The ""final offensive,"" an insurgent campaign fought after El Salvador's coup of 1979, clearly demonstrated the strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, and behaviour of the Salvadoran officer corps. During this crucial period, the military institution faced the double threat of internal politics and a rebel guerrilla army. Colonel Bosch served as the U.S. Embassy's Defense and Army Attache during the crisis. His intimate perspective brings to life the important political and military events before, during and after the final offensive. His book gives an historical perspective as well, tracing the development of officer attitudes from 1931 to 1979. The Armed Forces political crisis of 1979 and 1980 is discussed, followed by a detailed recounting of the offensive itself. The results of the offensive are analysed, including the short-lived cohesiveness shown by the officer corps and the divisiveness that lasted through the war and into peace. The text is complemented by a map and photographs.

Following the 1961 assassination of dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the Dominican Republic descended into a period of national turmoil and political instability, culminating in 1965 when a catastrophic civil war engulfed the capital city of Santo Domingo. The intervention of foreign troops, particularly U.S. troops, played a critical role in the multinational effort to establish a new leader in Joaquin Balaguer, a skillful civilian leader who defeated both a right wing coup and a Cuban - based guerrilla expedition, and successfully gained control of the chaotic Dominican Republic officer corps by the mid - 1970s. In this comprehensive study of the Dominican Republic's Balaguer era, the author draws upon declassified military documents and his own experiences as an army attache to the U.S. Embassy, Dominican Republic, during the early 1970s. The result is a unique, inside look at Balaguer's presidency, his skillful manipulation of rival officers and cliques, and American involvement in the political history of the Dominican Republic.