Awards

• Nominated for Ellis W. Hawley Prize 2007
• Nominated for John H. Dunning Prize 2007
• Nominated for OAH Frederick Jackson Turner Award 2007
• Nominated for Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize 2007

Overview

Full Product Details

9780674046320

Table of Contents

Reviews

It is in exploring how Bundy convinced two presidents of the rightness of his argument that The War Council provides fresh insight. Most histories of the Vietnam war focus either on the combat itself or on the political leadership involved. Mr. Preston looks not at the flashes of gunfire but at the more shadowy world of bureaucratic infighting...[The War Council] shows all too clearly what happens when the White House circle of decision-makers has too small a radius. Clearly, leaders have the right to rely on a loyal few; excessive debate and deadlock are not desirable. But as America is once again learning, people in power need to make sure that the decisive circle includes those who actually know a region. The Economist 20060624 Buffs of the 1960s and 1970s will relish Andrew Preston's outstanding The War Council, a superbly researched reinterpretation of the origins of the Vietnam War that confirms its author's reputation as the rising star of American History. -- Dominic Sandbrook Daily Telegraph 20061209 Preston has captured his subject well. His research is impeccable. -- David A. Welch Literary Review of Canada 20070501 With admirable clarity, Preston sketches Bundy's intellectual heritage...Preston's book is a definitive account of the train wreck into which Bundy and his allies drove the United States in Vietnam. -- Marilyn Young International History Review 20070301 This book is well written, neatly incorporates many primary sources, and provides cogent summaries of the positions taken by Bundy and some of his key assistants. The author also provides an excellent synopsis both of Bundy's intellectual development and of the transformation of the NSC during this period. -- John Garofano Political Science Quarterly 20070601

Author Information

Andrew Preston is Professor of American History and Fellow of Clare College at Cambridge University. He is the author of The War Council: McGeorge Bundy, the NSC, and Vietnam and the prizewinning Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, London Review of Books, and Foreign Affairs.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available