Intervention: How America Became Involved in Vietnam [Hardcover]

George Kahin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The military aspect of U.S. involvement in Vietnam has been dealt with extensively over the past 10 years, but not the political; Kahin's study goes a long way toward filling the gap. With the help of newly released documents, he scrutinizes the ever-changing options from 1945 to the early months of 1966, focusing on Vietnamese as well as American policymaking. The most informative section of the book deals with the discussions between President Johnson and his advisers during the last week of July 1965, which led to a decision to commit large numbers of U.S. troops. The accepted view that LBJ had already made up his mind to take this major step in escalation is held here to be incorrect. There are many haunting quotes: LBJ, admitting "the basic troublings within me," asks, "Are we starting something that in two or three years we simply can't finish?" George Ball: "We cannot win, Mr. President." Kahin is a professor of political science at Cornell and a recognized authority on Southeast Asian politics.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Kahin chronicles the development of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, 1945-66, indicating the opportunities the United States had to cut losses and leave. He begins with American support of France because of European concerns; then treats the influence of the Cold War; and climaxes with Lyndon Johnson's unsuccessful resistance to advice that the U.S. bomb the North and commit ground troops in the South. Kahin makes skillful use of primary and secondary sources, particularly of declassified materials. The author's analysis of the National Liberation Front and the North Vietnamese is not as critical as that of the United States and South Vietnamese, but this is still an important addition to the literature of the Vietnam War. Highly recommended for general readers as well as scholars and specialists. Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 550 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (April 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039454367X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394543673
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,189,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most valuable sources on Vietnam, March 15, 2000

By 

Bart Motes (Redland, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intervention (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to the complexities of the Vietnam war. It is particularly strong on the subject of South Vietnamese politics, though it makes clear that the American side was the more byzantine. In particular the book indicts both military and civilian advisors to LBJ. It is thinnest on the activities and motivations of the enemy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly and Detailed as to how the US Became Involved in Vietnam, August 30, 2011

By 

Whetstone Guy (Montgomery Village, MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Intervention (Paperback)

I have read only the preface and to page 122 (the book is 432 pages plus notes) of the 1986 hard cover edition by publisher Alfred A Knopf. The ISBN is 0-394-54367-X and is from the Chandler Public Library, Chandler, Arizona. I purchased the book via Amazon. I intend to finish the book. Because the book is so good and I am so excited about this subject, I am writing this review before I complete it. The author, now deceased, was a professor of political history at Cornell University. He tells exactly how the US became involved in Vietnam.

This book is based on three sets of the Pentagon Papers, thousand of documents the author asked the US Government for under the Freedom of Information Act, and numerous interviews with civilian and military leaders of Vietnam and the United States.

Reading the Notes significantly adds to understanding the thesis of the book.

The author writes clearly. It is somewhat slow reading because it is as scholarly as a book can be. I do not discern much bias.

The book documents everything. US State Department memos and cables, National Security Council directives and reports, US Congressional reports, Joint Chiefs of Staff documents, political journals, etc. comprise the sources of this book, titled Intervention--How America Became Involved in Vietnam.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out about US involvement in Vietnam, which began from the Harry S. Truman Administration and ended with the Richard M. Nixon Administration. The book details American involvement before the end of the Lyndon B Johnson Administration.