American Tragedy (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: David Kaiser
- First Published: 2000
- Type of Work: History
- Time of Work: 1954-1975
- Setting: Southeast Asia and the United States
- Principal Characters: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ngo Dinh Diem, Robert S. McNamara, Dean Rusk, McGeorge Bundy, George Ball, William Westmoreland, Frederick Nolting, Henry Cabot Lodge
- Genres: Nonfiction, History
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Vietnam War, Politicians, Presidents, Southeast Asia, Vietnam or Vietnamese people, Cold War
- Locales: United States, Southeast Asia
David Kaiser’s central argument is based on his interpretation that President John F. Kennedy would have avoided the insertion of American ground troops to fight Communist forces in South Vietnam. Kaiser’s American Tragedy is meticulously researched, based on nine years of study of now-declassified American policy documents. Kaiser documents extremely well the discussions and actions taken by American policy leaders, and the articulation of policy in numerous government documents. As Kaiser shows, frustration with Communist gains ultimately led to President Johnson’s...
[The entire page is 1814 words long]
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