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Ending the Vietnam War: A History of America's Involvement in and Extrication from the Vietnam War
The Definitive Account
Many other authors have written about what they thought happened -- or thought should have happened -- in Vietnam, but it was Henry Kissinger who was there at the epicenter, involved in every decision from the long, frustrating negotiations with the North Vietnamese delegation to America's eventual extrication from the war. Now, for the first time, Kissinger gives us in a single volume an in-depth, inside view of the Vietnam War, personally collected, annotated, revised, and updated from his bestselling memoirs and his book Diplomacy.
Here, Kissinger writes with firm, precise knowledge, supported by meticulous documentation that includes his own memoranda to and replies from President Nixon. He tells about the tragedy of Cambodia, the collateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, the disagreements within the Nixon and Ford administrations, the details of all negotiations in which he was involved, the domestic unrest and protest in the States, and the day-to-day military to diplomatic realities of the war as it reached the White House. As compelling and exciting as Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, Ending the Vietnam War also reveals insights about the bigger-than-life personalities -- Johnson, Nixon, de Gaulle, Ho Chi Minh, Brezhnev -- who were caught up in a war that forever changed international relations. This is history on a grand scale, and a book of overwhelming importance to the public record.
Many other authors have written about what they thought happened -- or thought should have happened -- in Vietnam, but it was Henry Kissinger who was there at the epicenter, involved in every decision from the long, frustrating negotiations with the North Vietnamese delegation to America's eventual extrication from the war. Now, for the first time, Kissinger gives us in a single volume an in-depth, inside view of the Vietnam War, personally collected, annotated, revised, and updated from his bestselling memoirs and his book Diplomacy.
Here, Kissinger writes with firm, precise knowledge, supported by meticulous documentation that includes his own memoranda to and replies from President Nixon. He tells about the tragedy of Cambodia, the collateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, the disagreements within the Nixon and Ford administrations, the details of all negotiations in which he was involved, the domestic unrest and protest in the States, and the day-to-day military to diplomatic realities of the war as it reached the White House. As compelling and exciting as Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, Ending the Vietnam War also reveals insights about the bigger-than-life personalities -- Johnson, Nixon, de Gaulle, Ho Chi Minh, Brezhnev -- who were caught up in a war that forever changed international relations. This is history on a grand scale, and a book of overwhelming importance to the public record.
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Henry Kissinger
226 books1,803 followersHenry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger) was a German-born American bureaucrat, diplomat, and 1973 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the Richard Nixon administration. Kissinger emerged unscathed from the Watergate scandal, and maintained his powerful position when Gerald Ford became President.
A proponent of Realpolitik, Kissinger played a dominant role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this period, he pioneered the policy of détente.
During his time in the Nixon and Ford administrations he cut a flamboyant figure, appearing at social occasions with many celebrities. His foreign policy record made him a nemesis to the anti-war left and the anti-communist right alike.
A proponent of Realpolitik, Kissinger played a dominant role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this period, he pioneered the policy of détente.
During his time in the Nixon and Ford administrations he cut a flamboyant figure, appearing at social occasions with many celebrities. His foreign policy record made him a nemesis to the anti-war left and the anti-communist right alike.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 14, 2013
I am giving this book a 1* for a few reasons, two of which:
- I was deceived by the title "a history of ...". This is instead a collection of Mr. Kissinger's biased opinions of why things failed the way they did. As typical of books from decision makers of unsuccessful events, he suggested that the ultimate culprit was not really the successive US governments, including him, but the naive public and news media.
- He, incredibly, completely absolved the South Vietnamese government from any shortcomings. No, they were not so corrupted that their own citizens could not trust them. No, they did not favor Catholics over Buddhists, and violently suppressed religious freedom of the latter, in a country where 80-90% of the population followed Buddhism. In light of the previous statistics, no, they did not dedicate the country to the Virgin Mary. No, the country was not controlled by a single zealous family (Ngo Dinh Diem as the ultimate dictator, Ngo Dinh Can ruled Central Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Nhu as the regime enforcer, and his wife as, well, the ultimate nutjob). No, American money was not poured directly into their coffers. Sarcasm ends. If the government was even half competent, with all the effort the Americans put in, history would have been different (look at South Korea).
Mr. Kissinger lost my respect when he wrote the Buddhists was as authoritarian as Mr. Diem's regime. On the contrary, using the same nonviolent tactic pioneered by Gandhi, they were voicing their displeasure about the attacks on the monks and temples by the regime. While not being a Buddhist myself, but grown up in a Buddhist environment, I know Buddhists are about the most peaceful people you can find anywhere. Heck, Buddhism should not even be considered a religion, more like a philosophy where mutual respect and caring are paramount. Mr. Kissinger mentioned the protest against banning the Buddhist flag and the subsequent use of force by the special force, attributed to the law banning religious flags. He conveniently omitted the fact that the Buddhists only wanted to raise the flags on Buddha's birthday, the biggest religious holiday of the year, and that the Vatican flags were flying (officially, I might add) on the same location where the peaceful sit-in demonstrators were being shot up. Last time I checked, Buddhist flags were flying at temples in Chicago at last year's Buddha's birthday, and the United States is not even close to 80-90% Buddhist.
In conclusion, he presented the facts selectively to justify his failure. Such a convenient history book this is. I regretted spending time on this book.
- I was deceived by the title "a history of ...". This is instead a collection of Mr. Kissinger's biased opinions of why things failed the way they did. As typical of books from decision makers of unsuccessful events, he suggested that the ultimate culprit was not really the successive US governments, including him, but the naive public and news media.
