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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can the Vietnam War Ever Make Sense?, July 30, 1998
By A Customer
Can the Vietnam War Ever Make Sense? Where the Domino Fell, by James Olson and Randy Roberts, St. Martin's Press, 1991. Contemplating this book brings me a curious and unexpected reaction: I feel optimistic and reassured that such a clear history of the Vietnam Wars cannot but help educate future generations against repeating such an impossible adventure as was the US intervention in Vietnam. Previous histories of the war had only left me disgusted and mystified as to how the American rulers could have continuously dug themselves deeper into the quicksand of resisting Vietnamese independence and revolution. For example, George Herring's America's Longest War portrays American involvement not as a product of policymaker errors or personality quirks, but rather as the logical outgrowth of "containment." Since I was never satisfied with containment's simplistic conception of the breakup of the colonial world, the war always seemed a mysterious product of dar! k and hidden motives of US policymakers who were ethno-centric, competitive imperial managers incapable of comprehending the commitment to liberation and independence of the Vietnamese people, or of even entertaining the possibility that the USSR was a legitimate civilization or at least the product of historical forces. William Duiker's Sacred War, documenting the Vietnamese experience of the war, only confirmed my despair over the stupid arrogance of the American ruling class. Ho Chi Minh was so obviously right that only the devil himself could have guided America's hand. Then I read Olson and Roberts' Where the Domino Fell. The authors don't really offer a new perspective on any of the particulars, but they achieve a balance of all actors that make the whole monstrosity at least seem plausible, the stupidity at least understandable. American oversimplifications find their place in the larger constellation of factors, and the war begins to be comprehensible. Vietnamese ! nationalism is given its proper context of twenty centuries! , showing an Asian sage's sense of time and history that the nouveau-riche kid named America couldn't appreciate. The French are shown for the brutal and greedy colonists they were, first accepting huge US subsidies for their war to keep the Indochina colony, and then assuming the "I told you so" attitude once the Americans adopted the war after Dienbienphu. The American war in Vietnam is shown from the perspective of both sides, which really amounts to showing the many sides --from Diem to the Buddhists to the Khmer in Vietnam, from the hawks to the anti-war movement in the USA, the multiple perspectives are concisely explained in all their mutual relations. Whatever judgements the authors place on the merits of these perspectives, they don't allow their own opinions to eclipse the facts, which are made plain to all who will read. Even the American psychological recovery from the war is covered, with an insightful history of Hollywood Vietnam movies linked to th! e larger political evolution of these United States. One problem with the book is the lack of footnotes, obstructing any direct investigation of the quotes and their context. The sources used seem to be all secondary, but there are no claims of original research here. The book is rather the best survey of the war I've seen, complete with a careful bibliographic essay directing the reader towards the right source for any questions provoked by this introductory book. Also included is a useful chronology, glossary, and a few interesting photos. Highly recommended reading!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where the Dominoes Fall, America and Vietnam 1945 to 1990, March 17, 2009
Book is a well documented history of the USA's involvement in the Vietnam War (and what led up to the war). The authors did an excellent job of detailing the US involvement from the the Colonial period through French Colonization during and after WWII (and separation of N/S VN) and US' total involvement.
I particularly was impressed w/Chapter 11 - Distorted Images - Missed Opportunities - which is the first comprehensive study/report of TV, Newspaper & Hollywood's concerted effort to paint the VN Vet, especially combat vets, as psychotic, dangerous, a druggie & potentially very violent who's ready to explode at any movement. (As a VN Combat Vet (1986, '69 & '70 [MACVSOG & 5th SFGA MIKE Force]) it was rewarding to finally see documentation to verify what most of us had thought but were unable to prove.
As with any book, there were a few,very few, erroneous facts. For example, Chapter 9 stated it was the marines who called the battle of Ap Bia "Hamburger Hill". In truth it was the valiant troopers of the 101st ABN Div who charged up this muddy shooting gallery 12 separate times before finally capturing it, taking heavy casualties (> 225 KIA) from NVA troops firing from entrenched bunkers and well placed fortified fighting positions. These men recovered of >650 NVA KIA and reported numerous blood trails. Perhaps not important to some, but to me - very important.
