Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived : Virtual JFK [Hardcover]

James Blight (Author), Janet M. Lang (Author), David A. Welch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0742556999 | ISBN-13: 978-0742556997

The Virtual JFK DVD is now available! For more information on the film companion to the book, visit http://www.virtualjfk.com/

It Matters Who Is President—Then and Now

At the heart of this provocative book lies the fundamental question: Does it matter who is president on issues of war and peace? The Vietnam War was one of the most catastrophic and bloody in living memory, and its lessons take on resonance in light of America's current devastating involvement in Iraq. Tackling head-on the most controversial and debated "what if" in U.S. foreign policy, this unique work explores what President John F. Kennedy would have done in Vietnam if he had not been assassinated in 1963. Drawing on a wealth of recently declassified documents, frank oral testimony of White House officials from both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and the analysis of top historians, this book presents compelling evidence that JFK was ready to end U.S. involvement well before the conflict escalated. With vivid immediacy, readers will feel they are in the president's war room as the debates raged that forever changed the course of American history—and continue to affect us profoundly today as the shadows of Vietnam stretch into Iraq.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fascinating and important book that uses innovative research to explain how America got into the Vietnam quagmire. It is deeply relevant to today's debates about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the danger of war with Iran with timely lessons on presidential leadership. (Bruce Riedel )

As an exercise in virtual history, this book is impeccable. The authors have brought together the relevant policy makers, scholars, and newly released documents to examine the major question of the Vietnam War. Their conclusion—that Kennedy would not have Americanized the war—is reasonable and significant, as is their methodology. This is must reading for any student of American foreign relations. (Robert K. Brigham )

The authors deftly analyze all sides in the debate. They also draw lessons from the Kennedy presidency that can now be useful as the nation moves to rescue U.S. foreign policy from the morass into which it has fallen during the presidency of George W. Bush. JFK has never looked more persuasive or more relevant than he does here. (Smith, Wayne S. )

I urge everyone interested in Kennedy, Johnson, and Vietnam, and everyone concerned about the kind of leadership we need to keep our nation out of war, to read this book. It is far and away the best book on these subjects I have ever read—lucid, rich, and balanced, with all sides getting a fair, but critical, hearing. (Robert S. McNamara )

Informative and at times exhilarating; recommended for academic collections. (Library Journal )

In this carefully documented but very readable account, Blight, Lang, and Welch provide a ringside seat on an important debate that is more than a historical curiosity. They show how a change of leaders can make a profound difference in the unfolding of historical events—then and now. Anyone interested in America's role in the world should read this absorbing book. (Nye, Joseph S., Jr. )

John F. Kennedy’s unrealized Vietnam strategy gets a comprehensive workout in this volume. . . . The book offers other new insights (PBS broadcaster and former LBJ advisor Bill Moyers, a possible Kennedy-McNamara 'back-channel'). (Publishers Weekly, Web Exclusive Review )

The authors . . . make a fair case that . . . 'virtual history' is a much more serious exercise than counterfactual history. . . . The liveliness of the exchanges and the enthusiasm of the participants do illuminate this critical period in U.S. history. (Foreign Affairs )

Review

The authors deftly analyze all sides in the debate. They also draw lessons from the Kennedy presidency that can now be useful as the nation moves to rescue U.S. foreign policy from the morass into which it has fallen during the presidency of George W. Bush. JFK has never looked more persuasive or more relevant than he does here.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (February 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742556999
• ISBN-13: 978-0742556997
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy Had Lived, May 25, 2009

By 

Dreamer Action Figure (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived : Virtual JFK (Hardcover)

(To be clear, this is a review of the film adaptation of the book.)


There is an excellent 30-year old BBC series that aired numerous times in the U.S., entitled, "Connections." In it, British journalist James Burke explores how, throughout history, often accidental minutiae ends up having profound impact on humankind.

Such is the premise of "Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy Had Lived," which asked the question of if the "police action" in Vietnam would have happened if President John F. Kennedy hadn't been assassinated.

