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Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam Paperback – Deluxe Edition, November 13, 2002
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- Print length616 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity Press of Kansas
- Publication dateNovember 13, 2002
- Dimensions6 x 2 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100700612130
- ISBN-13978-0700612130
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“A great service to everyone’s understanding of what happened in Vietnam in the spring of 1975. . . . Other accounts of that time will have to be measured against what Snepp, from his unique and highly informed vantage point, has produced.”—Kevin Buckley, New York Times Book Review
“By far the richest document yet produced on the American and South Vietnamese end game.”—Laurence Stern, Washington Post Book World
“An astonishing book. . . . Brilliantly argued and elegantly written.”—Seymour Hersh, Los Angeles Times
“Replete with important disclosures. Provides the most detailed account to date of the operations of the CIA inside South Vietnam, as well as giving a first-hand account of high-level disagreements between Washington and Saigon over the use and integrity of intelligence.”—New York Times
“Vigorous, gripping, novelistic in its evocation of mood, setting, and character.”—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times
“Important revelations. The incredible history of the American role in Vietnam would have been forever poorer without Snepp’s perspective.”—Boston Globe
“Those who read the book will shudder anew at the tragedy, confusion, and gross incompetence Snepp lays bare.”—John Barkham Reviews
“The value of Snepp’s book is that it teaches us, in an absorbing and brilliant manner, where the mistakes were made in the CIA and in the highest ranks of officials. . . . Even the most ardent critics of the war could not have ever guessed what Snepp the [CIA] insider has revealed.”—Gloria Emerson, winner of the National Book Award for Winners and Losers: Battles, Retreats, Gains, Losses, and Ruins from a Long War
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Product details
- Publisher : University Press of Kansas; 25th edition (November 13, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 616 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0700612130
- ISBN-13 : 978-0700612130
- Item Weight : 1.98 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 2 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,037 in Southeast Asia History
- #1,655 in Asian Politics
- #2,415 in Vietnam War History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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In the read, one can clearly tell that Snepp intended to write the story by the notes he kept of his firsthand experiences. He also uses excerpts from a North Vietnamese General’s memoirs published in 1976. As if he anticipated the book may be cause for further study, the people, planning, and some places are indexed in the back. Earning a Master’s in Internal Affairs from Columbia College, working as copywriter for CBS News, and eight years in the CIA prepares and positions the author in a unique vantage for honestly and clearly recounting events.
Told in three parts; Homecoming, The Unraveling, and Collapse, the reader has time to absorb and reflect on what has happened, tease out the ideas against what one might know of the era, and set their mind to take in the next phase. Few can walk through the trenches of such a controversial time in history and come away to objectively tell the world what has occurred in the way Frank Snepp has in this text. Gripping. Bold. Insightful. Find a sense of what it was like to be there by reading “Decent Interval.”
Snepp's 580 page hardback was a compelling read. Since I tried to get back to Saigon in mid-April 1975 to help family get out, I was stymied by the system and by the airlines in trying to get a ticket to Saigon during the last couple of fateful weeks. So reading Snepp's book gave me a deep insight into the ultimate chaos that ensued and the actors behind the stonewalling of the evacuation.
If you want an in-depth chronicle of the final couple of months of the Republic of Vietnam as told by the most credible source I have come across, then I highly recommend "Decent Interval." If you want a one-sided story of those who try to cover their asses during that period, then look to the PBS American Experience video that won't reveal the whole truth of what happened.
I also share the author's perspective on the factors that led to the downfall of South Vietnam and the conclusion that it was a question of when, not if. The war was, in essence, unwinnable in the manner that the United States was waging it. This book also brings to light the disgraceful manner in which we conducted our exit and the unconscionable way in which we abandoned the loyal Vietnamese who had served us so well.
It is a remarkable book which I highly recommend to all. In my opinion, it is an objective account of that period written from a unique perspective. It is must reading for anyone who wants to learn the truth of the last years of that war, how and why it ended in defeat, and our disgraceful departure.
Top reviews from other countries
Yet, the book is as relevant today as it was then. The book provides knowledge, insights and wisdom that current policy makers and implementers should appreciate. Alas, mankind has a wonderful habit of repeating the same errors as the previous generations. A great read but some knowledge or understanding of Vietnam’s modern history is preferable to put these tragic events into context.
Frank Snepps's account propels you back to 1970s Vietnam and was written whilst fresh in his memory. Tales of single-handed heroism, miscalculation, lunacy, dishonesty, betrayal, politicking... it's all there. You know the outcome before you start - helicopters leaving from rooftops and communist tanks rolling through the gates of the presidential palace. Snepp tells you how this "was allowed" to happen, joining the dots between the Nixon bombing of 1972 and the final conclusion. For all the documentaries around, this does seem to be one of the best accounts of this particular failure of US foreign policy during this time, not to mention the collapse of a country.






