A revelatory look at the decisions that led to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, drawing on the insights and reassessments of one of the war&... read full description
reviews
Aug 06, 2010
Kathleen
rated it: 
Who in their right mind names their child McGeorge? Turns out that the incredibly wealthy Boston elite do, you know, like the Lowells who talk only to Cabots, or the Cabots who talk only to God. The point is, he was bred to arrogance and to certitude. The lessons that Goldstein learns from Bundy's mistakes are simple and elegant, yet far too easily ignored. The way a high level public servant can help push a nation into an unmitigated disaster of a war?
1.) Always pass the buck higher u More...
1.) Always pass the buck higher u More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 04, 2012
Max
rated it:
This is an excellent treatment of the Kennedy Administration's involvement in Vietnam. Drawing on numerous interviews with McGeorge Bundy, National Security Advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and numerous documents from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Goldstein's thorough research provides strong support to his arguments. Goldstein tells the reader that Kennedy did not favor intervention in Southeast Asia, evidenced by the fact that he chose not to intervene after Laos fe
More...
Jul 28, 2011
According to WSJ, "Lessons in Disaster" traces the hawkish war stance and eventual disavowal of it by Vietnam-era national-security adviser McGeorge Bundy.
In 2009, in the context of the Vietghanistan quagmire, the book: "entered West Wing circulation after Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, one of the top foreign-policy voices in the White House, gave it to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel after reading it himself. Mr. Emanuel read the book in a weekend, then s More...
In 2009, in the context of the Vietghanistan quagmire, the book: "entered West Wing circulation after Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, one of the top foreign-policy voices in the White House, gave it to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel after reading it himself. Mr. Emanuel read the book in a weekend, then s More...
Jan 24, 2011
Javvie
rated it:
Interesting book about Bundy and the decisions made on whether or not to send troops into Vietnam. A bit of an odd book considering the author's relationship with Bundy (they were collaborating, Bundy died, then the book had to be about Bundy instead), but still interesting. The book is meant to teach lessons, (hence the title) not just to be a historical record of what happened, and I think it succeeds in those terms. Aside from the titles of each chapter, there are no prescribed lessons, but w
More...
Dec 05, 2009
judy
rated it:
Ignore the stars. I read it for a specific reason and that would not be McGeorge Bundy. The rumor has been out that everyone in the White House has been reading this book. I'm sure Obama has--and he was probably the first. It is now just days after Obama took over the war in Afghanistan. I wanted to see whether he had observed the Lessons in Disaster. I feel comfortable that he has. His brain and style would never allow decisions to be made as they were in the Johnson White House. That does
More...
May 08, 2010
Olivia
rated it:
This book has made me quite skeptical about the leaders in our government. Of course, I hope all the current leaders have all read this and learned from it.
Through 6 lessons, Goldstein writes about the many mistakes of the American administration during Kennedy's and LBJ's presidencies. We all know that the Vietnam War ended badly, but I did not realize it was jumped into so blindly. Even when they were presented with research that the chances of winning were slim to nothing, they still pr More...
Through 6 lessons, Goldstein writes about the many mistakes of the American administration during Kennedy's and LBJ's presidencies. We all know that the Vietnam War ended badly, but I did not realize it was jumped into so blindly. Even when they were presented with research that the chances of winning were slim to nothing, they still pr More...
Nov 02, 2010
Jerry
rated it: 
A good book, but not as good as I had read in reviews. While I understand the beginnings of the Vietnam War a bit better after this read, I just didn't get a feel from this book that McGeorge Bundy was really an influential member of either the Kennedy or Johnson administration. He was too much of a war hawk for Kennedy to take his advice, and he burnt bridges with Johnson by constantly harping on about air strikes when Johnson wanted boots on the ground. I didn't get a good sense of why he was
More...
Nov 10, 2009
Garrett
rated it: 
Lessons in Disaster provides a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at the political machinations and gamesmanship roiling in the White House. McGeorge Bundy was the national security advisor for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The author, Gordon Goldstein, had worked extensively with Bundy in his later years for a biography that eventually fell through. Goldstein wrote this book instead. He examines the choices that led to the expansion of the Vietnam War. Kennedy comes out looking much better than
More...
Jul 06, 2011
Kerry
rated it:
For history junkies like myself, how is this one possible to resist?! Bundy's immediate admitting to having part in a great failure in American history with it's involvement in the Vietnam war while also making statements like: Kennedy didn't want to be dumb" and Johnson didn't want to be a coward" within the first few pages?! Tantalizing. Pow! Bam! Boom! (cue Adam west)
Then of course the story of Bundy presenting a paper to the class where his classmates snickered through it More...
Then of course the story of Bundy presenting a paper to the class where his classmates snickered through it More...
Aug 06, 2010
Peter
rated it:
Similar to Robert McNamara - but in a more restrained way - McGeorge Bundy critically looked back at his decisions during the Vietnam years, took stock of his mistakes, and concluded that the war never should have happened. Lessons in Disaster is not Bundy's memoir. It was written by Gordon M. Goldstein, the co-author of a history of the war started by Bundy but left incomplete due to Bundy's death. Using his access to Bundy's personal notes, Goldstein makes a strong case that if John Kenned
More...
