In the Jaws of History

There are a lot of books on the Vietnam War. Many of them cover soldiers' experiences on the front or Washington politicians making the "hard decisions". Few books cover the thought processes and political developments going on from the South Vietnamese view though. The author, Bui Diem, experienced the length and breadth of the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of a private citizen of Vietnam and was involved in, or witness to, the political side of the War from the South Vietnamese perspective. What sets this book apart from other political books on the Vietnam War is Bui Diem's background as a Nationalist and his extensive relations with Vietnamese and American officials. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam War, and I would especially recommend it to people who wonder why South Vietnam didn't seem to try to control the situation more. Very illuminating book (and easy to read).

This book is the best nonfiction account from a non-military leader of the former Republic of Vietnam or South Vietnam. Ambassador Bui Diem starts with his own life in Hanoi, under the tutelage of Vo Nguyen Giap, then a teacher before becoming one of the most famous generals of all time. Mr. Diem analyzes LBJ's decision to land combat troops in Vietnam in 1965, as he was writing the communique. He takes readers through his time as Saigon's ambassador to the U.S., meeting with numerous American leaders. Then came the Paris Peace talks with Henry Kissinger in the lead, unilaterally acting on behalf of South Vietnam. Mr. Diem spends the last four years of the war as editor of the Saigon Post, finally fleeing in April 1975 for America. He expresses sorrow and accepts responsibility for losing his country, unlike many former South Vietnamese generals and American leaders of that generation. His book, first published in 1987, is a must for every scholar of Vietnam. It reveals the tremendous pressure exerted on a former ally during a time of war and the American hubris that led to a quagmire.

"In the Jaws of History" is most valuable for Bui Diem's account of his early years in the North, when the "great dilemma in the lives for all nationalists was coming to a head". Nationalists saw collaboration with the French as "repugnant", but then so was "giving the nation ... over to a future ruled by Ho Chi Minh, Vo Nguyen Giap, and the Indochinese Communist Party" who were then murdering nationalist leaders in Hanoi and along the Red River. Giap's role in the purge of the nationalist Dai Viet and VNQDD needs to be kept in mind by those who tend to accept as fact the popular communist myths woven around its leadership figures. "In the Jaws of History" is perhaps best read along with Bui Tin's memoirs "Following Ho Chi Minh: The Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Colonel".

This book offers a compelling and fascinating read. The perspective is one we don't see in most of our histories of the Vietnam conflict: the view of a South Vietnam nationalist who tries to save his nation from the Communists. The absence of bitterness, the appraisals of both the weakness and strength of his South Vietnamese compatriots, his views on the American intervention: all are fascinating.Overall, this is one of the best books I have ever read about the conflict: it's right up there with Stanley Karnow's well-regarded book.

Being a Westernized Vietnamese of the second generation, I did know much about that war that has marked my parents's life forever.Reading that book has introduced to the hardship, however without falling into the drama.What I enjoy the most, was that I browsed to the history, but feel like I was reading a novell.Outstanding job !!!!Nam