The Hidden History of the Vietnam War

By John Prados

Book Overview

The United States could have won the war in Vietnam if only President Lyndon Johnson had let his air generals do what they wanted...if only we had intervened massively...if only we had pursued our campaign against the Viet Cong infrastructure. These propositions and others, advanced by apologists for the American defeat in Vietnam (many of them the very generals and officials responsible for prosecuting the war), are fast becoming conventional wisdom. In The Hidden History of the Vietnam War, John Prados meets them head on. His straightforward narrative does not aim to be a comprehensive history; instead he focuses on key strategies, events, and personalities in the struggle. Mr. Prados's book draws from a broad range of evidence, including archival documents and official military government reports. By avoiding the atomized individual accounts that have characterized much of the nonfiction on Vietnam, and selecting crucial issues and battle actions, he succeeds in illuminating the high points of the Vietnam experience and puncturing the popular mythologies of the war.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566631971
• ISBN13: 9781566631976
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 347 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

good history

A collection of essays of varying quality, but with a high 'signal to noise' ratio. Prados is a serious historian, and is fair-minded on the disputes of the Vietnam War, thus avoiding some of the ideological fights which mar the subject. It's not a 'history' per se, but sheds some light on some of the issues.