| The Perfect War: Technowar in Vietnam Contributor(s): Gibson, James William (Author) |
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ISBN: 0871137992 ISBN-13: 9780871137999 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press OUR PRICE: $18.00 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 2000 Annotation: In this groundbreaking book, Gibson shatters the misled assumptions for America's failure in Vietnam, showing how American officials developed a disturbingly limited concept of war--what he calls "technowar"--in which all efforts were focused on maximizing the enemy's body count, regardless of the means. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - Vietnam War - Fiction | War & Military - History | United States - General |
| Dewey: 959.704 |
| LCCN: 86-14144 |
| Series: Military History Series |
| Physical Information: 1.48" H x 6.08" W x 9.2" (1.60 lbs) 544 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1950-1999 - Chronological Period - 1960's - Chronological Period - 1970's - Cultural Region - Southeast Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this groundbreaking book, James William Gibson shatters the misled assumptions behind both liberal and conservative explanations for America's failure in Vietnam. Gibson shows how American government and military officials developed a disturbingly limited concept of war -- what he calls technowar -- in which all efforts were focused on maximizing the enemy's body count, regardless of the means. Consumed by a blind faith in the technology of destruction, American leaders failed to take into account their enemy's highly effective guerrilla tactics. Indeed, technowar proved woefully inapplicable to the actual political and military strategies used by the Vietnamese, and Gibson reveals how U.S. officials consistently falsified military records to preserve the illusion that their approach would prevail. Gibson was one of the first historians to question the fundamental assumptions behind American policy, and The Perfect War is a brilliant reassessment of the war -- now republished with a new introduction by the author. |