Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War allows us to see what really happened to American forces in Southeast Asia, separating popular myth from explosive reality in a clear, concise manner. Containing more than two hundred examinations of different aspects of the war, the book questions why the American military ignored the lessons taught by previous encounters with insurgency forces; probes the use of group think and mind control by the North Vietnamese; and explores the role technology played in shaping the way the war was fought. Of course, the book also reveals the "dirty little secrets," the truth behind such aspects of the conflict as the rise of the Montagnard mercenaries-the most feared group of soldiers participating in the secret war in Laos-and the details of the hidden struggle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
With its unique and perceptive examination of the conflict, Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War by James F. Dunnigan & Albert A. Nofi offers a critical addition to the library of Vietnam War history.
"Dirty Little Secrets is full of surprises about the inner workings of war-making machinery around the world. and, with war and rumors of war no more distant than the front page of today's newspaper, Dirty Little Secrets is a useful briefing...A handbook for our times."
Los Angeles Times on Dirty Little Secrets
"Informative and entertaining but sobering."
The New York Times Book Review on Dirty Little Secrets
