Many books have been written on the tragic decisions regarding Vietnam made by the young stars of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Yet despite millions of words of analysis and reflection, no historian has been able to explain why such decent, brilliant, and previously successful men stumbled so badly, until now.

The Danger of Unquestioned Assumptions (January -- April 1961) -- The Limits of Imagination (April 1961 -- October 1962) -- The Failure of Anticipation (October 1962 -- November 1963) -- The Peril of Short-Term Thinking (November 1963 -- July 1965) -- The Hazard of Sunk Costs (August 1965 -- May 1967) -- The Jeopardy of Conflicting Loyalties (May 1967 -- February 1968) -- The Difficulty of Ending War (March 1968 -- January 1969).