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Summary: New York Times Book Review (July 20, 1997)
Review: "What gives Dereliction of Duty its special value is McMaster's comprehensive, balanced exploration of the specific role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...He is able to explode some longstanding myths about the role of the Chiefs..."
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Summary: Wall Street Journal (July 29, 1997)
Review: A quote from the WSJ, "The hottest book among some top brass officials in the Pentagon is 'Dereliction of Duty.'
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Summary: Disappointing - illustrates that facts don't equal wisdom
Review: A Viet Vet '71-'72 from Denver This book only expands on the details of (mostly) Johnson's and McNamara's dishonesty, etc. that were outlined in the Pentagon Papers- - what was it, 30 years ago?!?!. As if there was anyone (except McNamara) still in doubt (his book indicates that he is). I was bothered by McMaster's relentless focus on the minutiae of the JCS minutes and McNaughton's memos and Taylor's telegrams.... My anger and criticism now is about the same as in 1967 (when I was still in high school).... and in '72 when I got out of the Army. Our "leaders" of all stripes seemed to- and still do- have no understanding of the effect our actions were having on the people whose "hearts and minds" we were supposedly trying to win. I spent most of my year over there working directly with Vietnamese military and civilian police- every day, out on the streets and highways. Our military, economic and political actions actively offended many if not most Vietnamese (in the SOUTH, not to mention the north). We drove many otherwise friendly folks into the arms of the commies, with our support for a whole string of petty tyrants and a huge corrupt bureacracy, and then there were the deliberate wholesale creation of hundreds of thousands of refugees ("strategic hamlets") and free fire zones, the obvious racist attitudes and SEVERAL My Lai- type incidents. McMaster doesn't have room or the inclination to mention all that stuff- the real result of the fumbling and duplicity in DC.
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Summary: Should be mandatory reading for all senior uniformed leaders
Review: After 31 years of military service I thought I was immune to incompetence in high places, but this book kept me grinding my teeth throughout. No where have I found a more damning indicment of the sheer arrogance and ignorance of the Ivy League elite. It is exceeded only by the total abdication of their duty by the members of the JCS. Every uniformed officer who aspires to Unified Command or Service Chief should be required to read this book and swear he will never allow it to happen on his watch!
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Summary: A "must-read" (especially for politicians and generals!)
Review: Although the Vietnam Conflict stretched over a quarter-century in duration, this book is a snapshot look at the pivotal decisions made in Washington DC that changed American involvement in Vietnam from an advisory effort to large-scale intervention. McMaster's research fully exposes the true depth of conceit and duplicity on the part of men like Robert McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, and even Maxwell Taylor and it challenges very effectively a number of the prominent misconceptions about the "inevitability" of an open-ended intervention (some of those myths continue to resurface in the reviews on this website). McMaster writes: "The movement toward war seems in retrospect to have been inexorable largely because LBJ succeeded in minimizing the participation of Congress in his decisions that escalated American military involvement in Vietnam. McNamara, reflecting on the decisions of the spring and early summer of 1965, recalled that 'we were sinking into the quicksand.' It was, however, a quicksand of his and the president's making--a quicksand of lies. The support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would prove crucial to LBJ's and McNamara's efforts to conceal the changed nature of American involvement in Vietnam." (page 243). As I consider how American military forces have been committed to action since Vietnam (and particularly in the last ten years), I doubt if we have learned our lesson.Thomas Jefferson once wrote that "falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions." This book is an outstanding case study of why character DOES matter in our national leadership. Immediately after you finish this book, pick up "We Were Soldiers Once and Young" by Lt Gen Harold G. Moore (ret.) & Joseph Galloway and see the direct, on-the-battlefield consequences, of an arrogant and reckless decision-making process.
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Summary: Outstanding!
Review: An outstanding look at the reasons America fell into the abyss that was Vietnam. This book changed my views of several of our leaders of the time especially Gen. Maxwell Taylor. "Dereliction..." was one of the best books I have ever read about Vietnam. A must read!
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Summary: Required reading for all who care
Review: As a 58 year old male who served in the Air Force and Navy before and during the Vietnam mess this book finally reveals how insidious LBJ and McNamara were. McNamara should face litigation from every family who lost a loved one or suffered injury, either physical or mental, because of his refusal to listen to or consider the experts and because of his willing participation in the conspiracy of lies.
All Americans need to know what goes on behind closed government doors. I clearly remember what LBJ said during this period as well as seeing the results of his actions. His lies to America are now documented. This book reveals his lies with details about Vietnam. Today's societal problems reveal his lies about the Great Society. LBJ, McNamara et al are revealed as thoroughly despicable people.
Sadly the same mentality exists in the current administration
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Summary: Army Officer 1067-69 Praises Book
Review: As a college student, I voted for LBJ in 1964. I quickly learned about the "big lie" after being drafted in 1966. I went to OCS, and as a LT, served as a Weapons Systems Analyst in the Pentagon, and learned first hand about the way decisions were made. The book says what everyone in the military knew. The JCS were marginalized politically, but were unable/unwilling to speak out against the Commander in Chief and the Secy Defense. We know the result of this process. Today, we have a more open debate, based on new ways to communicate. I hope this leads to a more open process and debate in the future about the way we use the military in this country. This book is important in understanding the democratic process, and how easily the wrong decisions can be made in a closed, politically manipulative process. I am proud that a USMA graduate, and military historian, has written this important book. Best Regards, Claude A. Thomas USAR, 1967-69
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Summary: Finally, the truth
Review: As a retired navy flier from the Vietnam conflict era, I became so frustrated with how the war was handled. You never new from one day to the other what was up or down. You would plan a mission and it was canceled -- You would be notified that you where going to launch on a target, no planning, and when you got there -- it was a bamboo bridge. You flew, not when the weather was to your advantage, but when it was clear. Not after the missiles ran out, but when the enemy resupplied. This book has answered most of my questions as to why the war was going the way it did. This book should be required reading for all cadets at any of the service schools and included in the government classes of our public schools -- Great book, especially for us old vets and for research. Well written, concise and clear. Documentation was excellent.
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Summary: The most amazing book I have ever read
Review: Author H.R. McMaster masterfully examines historic events that led to the disastrous Vietnam war within the context of two gigantic egos. Early on President Lyndon Johnson is shown to have a long political career of stretching the truth...starting with his alleged heroic air combat role in World War II. Robert McNamara is a towering intellectual who is not afraid to manipulate statistics to support his Cold War position or that of the president. The pattern is contagious as the Joint Chiefs of Staff also maintain upbeat reports that do not properly reflect the reality in Vietnam. "Dereliction of Duty," is an eye-opening book that documents how powerful leaders in Washington D.C. who were bestowed with an enormous trust by the American people betrayed the young men and women who answered the nation's call in Vietnam. McMaster impressively reviews a painful period in American history and clearly shows how American foreign policy in Vietnam was manipulated for political and egotistical reasons. This book is clearly written and well researched. The conclusions are stunning...Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara and the Joint Chiefs of Staff [mislead] the American people. One of the few heroes in this book is Marine Corps Commandant David Shoup, who received a Medal of Honor for heroism on the Pacific island of Tarawa and who in November of 1963 strongly advised, "not, under any circumstances, should we get involved in land warfare in Southeast Asia." Bert Ruiz
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