The filmmaker, Koji Masutani, distills Kennedy's major Cold War policy dealings of his roughly 1,000-day presidency into six major avoidances of war. From this, he postulates that Kennedy consistently avoided war and would have again in Vietnam if he'd lived.

The film spends a lot of time in Kennedy press conferences, the time when we see our presidents most publicly vulnerable and witness shades of their character as they're peppered with often-unfriendly questions in a sink-or-swim format. With the 20/20 clarity of history, we see how in this kinder, gentler age of journalism, the reporters grill him, but still stay respectful. We also see him charm the reporters with charisma and intelligence, which we now know was a necessary part of Kennedy's maintaining an inappropriate personal life in the face of their knowledge.

Since Masutani is so obviously an unabashed Kennedy fan, the question arises of how much footage was discarded during his research that didn't jibe with his conclusion. Kennedy also consistently spoke out of both sides of this mouth regarding troop escalation in Vietnam, his most salient words repeated by his successor, President Johnson, to maintain support for the war. In Masutani's telling, there is no black-and-white ideology. There are only angels (Democrats) and demons (LBJ for escalating troop involvement and Republicans, but Especially Anything Richard Nixon). When the personal side of Kennedy is shown he's young and flashing a million-dollar smile while hamming it up with his his siblings. Down time for Johnson is footage of his lumbering frame in a pool about to kiss his dog.

Kennedy's press conferences also seem to have been used as a template for President Barack Obama. While we watch Kennedy we hear the same cadences, the same "uhhh"s and similar logical expressions of identical ideologies from Obama. The same "youth and inexperience" claims leveled at Obama give us a sense of deja vu.

The events depicted are fascinating about quite uncomfortable subjects. We are subjected to a patient explanation of domino theory. We see a young Fidel Castro and are reminded of Adolf Hitler. We see Nikita Kruschev at the height of his power and can't help but wince at what he could have been. We watch Defense Secretary Bob McNamara coolly lay out how many Americans would die in a Soviet first strike launched from Cuba. Somehow the tone becomes ever more somber as the inexorable march to assassination overtakes the film. However, we're captivated and are compelled to watch, even with full knowledge of how the events played out.

Perhaps part of the film's worship of Kennedy shows in how it makes it appear that his policies were in now way shaped by his close trusted advisors, to whom absolutely no credit is given, from Robert Kennedy on down. The other major peacemaker in the movie is successor president Lyndon Johnson's VP, Hubert Humphrey, who vehemently disagreed with Johnson on the level of involvement in Vietnam. It's almost as if we're to believe that fully formed peaceful warriors descend from the heavans to help humankind resolve our warlike tendencies before being either cut down or defeated in an election.

A fair amount of time is given to President Johnson, who ends up being extremely sympathetic. The blustery, arm-twisting, greatest legislator-turned-President of the 20th century is shown as a soft-spoken and ultimately broken man who ends up bleeding into history over the thousands of American boys killed in Vietnam. Lady Bird Johnson as well, who actually gets more screen time than Jackie.

In spite of his personal shortcomings and political moral ambiguities, Kennedy was a peacemaker. Whether he would have avoided all out war in Vietnam will probably be forever open to debate.

In the final analysis, we emerge from the film thankful for someone of Kennedy's ilk during an all-too-long international nightmare.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THIS REVIEW OF THE DVD..., February 21, 2011

By 

CARL D. BAKER "DAVE" (Longview, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived : Virtual JFK (Hardcover)

