War Games: The Secret World of the Creators, Players, and Policy Makers Rehearsing World War III Today
Allen, author of Rickover, has written a solid nontechnical introduction to the development and use of military simulation. He includes abundant anecdotes and information drawn from various levels of the "war gaming hierarchy." Of particular interest is the 1982 game "Ivy League" simulating a full-scale nuclear exchange, an exercise whose details were "leaked" as a "demonstration of Washington's ability to react to a decapitating attack." Some readers will find the book alarming; others will take comfort in Allen's description of the professionalism of the strategists and their efforts to"validate" the games' results. Although the absence of a conclusion is regrettable, this is recommended for public and academic libraries. Zachary T. Irwin, Humanities and Social Sciences Div., Behrend College-Penn State Univ., ErieCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.