"This book has been long needed: a concise, complete and dispassionate survey of the Vietnam War. . . . Best of all, the no-nonsense approach answers questions as soon as they arise in the reader's mind." —Kliatt

"If there is such a thing as an objective account [of the Vietnam War], this is it. . . . If you want to read one book about Vietnam, read this one." —New York Review of Books

A short, narrative history of the origins, course, and outcome of America's military involvement in Vietnam by an experienced guide to the causes and conduct of war, Larry H. Addington. He begins with a history of Vietnam before and after French occupation, the Cold War origins of American involvement, the domestic impact of American policies on public support, and the reasons for the ultimate failure of U.S. policy.