The only significant fact omitted by the authors is that the war was actually won by September, 1970. However, it was eventually lost by Washington politicians due to a combination of factors such as: multiple bills,amendments and resolutions condemning the war, attempting to reduce funding and placement of questionable requirements from members of the House and Senate, particularly Democratic Senators McCarthy, Kennedy, Javets and Fulbright. This was compounded by unrealistic "Rules of Engagement" imposed by Washington, including the rule implemented in mid 1970 stipulating Air Force/Navy fighters could not initiate contact with the enemy until fired upon, this was later expanded to include ground combat troops! Later in 1970 Washington strengthened its ridicules rule to stipulate that no US service man could fire upon a "suspected or known" enemy until fired upon "as proven by either a WIA or KIA! Add to this the consistent leaks of classified information, the political impact of the various Anti-War groups on the Majority Party resulting in even more anti-war legislation and redirection of funds available to MACV (in direct conflict w/Gen. Abrams' stated needs). All of this was made even more destructive as a result of the total lack of knowledge and understanding of MACV's strategy and documented success as demonstrated by repeated requisite from the Congress to provide the plan of attack on enemy base areas inside South Vietnam when they had received the original plan and subsequent updates for the past 3 years. Then there was the on-going parade of Washington "dignitaries" forcing endless presentations, meaningless research and reports that took the Generals, and their staff, from focusing their attention on the war (for example: Congressman John Marsh arrived in January, 1971 for an "in-depth evaluation of the Military, Organization and Combat capability. After nearly two weeks of traipsing all over the RVN he concluded his visit announcing his shocking discovery that the RVN Marines did not report to the RVN Navy! He then demanded a detailed report on "how" this happened, how long it would take to shift the Marines to report to the Navy and the estimated costs. After nearly two weeks and detailed classified briefing by HQ MACV, the four Corp Commanders US and ARVN, as well as numerous unit commanders this was his only finding and his only concern! And finally there was Sec. Kissinger's offer at the Paris Negotiations on May 31st, midway through the Cambodian operations, to unilaterally withdraw all US Forces on a specific date, TBD, without requiring the the North Vietnamese to reciprocally withdraw even one platoon! This sent the unmistakable message that the US was throwing in the towel and it would only be a matter of time before they won. (Source: A Better War - The unexamined victories and final tragedy of America's last years in Vietnam, Lewis Sorley, A Harvest Book Harcourt, Inc. Copyright 1999)
In total this is a well documented and written book on the Vietnam War.
A Rumor of WarThe Things They Carried[[ASIN:1591146747] Vietnam Order of Battle: A Complete Illustrated Reference to U.S. Army Combat and Support Forces in Vietnam 1961-1973 (Stackpole Military Classics)]][[ASIN:0684870274 [[ASIN:0684870274 Vietnam: The Necessary War: A Reinterpretation of America's Most Disastrous Military Conflict]] Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All SidesWorking-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam Stolen Valor : How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History]] SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos of VietnamA Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in VietnamA Bright and Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can the Vietnam War Ever Make Sense?, May 29, 2001
This review is from: Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam, 1945 to 1990 (Hardcover)
Contemplating this book brings me a curious and unexpected reaction: I feel optimistic and reassured that such a clear history of the Vietnam Wars cannot but help educate future generations against repeating such an impossible adventure as was the US intervention in Vietnam. Previous histories of the war had only left me disgusted and mystified as to how the American rulers could have continuously dug themselves deeper into the quicksand of resisting Vietnamese independence and revolution. For example, George Herring's America's Longest War portrays American involvement not as a product of policy-maker errors or personality quirks, but rather as the logical outgrowth of "containment." Since I was never satisfied with containment's simplistic conception of the breakup of the colonial world, the war always seemed a mysterious product of dark and hidden motives of US policymakers who were ethno-centric, competitive imperial managers incapable of comprehending the commitment to liberation and independence of the Vietnamese people, or of even entertaining the possibility that the USSR was as legitimate as any western nation-state (which were also united by blood and iron) or at least the product of historical forces. William Duiker's Sacred War, documenting the Vietnamese experience of the war, only confirmed my despair over the stupid arrogance of the American ruling class. Ho Chi Minh was so obviously right that only the devil himself could have guided America's hand. Then I read this book, Olson & Roberts' Where the Domino Fell. The authors don't really offer a new perspective on any of the particulars, but they achieve a balance of all actors that make the whole monstrosity at least seem plausible, the stupidity at least understandable. American oversimplifications find their place in the larger constellation of factors, and the war begins to be comprehensible. Vietnamese nationalism is given its proper context of twenty centuries, showing an Asian sage's sense of time and history that the nouveau-riche kid named "USA" couldn't appreciate. The French are shown for the brutal and greedy colonists they were, first accepting huge US subsidies for their war to keep the Indochina colony, and then assuming the "I told you so" attitude once the Americans adopted the war after Dienbienphu. The American war in Vietnam is shown from the perspective of both sides, which really amounts to showing the many sides --from Diem to the Buddhists to the Khmer in Vietnam, from the hawks to the anti-war movement in the USA, the multiple perspectives are concisely explained in all their mutual relations. Whatever judgements the authors place on the merits of these perspectives, they don't allow their own opinions to eclipse the facts, which are made plain to all who will read. Even the American psychological recovery from the war is covered, with an insightful history of Hollywood Vietnam movies linked to the larger political evolution of these United States. One problem with the book is the lack of footnotes, obstructing any direct investigation of the quotes and their context. The sources used seem to be all secondary, but there are no claims of original research here. The book is rather the best survey of the war I've seen, complete with a careful bibliographic essay directing the reader towards the right source for any questions provoked by this introductory book. Also included is a useful chronology, glossary, and a few interesting photos. Highly recommended reading!
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