- He, incredibly, completely absolved the South Vietnamese government from any shortcomings. No, they were not so corrupted that their own citizens could not trust them. No, they did not favor Catholics over Buddhists, and violently suppressed religious freedom of the latter, in a country where 80-90% of the population followed Buddhism. In light of the previous statistics, no, they did not dedicate the country to the Virgin Mary. No, the country was not controlled by a single zealous family (Ngo Dinh Diem as the ultimate dictator, Ngo Dinh Can ruled Central Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Nhu as the regime enforcer, and his wife as, well, the ultimate nutjob). No, American money was not poured directly into their coffers. Sarcasm ends. If the government was even half competent, with all the effort the Americans put in, history would have been different (look at South Korea).
Mr. Kissinger lost my respect when he wrote the Buddhists was as authoritarian as Mr. Diem's regime. On the contrary, using the same nonviolent tactic pioneered by Gandhi, they were voicing their displeasure about the attacks on the monks and temples by the regime. While not being a Buddhist myself, but grown up in a Buddhist environment, I know Buddhists are about the most peaceful people you can find anywhere. Heck, Buddhism should not even be considered a religion, more like a philosophy where mutual respect and caring are paramount. Mr. Kissinger mentioned the protest against banning the Buddhist flag and the subsequent use of force by the special force, attributed to the law banning religious flags. He conveniently omitted the fact that the Buddhists only wanted to raise the flags on Buddha's birthday, the biggest religious holiday of the year, and that the Vatican flags were flying (officially, I might add) on the same location where the peaceful sit-in demonstrators were being shot up. Last time I checked, Buddhist flags were flying at temples in Chicago at last year's Buddha's birthday, and the United States is not even close to 80-90% Buddhist.
In conclusion, he presented the facts selectively to justify his failure. Such a convenient history book this is. I regretted spending time on this book.
October 21, 2023
a brilliant and comprehensive compilation by Kissinger, with major excerpts from his previous books and new material ... including K's (remarkable) admission that some of his views have, with hindsight, changed
December 24, 2018
This fall I've been reading several books on the Vietnam War. Two of the more interesting were Fredrik Logevall's Choosing War, about the decisions made in the 1963-1965 period to deliberately take an active military role in Vietnam and this, Henry Kissinger's account of the negotiations with North Vietnam for ending the war, or at least for managing America's withdrawal from it. Both books are impressive.
I'd earlier grumbled that Logevall's analysis approaches the polemic. Kissinger doesn't, though he does have some axes to grind and isn't shy about using them. Concerned as it is with the Nixon years and not what occurred before, his blame for our ultimate failure in the war falls mostly on the media, Congress, and the antiwar movement, all of which he convincingly argues encouraged the North Vietnamese while limiting America's bargaining positions and eventually forcing us to abandon an ally. There's no doubt he puts as positive a face as he can on the way he and Nixon extricated us from the war. His logical analysis of the various positions the national and individual actors took in the peace process seem just that, logical, unsurprising. His well-known views and practice of realpolitik are on display here.
Of particular interest in the book are portraits of the leaders he worked with. He's as openly critical of Le Duc Tho, the chief North Vietnamese negotiator, as he is of Congress and American antiwar dissent. He provides a fascinating look into the complex mind and methods of Richard Nixon at work managing the war and Vietnamization. Other insight is into key diplomats and military commanders.
Finally, of the several books on the subject read recently I think Kissinger is the most elegant writer. I do realize this enhances his arguments to some degree. His ability to engagingly relate these enormous events aid entrance to his side of the story, which cannot be dismissed any more than his prose.
I'd earlier grumbled that Logevall's analysis approaches the polemic. Kissinger doesn't, though he does have some axes to grind and isn't shy about using them. Concerned as it is with the Nixon years and not what occurred before, his blame for our ultimate failure in the war falls mostly on the media, Congress, and the antiwar movement, all of which he convincingly argues encouraged the North Vietnamese while limiting America's bargaining positions and eventually forcing us to abandon an ally. There's no doubt he puts as positive a face as he can on the way he and Nixon extricated us from the war. His logical analysis of the various positions the national and individual actors took in the peace process seem just that, logical, unsurprising. His well-known views and practice of realpolitik are on display here.
Of particular interest in the book are portraits of the leaders he worked with. He's as openly critical of Le Duc Tho, the chief North Vietnamese negotiator, as he is of Congress and American antiwar dissent. He provides a fascinating look into the complex mind and methods of Richard Nixon at work managing the war and Vietnamization. Other insight is into key diplomats and military commanders.
Finally, of the several books on the subject read recently I think Kissinger is the most elegant writer. I do realize this enhances his arguments to some degree. His ability to engagingly relate these enormous events aid entrance to his side of the story, which cannot be dismissed any more than his prose.
December 21, 2019
Having experienced the Vietnam era just as I became of age to be drafted, I have long had an interest in the war. Kissinger appears to be "having the final word" on a number of issues and accusations leveled against him and the Nixon administration, which is fine and his right to do it. That did not detract from the historical value of the book for me, in fact, perhaps added to it. Kissinger is clear and precise in the highly charged points he makes in his description of the negotiations and final analysis of the wars's tragic ending and the impact of it in the rest of Indochina. It is highly recommended.
April 26, 2007
Reading Kissinger's lies about the Vietnam War will be extremely useful to those of us who will seek an understanding of the lies that members of the current administration are telling and will continue to tell about the Iraq War. Nonetheless, I couldn't bear to give the book more than one star for a rating. Kissinger should be tried for war crimes and should go to jail for the rest of his life. Instead, he is advising the new President.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews