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For years the popular myth surrounding the Vietnam War was that the Joint Chiefs of Staff knew what it would take to win but were consistently thwarted or ignored by the politicians in power. Now H. R. McMaster shatters this and other misconceptions about the military and Vietnam in Dereliction of Duty. Himself a West Point graduate, McMaster painstakingly waded through every memo and report concerning Vietnam from every meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to build a comprehensive picture of a house divided against itself: a president and his coterie of advisors obsessed with keeping Vietnam from becoming a political issue versus the Joint Chiefs themselves, mired in interservice rivalries and unable to reach any unified goals or conclusions about the country's conduct in the war.
McMaster stresses two elements in his discussion of America's failure in Vietnam: the hubris of Johnson and his advisors and the weakness of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dereliction of Duty provides both a thorough exploration of the military's role in determining Vietnam policy and a telling portrait of the men most responsible.
Book Description
"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.
Customer Reviews:
A Timeless Classic!.......2007-08-28
The Vietnam War took the lives of 58,000 Americans and over one million Vietnamese, while consuming billions of U.S. dollars and leaving Vietnam in ruins. It also led Americans to question the integrity of their government as never before.
McMaster provides a detailed history of the top-level decision-making in Washington regarding the war. Readers clearly realize that while General Taylor (then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Secretary Mcnamara consistently withheld, watered-down, and misrepresented JCS views to LBJ, McNamara also bent Vietnamese leadership positions to his own and kept the JCS out of the decision-making loop to create a greatly "overstated" sense of unanimity.
The JCS, however, were far from blameless. Some allowed themselves to be bought off in return for service enlargement (Marines), reappointing General LeMay despite his bombastic attitude (Air Force), or maintenance within the existing power structure (Navy). Meanwhile, the group never seemed to get beyond inter-service rivalry - eg. the Air Force proposing "solutions" that featured bombing, the Marines proposing multiple point invasion and enclave-holding, etc. About the only thing they agreed on was that Mcnamara's strategy of limited response was doomed to failure - the French had already failed with 500,000 troops in North Vietnam, and an early Pentagon war game had eerily predicted the eventual direction of the war.
Why LBJ's direction? On the one hand, he feared being blamed for losing Vietnam to the Communists (aka Truman vs. China), while on the other did not want to detract from his re-election efforts and subsequent passage of the Great Society initiative through Congress.
Other reasons for the JCS' silence include the "lesson" of Truman vs. MacArthur, early training on allegiance to civilian control (however, this also include Congress, which also ended up woefully misinformed).
Mcmaster concludes that the Vietnam War was not lost in the field, nor on college campuses, nor the pages of the New York Times - rather it was lost in Washington, almost from the beginning.
What have we learned from "Dereliction of Duty?" At one point, it was "recommended" reading at the Pentagon's top level. On the other hand, General Sinseki clearly was pushed out prior to the Iraq War for telling the truth, as was Bush's chief economic advisor (Lindsay) for giving an unvarnished economic estimate of projected costs. Other lower-level generals have resigned to speak out rather than continue to support the Iraq War. At the same time, General Powell, in his new role as Secretary of State also failed to model forthright and assertive behavior to rebut Cheney, Rumsfeld et al, while Secretary Rumsfeld clearly failed to learn anything from McNamara's failures. Meanwhile, the book's author (Mcmaster) has been passed over twice so far for further promotion to Brigadier General.
Bottom Line: I do not question the loyalty or integrity of those in current military leadership positions. However, we have still managed to repeat the Vietnam leadership failures in Iraq.
Interesting subject matter, bad book.......2007-04-03
The subject of the is book is very interesting, so I struggled through to the end (with plenty of skimming), but this guy can't tell a story. Too dry, too long, no sense of style.
Tayloe Nickey
Recent history ignored - again.......2007-03-24
This book presents a lacerating indictment of Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other ancillary characters in the run-up to the Vietnam War. Short sighted political thinking on the part of Johnson, equally short-sighted inter-service rivalries amongst the Joint Chiefs (as well as a failure to speak out in the face of idiotic strategic military decision making), and a hubristic sense of infallibility on the part of McNamara are described - with compelling historical evidence - as the key sources of the fiasco. The parallels with the war in Iraq are obvious. A disturbing work that once again demonstrates that far too many political and military leaders are seemingly incapable of (a) learning from history, and (b) acting on anything but the most narrow, short-term agendas - mostly centered around the advancement of their careers.
