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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Veteran critic/activist Chomsky ( Deterring Democracy ) analyzes the issue most prominently posed in Oliver Stone's film JFK : was President Kennedy a secret dove whose assassination extinguished a chance to end the Vietnam War? Those willing to follow Chomsky's dry, prosecutorial style will find strong arguments against Kennedy mythologists. He provides context for the Vietnam War with a history of U.S. "economic warfare" against "lesser breeds" and the roots of world inequality. Then, he analyzes the record of planning the war from 1961 to 1964. He notes that studies of the Vietnamese countryside showed overwhelming sympathy for the Vietcong, leading the U.S. to choose escalated violence. One of Kennedy's trusted, dovish advisors described the president in September 1963 as supporting the war, and Chomsky calls the record on this issue consistent. Shortly after the assassination, Kennedy doves supported Johnson's Vietnam policies, but changed their stance--and their historical memory--after the 1968 Tet Offensive. Chomsky suggests that fascination with Camelot, like support for H. Ross Perot, indicates a desire to project heroism in a time of cultural malaise.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston. A member of the American Academy of Science, he has published widely in both linguistics and current affairs. His books include At War with Asia, Towards a New Cold War, Fateful Triangle: The U. S., Israel and the Palestinians, Necessary Illusions, Hegemony or Survival, Deterring Democracy, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy and Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In a sharply argued, thoroughly researched book, Noam Chomsky shreds the notion that JFK was some kind of angel who would have ended the Vietnam War by bringing the US armed forces out of Vietnam, and letting the Vietnamese win. Rather, as Chomsky shows all too clearly, Kennedy was the criminal who escalated this war into outright aggression, and planned to withdraw - after victory. Chomsky's comparison of the Kennedy administration with the Reagan administration is certainly thought-provoking; it is good to know that there are Americans brave enough to expose men like JFK for what they are. One only hopes that books like this will destroy once and for all, the lies, deceptions and myths surrounding Camelot.
21 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Excellent overview of the relationship between American political/corporate culture and the origens of the Vietnam War. In this case, Chomsky looks at the historical revisionism that clouded the discourse on the assassination of JFK. The book does not debunk the notion that a conspiracy in Dallas occurred; rather the emphasis is on how JFK simply continued (and, in some cases,expanded) the basic thrust of American foreign policy. Using mostly the internal record, Chomsky details JFK and his virulent hawkish and anti-communist ideology, a fact which Camelot propogandists attempt to hide or minimize. Once again, the point is to highlight the reality: a single political party exists today to do the bidding for the corporate sector (of which the military-industrial complex is a large component). Remember, JFK had increased defense spending and forced through a great deal of pro-corporate legislation (while also dragging his heels on Civil Rights legislation and scolding the Warren Court for its progressive leanings) prior to the assassination. All in all, another worthy contribution from one of the great American intellectuals of the 20th century.
15 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although I do not always find Chomsky's political analyses persuasive, this book is a well-presented, sharp rebutal to the theory that JFK planned to pull the US out of Vietnam. Chomsky examines the evidence to support this theory, clearly demonstrating the circumstantial and ambiguous nature of that evidence. He then proceeds to present well-documented information which indicates Kennedy's commitment to avoid losing Vietnam to the Communists. In addition, Chomsky raises a number of critical questions about the nature and intent of the policies which JFK was pursuing during the months prior to his assassination (particularly the coup against Diem), and asks how these can be reconciled with the withdrawal theory. This book should be read by anyone who has read the arguments (e.g. Newman, Prouty) in support of the "Kennedy was going to withdraw" theory before they make up their minds. At the very least Chomsky raises serious questions which must be answered by anyone claiming that John Kennedy had already decided to pull the US out of Vietnam, but was assassinated before being able to do so.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Difficult, dense book. Largely forgotten. Undeservedly. Must-read.
Rethinking Camelot is perhaps one of the most important books in Noam Chomsky's body of work. The reason is as follows: Rethinking Camelot tackles a shift in violence whose thin... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Elie Kirszenbaum
I am WAY WAY WAY LEFT of Democrats and THIS BOOK IS PROFOUNDLY...
Believe it or not I am a Chomsky fan, but one that is growing more and more skeptical with age and deeper reading into Cold War History.
This book really truly bites. Read more
This book really truly bites. Read more
Published on February 7, 2010 by Boyce Hart
The Kennedy Years needs to be rethought and retaught
Utilizing the declassified documentary record during the Kennedy Administration, Chomsky makes quite clear the unpleasant fact that John F. Read more
Published on July 7, 2007 by Anton Batey
Chomsky: the CIA's favourite dissident
Chomsky's pseudo-dissidence is revealed by, among many other lies found throughout his oeuvre, his repeated insistence upon the CIA's unwavering fidelity to successive Presidents. Read more
Published on October 1, 2005 by Paul E. Rigby
Mixed bag
Just finished reading this book and found the portion
debunking JFK idolators' revisionist history to be well done,
although rather long winded. Read more
debunking JFK idolators' revisionist history to be well done,
although rather long winded. Read more
Published on August 15, 2002 by kent beuchert
Closer to Insanity
What is missing from Chomsky's book is the notion that if anyone told JFK right to his face precisely what the United States was going to do in Nam for the following ten years (I... Read more
Published on April 10, 2000 by Bruce P. Barten
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The chapters that follow deal with a crucial moment of modern history, the escalation of the US war in Vietnam from state terror to aggression from 1961 through 1964, setting the stage for the far more destructive assault that followed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
withdrawal without victory, dovish advisers, assault from the inside, withdrawal plans, client regime, war managers, internal record, crop destruction, top advisers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
South Vietnam, Viet Cong, United States, North Vietnam, State Department, White House, New York Times, Pentagon Papers, Cold War, Latin America, Arthur Schlesinger, Third World, World War, President Kennedy, Khmer Rouge, President Johnson, Roger Hilsman, John Newman, Ambassador Lodge, General Harkins, Lyndon Johnson, National Security Council, Robert Kennedy, South Viet-Nam, Bay of Pigs New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The chapters that follow deal with a crucial moment of modern history, the escalation of the US war in Vietnam from state terror to aggression from 1961 through 1964, setting the stage for the far more destructive assault that followed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
withdrawal without victory, dovish advisers, assault from the inside, withdrawal plans, client regime, war managers, internal record, crop destruction, top advisers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
South Vietnam, Viet Cong, United States, North Vietnam, State Department, White House, New York Times, Pentagon Papers, Cold War, Latin America, Arthur Schlesinger, Third World, World War, President Kennedy, Khmer Rouge, President Johnson, Roger Hilsman, John Newman, Ambassador Lodge, General Harkins, Lyndon Johnson, National Security Council, Robert Kennedy, South Viet-Nam, Bay of Pigs New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 38
books:
See all 38 books this book cites
- The Pentagon Papers: Critical Essays: Volume Five by Noam Chomsky on page 68, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Vietnam Diary by Richard Tregaskis on page 152, and Back Matter
- Deadly Secrets in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- North American Spies: New Revisionist Essays (Modern War Studies) by Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Bay of Pigs: The Leaders' Story of Brigade 2506 by Haynes Johnson on page 144, and page 145
See all 38 books this book cites
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