An American Amnesia: How the US Congress Forced the Surrenders of South Vietnam and Cambodia Hardcover – March 10, 2010

Since the 1980s American History textbooks began churning out and our American History began being "revised" to fault the US Military in general and the Marine Corps specifically for the "loss" of the Viet Nam War ... generations have been indoctrinated into believing the war was LOST by our military.This work finally sets the record straight! The fall of Saigon is the direct result of Hanoi's violation of their own begged-for 1972 Paris Peace Accords when they invaded the Republic of Viet Nam (South Viet Nam) AND Democrats in the Congress who flat refused to honor America's commitments in the same 1972 Paris Peace Accords TREATY we signed and the US Senate ratified.It's time to re-revise American History textbooks and lay the fault for the fall of South Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos precisely where it belongs.

If I could give this book the rating I wanted to, then I would likely give it a 3.5 stars because I liked it but with some reservations. Vietnam has recently become more interesting to me for a couple of reasons. 1. I am a new teacher. 2. My father was a navy man at the time who served in Vietnam two terms (64 and 66). While I have never been a fan of the war itself I am proud of my dad and other men like him who willing went to serve despite the policies of their government. So when I saw this book defending the U.S. government policy that led us into the conflict I thought this would be an interesting take on the history of the era. Herschenson was not only alive at the time of this event but was an insider in the Nixon administration and the inner workings of Washington. He writes a clear defense of government reasoning for the war and gives the reader food for thought concerning the role of the media in times of national crisis. While there are some admirable qualities in this work it is not perfect by any means and some things I had questions about.Herschensohn is a capable writer who writes in a very short and concise manner. He is not a man who minces words or attempts to hide his bias which is both refreshing and problematic. While this is a history book it is more of a treatise on the problems that lead us towards a weakened government. He stresses the involvement of the media and Hollywood in unduly influencing the public and oftentimes with false information. In a world where everyone bags on Fox for being too conservative it is hard for many to realize that most news outlets are liberal and have been for some time. He explains that the battle for a South Vietnamese government was achieved in 1973 and thus America did not lose the Vietnam conflict. The loss came 2 and half years later when South Vietnam, unable to stand on its own two feet, collapsed underneath the pressure of North Vietnamese communists who were being supplied by the former Soviet Union and China. It was American sentiment which prevented us from being able to keep our word to the South Vietnamese.The fact that he was there in person at the White House to hear aspects of the story that we have rarely heard adds a positive dimension to this book. He records information about the genocide that took place in 1975 when Cambodia and South Vietnam were left to fend for themselves, and the entire thing is very heart-breaking. However, there is a negative side to some of the first-hand information as well. He quotes sources but does not give us a good bibliography to be able to double check those sources. For example when he quotes newsweek or a newspaper he does not tell you the date, or the issue number so finding that source would be troublesome. Much of he says are paraphrases of things he claims to have heard in person working for Nixon. While I have no doubt that he did based on the material itself, we are often asked to take his word which may not always be accurate, especially since he already has a blatantly visible bias. I realize that he is not a historian but his bibliography did not make it easy to follow up on his account.He does not see a problem with the "domino theory" that lured Eisenhower into this conflict even though he only committed about 900 soldiers at the time. He believes that Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon were successful with this war and that it was Ford that hurt the effort. He seems to believe that we may have had continued success if Nixon had not been forced to resign or suffer impeachment due to the water-gate scandal. He sees President Ford's occupation of the White House as a turning point that led to a deterioration of execute power as Ford was too weak. The 93rd Congress he felt tried to take away power from the presidency and betrayed their friends in Vietnam going back on their commitment to aid them in their stand against the North Vietnamese as well as the Viet Cong. In his mind this event connects all the way to 9-11 and beyond. I don't see it that way as I have felt that Reagan, Bush and Clinton were very strong in their exercise of executive power where foreign nations were concerned.His ending was perhaps the most difficult part of the book that I felt was perhaps misguided. He roundly condemns congress for truncating Presidential powers during war time making it is impossible for a President to do his job effectively. However, I don't think that war is something that should be the sole decision of one man. He vies for strong executive power in those regards and does little to discuss how such power should be kept in check. On one hand, I appreciate that he makes the case that U.S. involvement was a sacrifice to promote the freedom that the South Vietnamese desired. I realize that there was a genocide in 1975 that far surpassed the death toll in the decade of war that we engaged in on that front. I am sad that this happened and that so many Vietnamese lost homes, families, freedom, and some even their lives. However, the question still comes to mind "What business is that of ours?" I am not trying to be insensitive but there is injustice in the world everyday which should make us aware that we can't fight every war and defend every faction that wants democracy in their countries.The last chapter of the book was most difficult when he tried to blame the present conflict in the Middle East on the abbreviated powers of the President. He brought up the threat of Saddam Hussein but as of yet I am not aware that there is any hard-core evidence that Saddam was a threat to U.S. security. George W. Bush as far as we know acted on faulty security information and while removing that dictator from power was a victory for humanity, it was not within our right to do so. The point is that we cannot be the police of the world at large and while the conflicts we have engaged in have not always been for impure reasons, they are not always feasible. I understand his frustration with liberals who distort facts and have influenced the way that history is understood; I am frustrated with conservatives who do the same. Nevertheless, the Monroe doctrine was not a policy concocted by liberals but by our own fathers who understood the necessity of not becoming involved in entangling affairs. I did gain more respect for Vietnam and I appreciate his honesty about the media and the outright lies they told to foist their opinions on the public. This book is worth reading but it is important to recognize the perspective of the author. Overall, not a bad book at all.

Someone -a primary source and key participant - finally rips the mask off of those who have lied to us for years about these events. Herschensohn outlines how the 93rd and 94th congresses worked against the interests of our nation, and constitutional executive power.He also gives tons of details about how the media and many "celebrities" worked against the nation - wishing us , and later our ally in South Vietnam to lose! The examples are chilling. I just wish names were used in many cases.There was no attempt by Ford to "restart" the war that Nixon ended. Congress refused to live up to agreements made between the US and South Vietnam. Criminal. You will find this out- many of you for the first time - in this book. Wait until you find out what members of congress were saying as we allowed millions to be killed by communist takeovers after 1974 as congress sold out our allies.The media was engaged in outright treason. It made me sick to read the examples of what they did.How many of you knew that protestors in the US ripped down our flag and hoisted up the flag of the Viet Cong more than once?The media, politicians and academia still refuse to be honest about these events. This book makes it impossible for them to hide anymore - if we force them to deal with it.I found this book after hearing a lecture from Winston Lord - negotiator for peace talks. He pointed out 40 years of revisionists who claim we could have gotten the same deal in 1969 that we got in 1973. Untrue. His talk is available on the internet.I knew this thesis was correct but ignored due to voluntary amnesia. I will use this book with students from now on. We need more people to speak out.You will especially enjoy the "Christmas Bombing" lie the media continues to sell. There is just so much in this book that will open your eyes and make you angry. You will also appreciate the situation Nixon inherited and how he masterfully dealt with it. I read the book in one day- and read it again recently.I lived through this and have been waiting for someone like Herschensohn to expose our American Amnesia.

Uncovering a 50 year old cover-up by the mainstream media - how Democrats lost the Vietnam war and tried to blame it on the US military.

Worth the read...