Using the life of one man as his framework, Sheehan (The Arnheiter
Affair, 1971) has written the best book on America's involvement in
Vietnam since Frances Fitzgerald's Fire in the Lake. John Paul Vann
was a visionary as well as a gung-ho army officer. Arriving in
Saigon in 1962 as a Lt. Colonel, Vann soon perceived something
amiss in the US approach to the blossoming war. The American-backed
ruling family, the Ngo Dinhs, were considered foreigners by most of
the population; the ARVN existed primarily to protect them and
generate graft; and American-supplied weapons were going almost
directly to the Vier Cong. Vann was quick to realize that until the
US took the loyalties and traditions of the population into
account, it would be pouring lives and money into the quagmire to
no avail. Vann was to retire and return to Vietnam as a civilian in
the Foreign Service before he was listened to; eventually, he was
regarded as one of the best minds in the field, and his ideas were
adopted (too late to change the outcome) at the highest levels; he
died there in a helicopter accident in 1972. Sheehan, a friend of
Vann's and one of the many newsmen whose understanding of the war
was shaped by him (changing the press's relationship with the
military), conducted close to 400 interviews and did exhaustive
research to put together this brutal, honest, exciting, often funny
book. His canvas is broad, filled with neatly integrated historical
information, sharply observed portraits (from policy level on
down), tactical and logistic detail, and insightful political
analysis, along with the biography of a fascinating and uniquely
American character. (Kirkus Reviews)
Outspoken, professional and fearless, Lt.Col.John Paul Vann went to Vietnam in 1962, full of confidence in America's might and right to prevail. He was soon appalled by the South Vietnamese troops' unwillingness to fight, by their random slaughter of civilians and by the arrogance and corruption of the US military. He flouted his supervisors and leaked his sharply pessimistic - and, as it turned out, accurate - assessments to the US press corps in Saigon. Among them was Sheehan, who became fascinated by the angry Vann, befriended him and followed his tragic and reckless career.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
