The Endless War: Vietnam's Struggle for Independence

by James Pinckney Harrison

-- "New York Times Book Review"

Genres: History

375 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1982

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good but not great book on a fascinating topic. Harrison looks at the whole Vietnam conflict as a political progression, not solely as a war. It is a great lens through which to explore. How was a small political party with no apparent assets able to outlast in succession, a European Power, and then the preeminent world power of the day? This book tries to tell you how. Having read dozens of military histories of the era, I found this particularly illuminating.

Of course it was Who those few activists were, and What they did that counted. Harrison follows closely both how the VietCong/NLF provided services and inspiration to the people in ways that the deeply conflicted, flawed and corrupt South Vietnamese government, even with masses of American aid, never could. The French, Americans and "Anti-Communists" flounder and change course every 18 months, while the Northern Leadership and Southern and Northern rank and file stick with a steady build, and weather their own mistakes. And the different Characters like Ho Chi Minh, Giap, and Le Duan are fleshed out and their differences on policy highlighted, so one can understand what a Politburo does. Rare insight- and one gets to see how irrelevant much of the US effort was to real military/political efficiency.

This is a good book for a younger reader who wants to get behind the usual tropes of the war -clear and directly written. For the Military Enthusiast/Gamer/Modeller this is all about background and is not about the military war that much - except to burst long held myths of American achievements in country, and won't help diorama/scenario development. But its an important read, if you agree with Clausewitz that politics drive wars.

[Richard Tarpey · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author does accomplish his objective of “putting the controversies surrounding the Communist victory, into the perspective of the fifty-year Vietnamese Revolution”, it is hard to overlook his unapologetic fawning for the communist achievements. The narrative is well-written but disappointing due to the lack of objectivity. It is especially disappointing given that the author is a Ph.D. and an academic professor. Many of the statistics provided are uncited and attributed to questionable sources. Most telling is a discussion concerning the use of terror, where the author indicates that the terror enforced by the communists was well-justified and less severe than the terror employed by the non-communist governments. Most negative aspects of the wars are solely attributed to either France or the United States with little discussion of negative behavior or actions on the part of the communists.

The author discusses many valid points concerning both France and the United States continued and escalating involvement as well as calling into question motives and intentions. In the end, the many intriguing points are overshadowed by overly flowery and grandiose admiration for the “greatness” of the communists and their leaders. The book would have been more impactful had it been less subjective.