Product Description
“A compelling portrait of a man once serenely confident, searching decades later for self-understanding.”—Richard Holbrooke, The New York Times Book ReviewI had a part in a great failure. I made mistakes of perception, recommendation and execution. If I have learned anything I should share it.”These are not words that Americans ever expected to hear from McGeorge Bundy, the national security adviser to presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. But in the last years of his life, Bundy—the only principal architect of Vietnam strategy to have maintained his public silence—decided to revisit the decisions that had led to war and to look anew at the role he played. In this original and provocative work of presidential history, Gordon M. Goldstein distills the essential lessons of America’s involvement in Vietnam, drawing on his prodigious research as well as interviews and analysis he conducted with Bundy before his death in 1996. Lessons in Disaster is a historical tour de force on the uses and misuses of American power, and offers instructive guidance that we must heed if we are not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 21 reviews)

Excellent lessons in not starting wars. by WinAll (Asheville NC USA)

5 Stars
November 21, 2009
"Lessons in Disaster" should be required reading for all members of Congress and any elected President, and any American Citizen who loves this country. We are now in two wars that should never have started; you gain nothing by trying to get revenge. We have lost more of our young people in these wars than on 9/11. Our economy is a disaster, people with no health care and some want to send more troops to a country that doesn't want us there and anyone who has tried to win there, has lost. Besides, what would you win if you win? This is a great book.

Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam by Barry Francis (Toronto, Canada)

5 Stars
November 15, 2009
Lessons in Disaster by Gordon M. Goldstein It's been reported that Lessons in Disaster by Gordon M.Goldstein is must reading for Barack Obama's national security team. And for good reason. Tom Brokaw has called it "an illuminating book and a cautionary tale about the perils of intellectual arrogance overpowering good judgment at the highest levels of security decision making." The book chronicles America's steady descent into the morass of the Vietnam war, focusing on the decisions behind the escalation that ultimately saw 500,000 American troops fighting in the jungles of Asia with neither clear goals nor a winning strategy. The story is told through the eyes of former National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, one of the "Best and Brightest" members of both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. It took Bundy until the last years of his life to come to grips with the mistakes that led to the Vietnam debacle, in which he played a critical role. "I had a part in a great failure. If I had learned anything, I should share it," he said. Author Goldstein benefitted from interviews and analysis conducted with Bundy before his death in 1996 and has added his own brilliant insights. Lessons in Disaster is both a fascinating and informative read. Let's hope it isn't too late to help avoid a Vietnam-style disaster in Afghanistan! Barry Francis

How many lost their lives in Vietnam? by David S. Herskowitz (USA)

5 Stars
November 01, 2009
One question that arises from the most useful review of this book. How many people lost their lives in Vietnam altogether, both Vietnamese and Americans and others? Was it hundreds of thousands, or millions? Does anybody have a good estimate?

Must reading for our time by J. Dahl

5 Stars
October 28, 2009
Goldsteins's Lessons in Disaster should be "must" reading for every high school senior in the US, and their parents, as a joint assignment. It is a balanced account of how our nation got into an acknowledged mistaken war. A solid account of political and military principles in conflict and collusion and how smart and well educated people can make disastrous mistakes in war and foreign policy - all of which are applicable to the current debate about Afghanistan, Iraq and the mideast region under review for deepening American involvement. I have come away with a new appreciation of the pitfalls of nation changing by means of arms. This could be read in tandem with McNamara's revealing account of the same period titled The Fog of War for a fuller appreciation of the collusion of "policy wonks" in unchecked power.

What do you expect? by Chuck J (Polo - pop 2500)

5 Stars
October 26, 2009
Almost better than expected. Flawless condition. Delivered quickly. The only thing that would exceed the transaction would be to have been given the book as a gift. Recommend this seller. *****

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