Dereliction of Duty; Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

New York: HarperPerennial [A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers], 1998. First Thus Edition. Fifth Printing. Trade paperback. Very good. xxii, [2], 446, [2] pages. Wraps. Illustrations. Notes. Selected Bibliography. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Herbert Raymond McMaster (born July 24, 1962) is a United States Army officer. In 2017, he became the 26th National Security Advisor, serving under President Donald Trump. He is known for his roles in the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. McMaster graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1984, and later earned Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. His Ph.D. thesis was critical of American strategy and military leadership during the Vietnam War and served as the basis for his book, Dereliction of Duty. During the Gulf War, McMaster served as a captain in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, taking part in the Battle of 73 Easting. After the Gulf War, McMaster served as a military history professor at the United States Military Academy, became a research fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2004, he took command of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and fought the Iraqi insurgency in Tal Afar. He became a top counter-insurgency adviser to General David Petraeus. Dereliction Of Duty is a stunning analysis of how and why the United States became involved in a disastrous war in Southeast Asia. Fully and convincingly researched, based on transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings, confrontations and decisions, it is the only book that fully re-creates what happened and why. McMaster pinpoints the policies and decisions that got the United States into the morass and reveals who made these decisions and the motives behind them, disproving the published theories of other historians and excuses of the participants. Dereliction Of Duty focuses on a fascinating cast of characters: President Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, General Maxwell Taylor, McGeorge Bundy and other top aides who deliberately deceived the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Congress and the American public. McMaster's only book, Dereliction of Duty is an explosive and authoritative new look at the controversy concerning the United States involvement in Vietnam.