While I am no fool, and know Kennedy spoke BOTH ways about our military commitment to Vietnam...but the FACTS about his handling of the 3 or 4 WORLD WAR III crises does give a person fodder for thought. I DO wonder now if he would have (de)escalated the Vietnam situation. I think some of the best parts of this show were the press conferences and the phone calls. We get to see President Kennedy - much like the current POTUS...stumbling thru questions he is reticent to answer. And, as a 56 year old, I had to place the events into MY history of when they happened - some of which I did not have accurately. What is clear is JFK DID NOT take the advice of the warmongers who were hell bent on unleashing the dogs of war at each provocation, and who knows what might have happened if he HAD!!?? Maybe the USSR would have backed down when faced with a USA unafraid to wield the sword? Maybe if we had invaded Cuba, and if the Soviets had taken Berlin,...we might not have had to gone to WWIII automatically. While not touched on in this show, PERSONALLY, the facts of HOW CLOSE we came to NUCLEAR WAR during the Cuban Missile Crisis completely blows my mind! I had no idea how many times we were saved from annihilation by the actions of ONE man,...on BOTH sides! Most unnerving is the story of the Soviet Political Officer aboard the last of the four submarines, who denied the sub commander permission to LAUNCH the LOADED and READY NUCLEAR TORPEDOES waiting in their tubes. Now THAT would have set off ARMAGEDDON! I know this is all CONJECTURE....only the "WHAT IFs!!??" of our history, so we have no way to know what Mr. Kennedy's presidential legacy would be. It has been made abundantly clear the WARHAWKS hated him for his "WEAKNESS" when it came to 'pulling the trigger,' and I, for one, doubt we would be reading this had he listened to them. IF you don't like the "What ifs!?" scenarios, then at least enjoy learning some of the facts about JFK and his (mis)handling of those MAJOR crises, and enjoy getting to know JFK the man just a bit better! I am now going to get busy and dive into the books recommended about JFK and these particular aspects of his abbreviated term in office....and, I DO think his POLITICAL ENEMIES would have gotten to him - IF, they didn't somehow participate in his assassination - by eventually exposing his extramarital affairs. ENJOY!

9 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother, October 15, 2009

By 

Eddie Kasica (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived : Virtual JFK (Hardcover)

If anything is clear about the many "mysteries of history" it is this: John F. Kennedy -- had he not been taken out by his own National Security State -- would not have "Americanized" the war in Vietnam. The 60,000 American boys would not have been sacrificed, and (more importantly) neither would have been the 3,000,000 Southeast Asians in what would become the Johnson/Nixon/Kissinger genocide.

So what's the point of this book? No point at all. James Blight has gathered together for a weekend of kippers, strawberry scones, and piping hot Kopi Luwak a bunch of talking heads, some of whom are agenda-setting liars(some with blood on their hands such as the always dull Chet Cooper), passionately devoted to the myth that "Well, heck. It just don't matter who's POTUS. JFK, LBJ, Chester A. Arthur -- Vietnam as we know it was inevitable."

Yeah, sure. As inevitable as that terrible war we fought in Laos, as inevitable as the nuclear war we fought over the Berlin Wall, and the nuclear war we fought over Cuba, and the thousands of troops sent to Indonesia to stop the Leftist insurgents there, and the dramatic expansion of US nuclear arsenals in the early 60s. . .

Oh, wait. You say that none of these things happened? Yeah, that's right, they didn't. And they didn't happen because of one man: John F. Kennedy.

What's particularly obnoxious about this book is what Blight et. al. chooses to ignore. You know who is barely mentioned in this 420-pager?: Mr. Henry Cabot Lodge. Not mentioned at all is Lt. Col. Lucien Conein. Not mentioned: Ed Lansdale(except in passing), Ted Shackley and CIA Saigon station chief William Colby. ('Though George Clooney is mentioned.) Why is this important? (Not the Clooney part.) Because these five men -- among many others -- were traitors and did all they could to sabotage just about all aspects of JFK's Vietnam policy ON THE GROUND. Behind Kennedy's back, for example, they arranged for the murder of the Ngo brothers.

Also repugnant is who was not invited to the Hamptons chat: Howard Jones, Jim Douglass, David Kaiser, John Newman, the great Gareth Porter(whose masterpiece "Perils of Dominance" blows away all the arguments made by the LBJ Fanboys), Lawrence Freedman, among others: all men whose expertise on Vietnam ranges far and wide, much further and wider than this silly experiment was obviously willing to go. Guess that's the price you pay for access to Bill Moyers.

For reality, buy Jim Douglass's "JFK and the Unspeakable"(whose account of the Saigon intrigue through the summer and autumn of '63 is unmatched). And be sure to pick up the excellent DVD "Virtual JFK" to be released here at Amazon next week.