From Publishers Weekly
Maxwell Taylor, an unregenerate "hawk," was one of the few advisers who supported President Lyndon Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam war to the very end. His eight-year involvement with Vietnam was longer than that of any senior American official. Kinnard ( 1890-1990: A Pictorial History ) traces his influence on presidential policy-making both in strategic decisions and domestic and international matters relating to Vietnam between 1960 and 1968, first as John Kennedy's military representative, then as ambassador to Saigon and presidential consultant under LBJ. Based partly on 12 interviews with Taylor before his death in '87, the book portrays him as "the very model of the modern soldier-statesman" and the first of the new breed of managerial generals. Kinnard also reveals Taylor's strong anti-media feelings: the great mistake of the Vietnam War in his view was "the failure to impose censorship on the news media." Kinnard concludes that Taylor's role in the Vietnam War was "central but not decisive." A balanced look at one of Kennedy and Johnson's key advisers, but a study of limited appeal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
If General Taylor had never been born, Hollywood would have invented him. Handsome and brilliant, he was a professional soldier, war hero, political advisor, military theorist, ambassador, linguist, and writer. Kinnard, first known for his War Managers ( LJ 8/77), returns to scholarship on the war in Vietnam by examining American decision making through the "prism" of General/Ambassador Taylor's experiences in the Pentagon and in White House assignments for presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Kinnard is well versed on the U.S. military and political efforts in Vietnam and is able to guide both novice and seasoned observer through the evolution of U.S. policy toward Saigon and Hanoi. Since the work is not intended as a biography, Taylor at times fades into the background. A useful insight into the Diem coup, American bombing, the dispatching of American ground troops, and U.S. civil-military relations. Recommended for Vietnam collections.
- John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y. McAulay, Lex. Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y. McAulay, Lex. Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
