Believe me... just look at Iraq. How are we gonna win that war militarily??... Maybe the joint chiefs will know.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 5, 2001
This stellar work almost brings one to tears of frustration as they discover the apathy and cowardice with which LBJ, his advisors, and to a lesser extent the Joint Chiefs, approached the conflict in Vietnam. The callousness Johnson and McNamara displayed as they sent American troops to die in a war they had no intention of prosecuting to the fullest made me sick with rage. Furthermore, the collective refusal of the Joint Chiefs to put intraservice rivalries aside and condemn a strategy which they knew could only lead to failure was a betrayal of the soliders under their command. 'Dereliction of Duty' shows why politicians should be prevented from meddling in military strategy, and reminds us that we must take great care with foreign policy decisions that could get American boys killed.
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Posted February 7, 2001
Extremely academic and logical prosecution of those who are to be held responsible for the failure of the Vietnam War. Well researched and thoroughly laid out, the book's premise must be considered by any future author or historian covering virtually any aspect of the Vietnam War.
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Posted November 25, 2011
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Posted February 10, 2010
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Posted November 15, 2009
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Posted November 6, 2008
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Posted May 2, 2012
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Overview
Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning new analysis of how and why the United States became involved in an all-out and disastrous war in Southeast Asia. Fully and convincingly researched, based on recently released transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. It also pinpoints the policies and decisions that got the United States into the morass and reveals who made these decisions and the ...