Stanley Karnow demystifies the tragic ordeal of America's war in Vietnam. The book's central theme is that America's leaders, prompted as much by domestic politics as by global ambitions, carried the United States into Southeast Asia with little regard for the realities of the region. Karnow elucidates the decision-making process in Washington and Asia and recounts the political and military events that occurred after the Americans arrived in Vietnam. Throughout, he focuses on people--those who shaped strategy and those who suffered, died, or survived as a result.

Unabridged. Compact disc. The author demystifies the tragic ordeal of America's war in Vietnam and focuses on America's leaders that carried the United States into Southeast Asia with little regard for the realities of the region. Karnow elucidates the decision-making process in Washington and Asia, and recounts the political and military events that occurred after the Americans arrived in Vietnam. He also focuses on people, those who shaped strategy and those who suffered, died, or survived as a result.