Dereliction of Duty makes a unique, groundbreaking contribution toward clarifying what happened, why, and who was responsible for the decisions that led to direct U.S. military intervention in the Vietnam War. Based on more than five years of painstaking research, it includes startling revelations from previously classified transcripts of crucial meetings, many of which were obtained by the author through the Freedom of Information Act; tapes of private telephone conversations; exclusive access to personal diaries; interviews with participants; and oral histories.

The new frontiersmen and the old guard : 1961-October 1962 --Havana and Hanoi : October 1962-November 1963 -- New war new leader November : 1963-January 1964 -- Graduated pressure : January-March 1964 -- From distrust to deceit : March-July 1964 -- Across the threshold : July-August 1964 -- Contriving consensus : August-September 1964 -- Prophecies rejected and the path of least resistance : September-November 1964 -- Planning for failure : November-December 1964 -- A fork in the road : December 1964-February 1965 -- The foot in the door : February-March 1965 -- A quicksand of lies : March-April 1965 -- The coach and his team : April-June 1965 -- War without direction : April-June 1965 -- Five silent men : July 1965.