The Palace File
This book offers a fresh perspective on the Vietnam War and strikingly new documentation, both of which derive from co-author Hung's unique vantage point. A U.S.-trained economist, Hung served as special assistant to South Vietnamese President Thieu. In that capacity he gained access to a file of 31 letters from Presidents Nixon and Ford to the Vietnamese leader. Schecter, a Time editor, has assisted Hung in using this "palace file" of previously unpublished documents as the basis of a powerful critique of U.S. policy, especially the failure of the United States to live up to commitments to sustain South Vietnam after the Paris Peace Accords. Absorbing reading for a scholarly audience and informed laypersons; this will become a standard, if controversial, source. John H. Boyle, History Dept., California State Univ., ChicoCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.