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Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia Paperback – August 14, 2002

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William Shawcross (Author)
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William Shawcross (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 22 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 542 pages
  • Publisher: Cooper Square Press; Revised ed. edition (August 14, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 081541224X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0815412243
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 8.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBack to the future -- Rome, Cambodia, Iraq ...
By Richard Arant on July 19, 2003
Format: Paperback
While I've read this book many times over the years, my most recent reading struck me hard. The description of the May 8, 1970 meeting between Henry Kissinger and a number of his friends and personal advisors from Harvard did not seem especially interesting in past years, but jumped off the page this time around. Thomas Schelling told Kissinger that after the invasion of Cambodia the group no longer had faith in Henry or the Nixon administration's ability to conduct foreign policy, and would have nothing further to do with Kissinger. The group pointed out that the invasion could be "used by anyone else in the world as a precedent for invading another country, in order, for example, to clear out terrorists." Another section recounts Arthur Schlesinger Jr. quoting a historian's recollection of the Romans -- "There was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger or under actual attack. If the interests were not Roman, they were of Rome's allies; and if Rome had no allies, the allies would be invented." Shawcross also notes that in 1964 the US condemned Britain for assaulting a Yemeni town used as a base by insurgents attacking Aden. Another chilling touch is the mention of Lincoln's reaction when he was advised that the President could invade a neighbor if necessary to repel invasion -- Lincoln replied, "Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you give him as much as you propose." Lincoln's famous speech given as a young man in the 1830s in which he remarked that all the armies of Europe could not forcibly take a drink of water from the Ohio River and therefore "...Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Madman Theory of War
By doomsdayer520 HALL OF FAME on February 16, 2005
Format: Paperback
Really bad decisions made by the Nixon administration toward Indochina and the Vietnam War are now fairly obvious. However, we must remember how difficult this type of investigation would have been back when Shawcross did his intensive research back in the late 70s. Here Shawcross builds a very hard-to-dismiss case against Nixon and Henry Kissinger, in terms of how their problematic military and diplomatic strategies at least indirectly led to the hideous destruction of Cambodia (in fact, one of Nixon's documented strategies was to make the Communists think he was a madman, assuming they'd get scared and give up).

During the earlier years of the war, Cambodia was a relatively tranquil nation that was trying to remain neutral. But the country was being used as a hideout by North Vietnamese soldiers, leading to bombing by the Americans. Here Shawcross shows how Nixon and Kissinger made use of political trickery and overhyped threats to keep the bombing going to an extent that was far more destructive than necessary. As a bonus, this book also documents the wire-tapping paranoia and unconstitutional shenanigans in the Nixon White House. Shawcross is especially tough on Kissinger, finding that he disregarded the integrity and safety of Cambodia (which he had only ever visited for four hours), in favor of short-term political advantages and unyielding ideology. The relentless bombing destabilized Cambodian society, leading indirectly to the hideous genocide and societal destruction enacted by the Khmer Rouge a few years later. It is difficult to argue with Shawcross' heavily researched conclusions, and the hellish wholesale collapse of Cambodia (of a type never before seen in modern history) becomes all the more poignant as a result.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsEssential
By David Alston on September 16, 2006
Format: Paperback
This book has managed to live on, which is perhaps unfortunate - historically speaking, it's far more relevant to contemporary geopolitics than it should be.

In any case, SIDESHOW has managed to stand as one of the better books on Cambodia, and America's involvement in Cambodia (Elizabeth Becker's WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER is a must-read as well). One could debate Shawcross' perspectives, but his research is meticulous and has withstood many attacks, and his depiction of the machiavellian darkness that can creep into foreign policy is chilling and ruthless, and - for better of worse - makes for hypnotic reading, all the more frightening as it's drawn straight from history, research, the Freedom of Information act.

Now more than ever, this is essential reading.

-David Alston
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4.0 out of 5 starsHow the Americans destroyed Cambodia.
By Kevin M Quigg VINE VOICE on March 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
In my title sentence, I basically give a summary of Shawcross's contention that Cambodia was destroyed by the United States. I think Shawcross makes good points on why the United States must bear some responsibility in the destruction of this small country. What is lacking is an even review of all the characters in the history (Khymer Rouge, Viet Cong, NVA, ARVN,
and the Thais) of Cambodia. The Vietnamese Communists have as much a stake in why Cambodia turned out as it did. I think Shawcross purposely overlooks this and points the finger at what he percieves as the evil doers of American policy--Kissinger and Nixon.
I think Shawcross does a good job of relating how the USA tried to salvage the intervention in Vietnam at the cost of destroying a small country. I think he proves that point. I also enjoyed his portrayal of all the principal American and Cambodian players in this drama. As I said, a more critical look at the Vietnamese would give this book a more even outlook. After I read this book, I understoon why Presidential Administrations did not involve Kissinger in future policy. Henry comes off as arrogant in the least, evil at the most. For more information on what happened after this time in Cambodia, please read Brother Enemy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsDefinitely a reality check

Chilling history. At a friend's recommendation, I read this before a trip to Cambodia, and it gave me a much deeper understanding of the sufferings of these people, and a sense of... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Redpoll
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

An enlightening book about a forgotten country that we helped destroy, through political decisions and State Dept support.

Published 6 months ago by Old Dude
3.0 out of 5 starsMight be time for a rethink

I have owned this book for many years and did accept uncritically the assumptions made in it. There is another view; the North Vietnamese were invading South Vietnam; NVA regulars... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Nick L. Ford
5.0 out of 5 starsFor anyone needing a primer - or a refresher course ...

For anyone needing a primer - or a refresher course - on the monstrous callousness that defines Henry Kissinger's career, this is required reading. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Norm Cimon
4.0 out of 5 starsBook good, Nixon bad!

The book is very good, though the font is quite small and the physical condition of the book itself was quite poor. So, good book, but... Read more

Published on November 6, 2013 by John
5.0 out of 5 starsChronicle of US Secret War in Cambodia

This book is about the war in Cambodia that occurred during, and which was largely caused by, America's intervention in Vietnam. Read more

Published on August 5, 2013 by Thomas C. Quinn
5.0 out of 5 starsA book that should never go out of print

A lethal piece of very well written research on the operation of US foreign policy. As more recently seen in Iraq, the power of the executive branch in this country to engage in... Read more

Published on March 29, 2013 by Eric C. Petersen
5.0 out of 5 starsNixon & kissinger's killing fields

The very best book on the waning years of American involvement in Vietnam. Cambodia is the country that suffered from US bombings. Another Nixon lie. Read more

Published on May 10, 2012 by P. Dreyfus
4.0 out of 5 starsdatailed research but politically bias

This is far and away the best book on the Cambodian campaign waged by Nixon during the Vietnam War. It contains meticulous research, a wealth of data and some good insights. Read more

Published on December 15, 2011 by Carno Polo
5.0 out of 5 stars"Cambodia was not a mistake; it was a crime...

... The world is diminished by the experience." William Shawcross concludes his excellent book with the previous succinct summation of his 400 plus page indictment of the policies... Read more

Published on May 27, 2009 by John P. Jones III

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