Made me realize that we might be heading in same direction!.......2007-02-18
I was blown away by DERILECTION OF DUTY, written and read by
H.R. McMaster . . . though written some 10 years ago, it is perhaps
even more relevant now than it was then because of the Iraq conflict.
McMaster, a West Point graduate, thoroughly researched the
decisions that led to the conflict in Vietnam . . . he points out that
we were repeatedly lied to as a nation, not only by President
Johnson, but by Robert McNamara, Maxwell Taylor, and a whole
host of other individuals.
In retrospect, I'm glad that "only" 58,000 Americans died
from that conflict . . . but what scared me the most in listening to
this book was that we seem to be heading in the same direction!
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".......2007-01-22
The above quotation from George Santayana perfectly explains why Major McMaster's 1997 book is so richly relevant today. The debacle that was the Viet Nam War is a story of hubris, intransigence, misplaced ideology and unbridled ego that led to the needless deaths of 58,209 American soldiers and over a million Vietnamese.
The war was predicated on a lie, maintained by lies and even today, thirty years later, most of what we think we know about the war turns out to be lies.
The war led to the downfall of at least two presidents, and even more importantly, world opinion toward the United States. Our national policy since the defeat in Hanoi has been one of "trying to recover our national dignity" at home and trying to rekindle trembling respect in the world community.
It is supremely ironic therefore that the policymakers who could benefit most from the lessons of Viet Nam seem not to have studied the facts behind the lies, and instead rely on some of the same failed advisors whose faulty military strategy got us into this mess. It is not only ironic but appalling.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 1998. The length of the article is 885 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam. (book reviews)
Author: Wesley T. Wooley
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1998
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: v33
Issue: n2
Page: p330(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Center for the Study of the Presidency on January 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1417 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam.
Author: Robert Previdi
Publication:
Presidential Studies Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1998
Publisher: Center for the Study of the Presidency
Volume: v28
Issue: n1
Page: p239(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- These characters are off-the-chain REAL!!!
- You won't stop thinking about Ben & Josie
- Loose Lips & What we did for love
- THIS STORY SHOULD NEVER END!!!!
- I love this book! I love this book!
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What We Did For Love
Teresa McClain Watson
Manufacturer: Kimani Press
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Customer Reviews:
These characters are off-the-chain REAL!!!.......2007-02-15
I so love Teresa McClain-Watson's writing, I've read all of her books including Plenty Good Room. I first read "Surviving Mr. Right" and enjoyed it so much (such wit and humor) that I immediately looked for another by her. When I found "Loose Lips", I was at first skeptical because reading the summary, it didn't sound that interesting but LORD was I wrong!! Thankfully. Of all of her characters, Ben and Josie had me the most enthralled! I absolutely love them. Ben is beyond sexy and Josie just pure cracks me up. But I can identify with her too. The conflict between the two (personality, age, interests, etc.) makes for thrilling reading and I couldn't put the book down. I've read both "Loose Lips" and "What We Did For Love" at least five times over already and I'll continue to do so. I never get tired of Ben and Josie. Please Mrs. Watson, bring on some more. We readers need it!
You won't stop thinking about Ben & Josie.......2006-07-17
This followup book will keep you wanting more!! I totally enjoyed Loose Lips and actually loved What We Did even more. Josie is growing up and it was fullfilling to see the tables turned with a jealous Ben. I am actually reading this book again now that Josie and I have finally understood the depth of Ben's love. Some slight continuation errors but overall, just Awesome!! To the Author: Please let there be another book, this story is NOT finished, not by a long shot!!
Loose Lips & What we did for love.......2006-03-26
I am totally addicted to these two people in these books. I have read each of them back to back for as long as I have had these books..please, please, please write a sequel so that I can know what happened to Ben & Josie. I want to follow them to the end of thier lives.
THIS STORY SHOULD NEVER END!!!!.......2004-07-16
Oh My Goodness. I must say, when I picked this book up at the store I only bought it because it was the sequel to "Loose Lips". Now that I have read it, I WANT ANOTHER SEQUEL. I am so estatic to have read a book, gotten to the last page and I want to read more! The relationship between Ben & Josie is so turbulent, yet and still they are unable to give up because they are so in love with each other. They both grow a lot in this book and I want to continue to experience their growth as a couple. I want to know how the Vegas episode goes (I don't want to give the book away), I want to know how life continues for these two people. I want to know how Ben & Josie grow together. I want to know how Ben handles himself now that Josie has developed into the woman he knew she could, & the woman he wanted to see & he now has the desperate need, desire & love for her that she once openly expressed for him. I want to see Josie strong, driven, purposeful & confident in herself & their relationship. I want to hear more about Scotty & see their comraderie again. I want to see Ben smile more often & experience life as he never knew he could now that he has the woman he doesn't want to live without.
