America''s War In Vietnam
(LARRY H ADDINGTON)
As the title suggests, Addington''s is an American view of
the Vietnam War. Most of the chapters are named after the United States
President at the time, with titles such as Johnson''s War, II: The Year of
the Plunge, 1965. Addington''s experience is in teaching college students,
however, and he provides essential background information, finding room for an
outline of Vietnamese geography, a brief history of Vietnam down to the Second World
War, and a mini-biography of Ho Chi Minh.
American policy forms the central thread of America''s War in Vietnam,
but Addington covers other aspects of the war necessary to understand that. He
provides accounts of some key battles as well as analysis of military issues
and North Vietnamese strategy. He touches on Watergate, the anti-war movement,
the MIA prisoner-of-war issue, and other aspects of US domestic politics ? and
compares US casualties in Vietnam
with those in other wars. A brief summing up considers the effects of the war
on the United States, Vietnam and
other countries, and explores some what ifs.
The presentation is reasonably balanced. Addington doesn''t offer much for
revisionists looking for arguments that American military involvement in Vietnam was a
good idea or could have been successful if pursued with more vigor. But his
criticisms of American policy avoid anachronism, taking into account the
practical realities and constraints faced by decision-makers.
Those after a more substantial account will have to look elsewhere ? America''s
War in Vietnam has just 175 pages of text ? but Addington covers the
basics and a readable narrative history of this length will be just right for
many. Perhaps the only disappointment is the lack of further reading
suggestions ? the unannotated bibliography is not going to be of much use to
the book''s likely audience.
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- My Days In The U.s.army
- If I Die In A Combat Zone ---vietnam
- Landing Zone X-ray
- My American Journey
- Overthrow : America's Century Of Regime Change From Hawaii To Iraq
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