Dereliction of Duty

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

By: H. R. McMaster

Narrated by: H. R. McMaster

"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 riveting 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 US 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.

©1997 H. R. McMaster (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

the truth behind the failure into Vietnam

The history of America's decent into Vietnam began with president Kennedy's administration and was drivin further down a path with no foreseeable future for success. simply put, H.R.McMaster walks you through the abdication of responsibility by the joint chiefs of staff, President Lyndon B Johnson and Secretary of Defense McNamara to the American people. the Joint chief of staff focused on how to win tactically but failed to speak thw truth regarding the full requirements of success. This detailed book accounts for all the decisions, misjudgments, comprises, and omissions that led to Vietnam.

The blunders that led to a war of folly in Vietnam

H.R. McMaster, in his first book, scrutinizes the American decisions and decision-making processes that led to American intervention in Vietnam.

McMaster ultimately concludes that it was the incompetence, and indifference to the outcome, by the POLITICAL leaders of the era, namely LBJ's sidelining of the military leadership, that made America blunder into a war that could not be won.

A General Speaks Truth to Power

The author most recently served as National Security Advisor to President Trump departing after just one year apparently over differences with the President. This book is a detailed analysis of what when wrong in Vietnam from the perspective of a highly educated US military officer who was not a decision maker at that time. The focus is on the period of 1962 to 1965 and while very detailed it is also very repetitive. But if you want to get riled up (again) over the handling of the Vietnam War this is the book for you. The author is the narrator. His performance as a narrator is unpolished but sincere. It’s worth the read.

A strong and well written argument

A strong and well written argument regarding the current belief that the Vietnam War or Limited Police Action in South Vietnam, was caused by deceit and lies, and that Johnson would do whatever it took to get the Great Society passed

A MUST READ FOR THE LESSONS OF HISTORY

John F Kennedy declared , in one of his early speeches , " there is no place too far away to fight for freedom" and began the quiet insertion of US Special Forces into Vietnam. It was part of his effort to move away from Mutual Assured Destruction , sending US advisors to work with foreign nations including South Vietnam. Those advisors were officially stationed in the US and TDY to far off places

Kennedy also brought HBS and Ford whizkid David McNamara into the administration. Throughout it's history the nation the President, as commander and chief of the military , has had a very close relationship with the Chiefs of the various services. McNamara began to challenge that but Kennedy maintained control until his assignation.

In the vacuum that existed after Kennedy's death McNamara accelerated his efforts to distance the service chiefs from the President. Johnson also used McNamara to blunt the chief's communication channel to the President to suit both Johnson's and McNamara's political agenda.

McMaster documents the tragedy as it unfolds, McNamara's manipulation , often on Johnsons' request . Along the way the careers of many of the military's most competent leaders were sacrificed in order to implement a sure to loose strategy in Vietnam. McNamara cut out the military leaders time and again so that the President did not have to face a truth that he did not want to be responsible for knowing.

At the same time McNamara's whiz kids were trying to take control of military aircraft designs. Their fixation on his pet TFX as a joint service fighter was only stopped when one Admiral sacrificed his career to protect the nation. Facing a Senate committee hearing on the project Admiral Tom Connally was asked about the project and responded , " Senator there's not enough power in all of Christdom to operate that aircraft off a carrier. " In a rare victory, McNamara's politicization of the military acquisition process was challenged and the F-14 was born. It became the Tomcat in honor of the admiral who sacrificed his career for the truth and ruled the skies until grounded by Clinton.

McMaster's account reflects painstaking research and lets the facts tell the story with very little interpretation - a great and important read.

.

A sobering but important story

H.R McMaster provides a critical lesson for anyone interested in military planning, public policy, or the survival of representative democracy. It's the story of how key well meaning individuals neglected their true responsibilities in deference to consensus and institutional loyalty. Well worth the time and definitely enhanced by the author's narration.

Great Info but hard to follow

Great book for any military leader. Following along was a little choppy especially if you know very little about the Vietnam politics. Another great book by this author is Battle Grounds.

Great summary of complex processes, decisions, and motivations

This book provides fascinating insights into the inner workings of the Johnson administration, starting with what led up to his beliefs, and approaches to working with the military, and the consequences of his priorities at the time: winning the election and his domestic policy. Very well constructed narrative

I'm a Vietnam Veteran

I was 19 years old and believed in the government and the so called Domino theory of communist world domination. Vietnam changed me and Agent Orange gave me bone cancer in my 30s. It killed friends and caused disability like Parkinson's disease in others. My war BFF has suffered with debilitating PTSD since the war and was placed on 100% disability by the VA We are now in our 70s and he is still "wired" all the time. All to serve the political ambitions of government leaders and the dereliction of duty of top officers. I was back from the war for 25 years before anyone thanked me for my service. First time it happened I broke down and cried. Along with this book which is excellent I would recommend A Bright Shinning Lie.

A concise and fact based presentation of the mistakes that led to the tragedy in Vietnam

The book starts with the Kennedy administration and presents detailed facts that build a story of the failure in Vietnam. The opinions that are given are based on those facts and the Generals military experience.

It leads to a basic conclusion. No matter what time period it might be somethings never change. If you as the leader of your country do not possess the will and desire to win then all your doing is throwing lives away for nothing.