A Grand Delusion

A landmark work of narrative history and the first comprehensive political history of the Vietnam War and the politicians and policymakers who waged it

Robert Mann has served as an aide to two U.S. senators and is the author of a widely praised book on the civil rights movement, The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Introduction

1

(6)

Prologue That Little Pipsqueak: February 1965

7

(14)

PART ONE THE ROOTS OF WAR

The ``Loss'' of China: 1949--1950

21

(9)

Paralyzed with Fear: 1950

30

(8)

Korea: 1950

38

(12)

The Part-Time Isolationists: 1951

50

(13)

PART TWO THE INITIAL DESCENT

Nothing But a Grim Joke: 1945--1950

63

(14)

The Keystone in Southeast Asia: 1951

77

(11)

A Great Crusade: 1951--1952

88

(13)

Pouring Money Down a Rat Hole: 1953

101

(17)

You Shall Not Fight Unaided: 1953

118

(10)

La Guerre Sale: 1954

128

(17)

We Cannot Engage in Active War: 1954

145

(20)

Diplomacy of Bluster and Retreat: 1954

165

(12)

The Best Available Prime Minister: 1954--1955

177

(16)

This Is Our Offspring: 1955--1956

193

(10)

A blank Grant of Power: 1957--1958

203

(6)

Nothing More Than a Mirage: 1958--1960

209

(16)

PART THREE---INTO THE MORASS

Vietnam Is the Place: 1961

225

(9)

You're Just Crazier Than Hell: 1961

234

(20)

A World of Illusion: 1962

254

(16)

The Beginning of the Beginning: 1962

270

(7)

You Did Visit the Same Country, Didn't You?: 1963

277

(15)

A Stone Rolling Downhill: 1963

292

(11)

PART FOUR---ESCALATION AND DECEPTION

Get In, Get Out, or Get Off: 1963--1964

303

(19)

The Damn Worst Mess I Ever Saw: 1964

322

(20)

Aggression Unchallenged Is Aggression Unleashed: 1964

342

(29)

No Wider War: 1964--1965

371

(21)

Harder Choices: 1965

392

(24)

We Are Very Deep Already: 1965

416

(22)

This Could Be a Quagmire: 1965

438

(21)

Sliding Farther into the Morass of War: 1965

459

(19)

Let Them Know They Are in a War: 1966

478

(21)

Once Our Flag Is Committed: 1966

499

(19)

Where Does It All End?: 1966--1967

518

(22)

There Is a Rot in the Fabric: 1967

540

(30)

A Very Near Thing: 1968

570

(19)

Everyone Has Turned into a Dove: 1968

589

(20)

The Vice President Has Very Few Guns: 1968

609

(18)

PART FIVE---NIXON'S WAR

Win the Peace: 1969

627

(24)

This Chamber Reeks of Blood: 1970

651

(20)

We'll Bomb the Bastards Off the Earth: 1970--1971

671

(21)

Peace Is at Hand: 1972

692

(19)

A Spirit of Doubt and Contrition: 1972--1975

711

(12)

Conclusion

723

(10)

Notes

733

(54)

Bibliography

787

(14)

Index

801

(18)

Acknowledgments

819

(3)

About the Author

822

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