This is the best sequel ever!! It doesn't overshadow its predecessor but instead compliments it perfectly. If you want to lose yourself in a book, get sad, get angry, get happy & experience written suspence, then read this book. If you don't want to enjoy those things..read it anyway. I promise you will not be dissapointed.
I love this book! I love this book!.......2004-07-08
I am a prolific reader and will not waste my time or energy on a book if it isn't good. My thought process is that life's too short and there are too many other good books to waste my time on just one. I hated for this book to end. This book touched my heart as few have when dealing with love. You felt Josie's love....kind of made me want myself a Ben. He's the strong, silient type. Won't pass this book on to others as I have with other books. I'm keeping this one to read again...I NEVER DO THAT!
Average customer rating:
- Trying to make a point
- Witty, intelligent and humorous!
- Not just good reading, a good time.
- fabulous satire
|
The Multicultiboho Sideshow
Alexs D. Pate
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0380976781
Release Date: 1999-10-05 |
Book Description
Young, unpublished African American author Ichabod "Icky" Word has summoned a police detective to his Minneapolis apartment under false pretenses. Word's true purpose is to capture the unsuspecting law officer-a tired, overweight, middle-aged white man named Bloom-and to hold him hostage, while the frustrated writer regales his prisoner with a rambling tale of anger and woeand an explanation for the dead body wrapped in plastic in Icky's living room.
Which is precisely what Icky Word does-even as a team of SWAT sharpshooters maneuvers into optimum firing positions outside of the building. The saran-wrapped corpse, Icky informs Bloom, was once Dewitt McMicheal, a maker of dreams and cultural gigolo with the power to bestow a half-million dollar "genius" grant on one lucky artist of color. The twisted roads that ultimately converged, bringing Word and McMicheal together-and the bizarre circumstances that led to the latter's demise-are all part of a mad and maddening story that must be told; a mind-boggling chronicle of power, immorality, money, political stratification, racial discrimination, brilliant creation and desecration that Icky is determined to vent in fulleven if it proves to be his last, desperate act on this Earth.
Alternately sobering and screamingly funny, Alexs D. Pate's
THE MULTICULTIBOHO SIDESHOW is a blistering and remarkable work that spares nothing and no one-as it brings down everything it takes keen and caustic aim at, from the politics of art and death to the black man's rage and the white man's institutions.
Customer Reviews:
Trying to make a point.......2002-01-12
The story begins like an episode of Law and Order or the Firm. Ichabod (Icky) Word has a Minneapolis police officer tied up in his living room and a dead body lying in the corner.
So this is crime fiction, right?
Wrong...
This tale brings together the issues of racism, art, and, most importantly, power. Five lucky artistes have been chosen as finalists to receive a tremendous grant promoting artists of color. The five, a Native American sculptor, a black female painter, an Asian poet, a black male mystery writer, and most surprisingly, a white female jazz saxaphonist. They are the multicultis. But something goes terribly wrong at one of their artist parties.
So what does this have to do with the fact that Icky has a policeman tied up? Who is the dead man and WHY is he dead?
These are all questions that you may ask yourself while reading. These are all questions that will be answered.
Pate brings these characters to life with a vibrance that rivals the classics. His prose is flowing if not conversational, and the novel tells a story that we all need to hear. His use of symbolism paints a picture of the world the world through the eyes of the multicultis. This story left me breathless and enlightened.
---Candace
Witty, intelligent and humorous!.......2000-01-30
I was thrilled to find Pate's new book, as I've throughly enjoyed all of his previous books; up to this point "Finding Makeba" has been my favorite, as those characters just stay in my mind and heart. However, Icky may become my new fictional hero; his philosophy and view of life resonated with me in many ways. Besides, I love a book that makes me laugh! I flew through this book and it left me wanting more. Do we know what the author's next book will be? My only guess is that it is sure to be original...
