His thesis is that the exclusion of the military leadership from decision-making by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, led to incoherent and contradictory actions that were compounded as the war progressed. McMaster does have an axe to grind, but it is one that is sharp to begin with. It is a compelling story, made more so by the fact it was written by a career officer on active duty. This is McMaster's story about the prosecution of the Vietnam War from start to finish by the American government. Each fears failure and loss of affection, and yet the will to dominate causes failure and loss of affection, thus increasing fear.
Particularly in groups of men in which each individual attempts to establish his will as dominant. If not in individuals then certainly in groups. Sure to generate controversy, Dereliction Of Duty is an explosive and authoritative new look at the controversy concerning the United States involvement in Vietnam. It also pinpoints the policies and decisions that got the United States into the morass and reveals who made these decisions and the motives behind them, disproving the published theories of other historians and excuses of the participants.ĭereliction Of Duty covers the story in strong narrative fashion, focusing on a fascinating cast of characters: President Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, General Maxwell Taylor, McGeorge Bundy and other top aides who deliberately deceived the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Fully and convincingly researched, based on recently released transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. McMaster (from the Conclusion)ĭereliction Of Duty is a stunning new analysis of how and why the United States became involved in an all-out and disastrous war in Southeast Asia. "The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses.
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