Argument Without End

In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy

By: Herbert Schandler, James Blight, Robert K. Brigham, Robert McNamara, Thomas J Biersteker

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Paperback | 1 June 2000 | Edition Number 1

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512 Pages

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22.86 x 14.61 x 3.18

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Did the Vietnam War have to happen? And why couldn't it have ended earlier? These are among the questions that Robert McNamara and his collaborators ask in Argument Without End, a book that will stand as a major contribution to what we know about the Vietnam War. Drawing on a series of meetings that brought together, for the first time ever, senior American and Vietnamese officials who had served during the war, the book looks at the many instances in which one side, or both, made crucial mistakes that led to the war and its duration. Using Vietnamese and Chinese documents, many never before made public, McNamara reveals both American and Vietnamese blunders, and points out ways in which such mistakes can be avoided in the future. He also shows conclusively that war could not be won militarily by the United States. McNamara's last book on Vietnam was one of the most controversial books ever published in this country. This book will reignite the passionate debate about the war, about McNamara, and about the lessons we can take away from the tragedy

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Preface	p. xi
Biographical Sketches of Participants in the U.S.-Vietnamese Dialogue	p. xiii
Maps	p. xxiv
The Theme and Structure of the Book	p. 1
Enemies: Washington's and Hanoi's Mindsets by January 1961	p. 21
The Evolution of Washington's and Hanoi's Mindsets, 1945-1960	p. 61
A Neutral Solution: Was it Possible?	p. 99
Escalation: 1961-1965	p. 151
Negotiating Initiatives, 1965-1967: Why Did They Fail?	p. 219
U.S. Military Victory in Vietnam: A Dangerous Illusion?	p. 313
Learning from Tragedy: Lessons of Vietnam for the Twenty-First Century	p. 373
Additions to History: Corrections to the Historical Record, 1945-1968	p. 399
Three Alternative U.S. Strategies in Vietnam: A Reexamination Based on New Chinese and Vietnamese Sources	p. 409
Participants in "The Vietnam War Reexamined: Its History and Lessons," a Conference in Bellagio, Italy, July 27-31, 1998	p. 421
Notes	p. 423
Photograph credits	p. 455
Acronyms	p. 457
Acknowledgments	p. 459
Index	p. 463
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Argument Without End

In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Post WW2 Conflicts

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