Aug 06, 2010
Bill
rated it:
McGeorge Bundy was Dean of Harvard University and National Security Advisor for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Henry Kissinger and Condeela Rice followed Bundy as national security advisors before becoming secretaries of state. Goldstein has a PhD in international relations and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Bundy and Goldstein had been collaborating for 18 months to write a book covering Bundy's national security advisor experiences and the Vietnam War prior to the More...
Bundy and Goldstein had been collaborating for 18 months to write a book covering Bundy's national security advisor experiences and the Vietnam War prior to the More...
Jan 22, 2011
Peter
rated it:
Conviction without rigor is a strategy (recipe) for disaster. Absence of rigorous analysis during key decisionmaking periods in 1965 (decision to increase bombing; insert Marines to protect air bases; transition Marines' duties to offensive COIN operations; insert additional American ground forces). McGB had the conviction that the U.S. needed to increase its stake in the war for political purposes (he felt the potential damage to American prestige of a near-term loss exceeded that of a loss aft
More...
Sep 27, 2009
What inspired me to buy was this in the context of a discussion about our policy in Afghanistan:
"The Times Book Review cheered it as “an extraordinary cautionary tale for all Americans.” The reviewer was, of all people, the diplomat Richard Holbrooke, whose career began in Vietnam and who would later be charged with the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis by the new Obama administration."
"The Times Book Review cheered it as “an extraordinary cautionary tale for all Americans.” The reviewer was, of all people, the diplomat Richard Holbrooke, whose career began in Vietnam and who would later be charged with the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis by the new Obama administration."
Dec 07, 2009
Tom
rated it:
I read this in January 2009, and see it's what all in the White House have been reading since this summer and before the big December decision for troop requests for Afghanistan.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/world/asia/06reconstruct.html>
Very good book and very good history of the writing of the book itself (qv, Goldstein working with Bundy before his death).
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/world/asia/06reconstruct.html>
Very good book and very good history of the writing of the book itself (qv, Goldstein working with Bundy before his death).
May 20, 2011
Jesse
rated it:
Excellent read. This is a must for anyone interested in the Vietnam War and its effects on the American society. This piece gives are remarkably balanced examination of Bundy and the decisions that led to the disaster that was Vietnam.
Jan 17, 2010
Dave
rated it:
This is a first step in my quest to understand Vietnam from a variety of standpoints. Goldstein does a good job in writing this; he makes it feel like he's simply quoting McGeorge Bundy the whole time. Bundy's analysis of his and others' roles in the framing and inner-workings of the war lead me to my next steps. I need a good biography of LBJ and a book that covers the work within the government(s) of South (and North, if it exists) Vietnam. One small peeve. Between this and Fog of War, I'm a l
More...
Aug 06, 2010
Frank
rated it:
This book was sited in numerous publications as a primer inside the Obama White House as the President mulled over what strategy to pursue in Afghanistan. Goldstein has written a fine book - and important book - on presidential decision making. But he's also written a book on how the brightest are not necessarily the best in advising the President or speaking truth to power. Clearly this was the case with McGeorge Bundy who is the focus of the book. But he was not alone. And ultimately it is an
More...
Oct 02, 2009
I'm grateful that the closest I got to S. E. Asia was having a draft card. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Jan 11, 2011
Any presidential cabinet contemplating the use of military force should be locked in a room and slapped with this book.
Sep 28, 2009
Jan 22, 2011
Ken
rated it:
I think this book does a very decent job at telling the early story of Vietnam both the good AND BAD. I think Bundy's opinion is was still that of non-regret but at least he was able to cite honestly the errors of the JFK/LBJ Administrations.
Aug 19, 2011
Bob
rated it:
First heard about the book last fall in a Frank Rich op-ed in the NYT, as "the book everyone in Washington is reading." An excellent look at the mistakes make in Washington from 1961-1965 as regards Vietnam, primarily through the eyes of McGeorge Bundy,the national security advisor to Kennedy and then Johnson. Well-written and thoughtful analysis of how smart people make terrible decisions, driven by political and military expediency and deliberately ignoring the facts on the ground.
More...
Dec 22, 2008
Dave
rated it:
An amazing book that takes you into the mind of Kennedy National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, based on conversation author Gordon Goldstein had with Bundy while collaborating on the former advisors never published memoir. Bundy along with McNamara was one of the administrations Best and Brightest whose guidance led to the Americanization of the Vietnam War first while working under Kennedy and then as part of Johnson’s staff.
Aug 19, 2011
Tobi
rated it:
This was a really detailed book about just what the title says. If you are very interested in the history of US involvement in Vietnam and how it came about, this is the book for you. Reading this helped me to realize I'm not very interested in that part of history.
Oct 23, 2011
Jacqui
rated it:
I find this one fascinating so far. A little hard for me to read on the morning commute - so many facts! - but I'm hoping it gets easier with more caffeine consumption, wakeful hours.
Dec 18, 2009
Tim
rated it:
It is really scary in what we do not learn from the past often comes back to haunt us. This was extremely well written and did not get bogged down in the small details.
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 11, 2012
