Vietnam: Explaining America's Lost War

In Vietnam, Gary R. Hess describes and evaluates the main arguments of scholars, participants, and journalists, both revisionist and orthodox in their approach, as they try to answer fundamental questions of the Vietnam War.

• Clearly examines the historiography of the Vietnam War
• Questions whether the Vietnam War was lost due to poor strategy and leadership, or was inherently doomed to failure
• Includes a bibliographic essay which complements the literature discussed in the text

In Vietnam, Gary R. Hess describes and evaluates the main arguments of scholars, participants, and journalists, both revisionist and orthodox in their approach, as they try to answer fundamental questions of the Vietnam War.

• Clearly examines the historiography of the Vietnam War


• Questions whether the Vietnam War was lost due to poor strategy and leadership, or was inherently doomed to failure


• Includes a bibliographic essay which complements the literature discussed in the text

Gary R. Hess is Distinguished Research Professor of History at Bowling Green State University. He is a past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and a former chair of the U.S. State Department’s Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation. His publications include Vietnam and the United States: Origins and Legacy of War 1941-1945 (1998) and Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf (2001).