Telltale Hearts: The Origins and Impact of the Vietnam Antiwar Movement

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. xiii, 370 pages; 25 cm. Tight, clean copy. Stated First Edition. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. A fine copy of the first printing. "More than a quarter-century after the traumatic year of 1968, Americans have still not healed the wounds caused by the Vietnam War. Still there is one conviction that most hawks and doves, then and now, share: that for better or worse, the Vietnam antiwar movement played an important role in turning American opinion against the war, limiting and ultimately ending US military activity in Southeast Asia. In reality however, this article of faith is quite wrong, as Telltale Hearts convincingly demonstrates. The antiwar movement, even at its radical height, was of marginal value and at times actually proved counterproductive to stopping or limiting the war. The movement unwittingly helped prolong the carnage, and more people on both sides were killed as a result. Telltale Hearts shows that the movement's impact on decision-making during the war was, in the end, just not very important compared to other factors, such as the contours of normal electoral politics, the ebb and flow of battle, and the devastating misjudgments made by a series of American civil and military leaders." - Publisher.. 1st. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo. Collectible.