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THE WRONG WAR: Why We Lost in Vietnam. y Record. Annapolis (Maryland): Naval Institute Press. 1998. xxvi, 217 pp. US$27.95, cloth. ISBN 1-557501-699-X.
THE CONTROVERSY over the reasons for the U.S. defeat in Vietnam have gone on unabated for over two decades. War critics argue that the war should never have been fought; supporters counter that it was winnable had U.S. military leaders been authorized to do whatever was necessary for victory.
Jeffrey Record, a respected defense analyst who has written several books on U.S. military strategy and policy, is the latest to enter this minefield with his own assessment of the issue. The author concedes from the outset that he has little to add to the debate, but hopes that he will be able to supply new forms of analysis to reach a balanced assessment of the conflict that will put to rest some of the more outlandish claims that have been made on...