Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

by H. R. McMaster

Paperback, 1998

Status

Available

Call number

959.7043373

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Collections

Your library, Wishlist

Publication

Harper Perennial (1998), Paperback, 480 pages

Description

"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. It was lost in Washington, D.C." --H. R. McMaster (from the Conclusion) Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning analysis of how and why the United States became involved in an all-out and disastrous war in Southeast Asia. Fully and convincingly researched, based on transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. McMaster 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. A page-turning narrative, Dereliction Of Duty focuses 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. Congress and the American public. McMaster's only book, Dereliction of Duty is an explosive and authoritative new look at the controversy concerning the United States involvement in Vietnam.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member 4bonasa

McMaster's scathing account of Lindon Johnson, Robert McNamara, and Gen. Maxwell Taylor's deliberate, lying, obfuscation, and criminal mismanagement of the the run up to the Vietnam war.

Now that McMaster is in Trump's cabinet makes this work very important. Compare LBJ's

Not recommended for anyone

who has painful memories of the Vietnam War.

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LibraryThing member DeaconBernie

I read this book for one purpose: the author is now President Trump's National Security Advisor. Early reports are that he is pretty tough. After reading the book, I endorse that conclusion. What sort of a person, in a comparatively lowly rank (Major), would seriously attack a system in which he

was a part? McMaster's book is not political. His approach is straightforward. His focus is on the period between 1963 and 1965 so the main actors are President Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. These folks and others were ambiguous with each other, the American people, and each other. This is a thoroughly researched book. As told, the conclusion is inescapable. I suspect McMasterr knew what he was going say even before he began to write but that takes nothing away from his scholarship.

It was hard to read this book. While there is much that has been in the public domain for 45+ years, it was still hard to get over the near total lack of concern by any of these folks about the lives that would be involved. That observation needs repeating. Dereliction of Duty is almost an inadequate conclusion. Lying and misdirection was practiced to such an extent that it is not possible to comment about competence.

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LibraryThing member gmicksmith

This is a first-rank account of the crucial period between November 1963 and July 1965 when LBJ and McNamara lied to the American public and escalated the war in Vietnam.

LibraryThing member cstebbins

Sad, as others have noted: remarkable what lies the Federal Government told and the media accepted. But interesting now mostly because of the position now held by the author.

LibraryThing member tmph

Simply, highly recommended. Has to do with the timeless interaction between the branches of military; military and politics and government and citizenry. Basically, sad.

LibraryThing member buffalogr

Great history of the complete failure and arrogance of McNamara and the weakness of LBJ during Vietnam War interactions, 1963-65.. McMaster clarifies what we already knew...micromanagement was the order of the day for LBJ. Further, his domestic programs seemed to drive foreign policy, causing

secrecy in the creation of a war posture without consent of Congress. Strategy creation, or lack of it, also comes under scrutiny. It also demonstrates how the JCS was marginalized by a master politician (LBJ) and that resulted in later legislation requiring the JCS to provide their views in planning military operations. That's not to say that the Joint Chiefs did not push their own agendas--they did; to the detriment of the USA. Great research by the author about lying, cheating politicians.

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