Not just good reading, a good time........1999-11-04
Alexs Pate has crafted one of the finest novels I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. From its shocking beginning to its climax, I found myself totally engaged with the story and its characters. I'm looking forward to reading more of Pate's work.
fabulous satire.......1999-11-02
From the moment I started to read this novel I was immediately captivated by the unfolding story. Ichabod Word is a compelling character and his take on the art world and funding is hilarious. But more important is the way in which this book brings a lot of different races and cultures into a conversation about race.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on May 1, 1994. The length of the article is 3337 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: The establishment of the Multicultural Children's Art Connection (MCAC) has addressed the needs of colored children in St. Cloud, MN, by advocating the use of artistic expression to teach children how to live and work together in a multicultural society. MCAC's intial program, the Full House Children's Dance Company, has also enhanced racial awareness among the predominantly white population of St. Cloud, through dance performances presented from an African-American perspective.
Citation Details
Title: Dance for social change: Full House Children's Dance Company. (Dance Dynamics - African Dance) (Cover Story)
Author: Debra L. Leigh
Publication:
JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1994
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: v65
Issue: n5
Page: p39(5)
Article Type: Cover Story
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Literature & Science Breakthroughs: Connecting Language and Science Skills in the Elementary Classroom
Jo-Anne Lake
Manufacturer: Pembroke Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1551381265 |
Book Description
This 5-volume set allows you to assess the health and environmental effects of chemicals by determining the routes of exposure of the chemical to sensitive organisms. Environmental Fate and Exposure of Organic Chemicals provides relevant facts on how individual chemicals behave in the environment and how humans and environmental organisms are exposed to the chemicals during their production, rise, transport, and disposal. Each chemical is prepared by one of the best-known organizations in environmental fate and exposure and is peer-reviewed by a panel of expert scientists. The information on each chemical includes all experimental values and references for physical properties, all chemical fate studies, and all available monitoring data and interpretative summaries.
Book Description
This 5-volume set allows you to assess the health and environmental effects of chemicals by determining the routes of exposure of the chemical to sensitive organisms. Environmental Fate and Exposure of Organic Chemicals provides relevant facts on how individual chemicals behave in the environment and how humans and environmental organisms are exposed to the chemicals during their production, rise, transport, and disposal. Each chemical is prepared by one of the best-known organizations in environmental fate and exposure and is peer-reviewed by a panel of expert scientists. The information on each chemical includes all experimental values and references for physical properties, all chemical fate studies, and all available monitoring data and interpretative summaries.
Book Description
This 5-volume set allows you to assess the health and environmental effects of chemicals by determining the routes of exposure of the chemical to sensitive organisms. Environmental Fate and Exposure of Organic Chemicals provides relevant facts on how individual chemicals behave in the environment and how humans and environmental organisms are exposed to the chemicals during their production, rise, transport, and disposal. Each chemical is prepared by one of the best-known organizations in environmental fate and exposure and is peer-reviewed by a panel of expert scientists. The information on each chemical includes all experimental values and references for physical properties, all chemical fate studies, and all available monitoring data and interpretative summaries.
Book Description
This 5-volume set allows you to assess the health and environmental effects of chemicals by determining the routes of exposure of the chemical to sensitive organisms. Environmental Fate and Exposure of Organic Chemicals provides relevant facts on how individual chemicals behave in the environment and how humans and environmental organisms are exposed to the chemicals during their production, rise, transport, and disposal. Each chemical is prepared by one of the best-known organizations in environmental fate and exposure and is peer-reviewed by a panel of expert scientists. The information on each chemical includes all experimental values and references for physical properties, all chemical fate studies, and all available monitoring data and interpretative summaries.
Book Description
In order to assess the health and environmental effects of a chemical, you need to determine the exposure of the chemical to sensitive organisms as well as to assess the likely effects. The chemicals in Volume V of the Handbook of Environmental Fate and Exposure Data for Organic Chemicals set are mostly solvents and cover many of the natural products and hydrochlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons being considered as replacements for harmful chlorinated solvents and chlorofluorocarbons. The chemicals are listed in alphabetical order by their most easily recognized names. A cumulative index allows you to look up each chemical by chemical name synonym, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number, and chemical formula. Like all of the volumes in the series, this new volume details how individual chemicals are released, transported, and degraded in the environment, as well as how they are exposed to humans and environmental organisms. Features o Provides useful information for hazardous waste cleanup o Helps you to make exposure assessments o Provides workplace exposure and ambient monitoring data as well as detection in foods o Includes information on environmental persistence and transport o Includes highly reliable data prepared by a well-known firm in environmental fate
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Handbook of Environmental Fate and Exposure for Organic Chemistry, Five Volume Set
Howard
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 156670121X |
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