Neustadt and Ernest R. May, a historian at Harvard University, later analyzed what they saw as crucial moments in the swine flu vaccine decision. It shared features, they said, with several other crucial moments in history, the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War. In each instance, they say, “the individuals who made the key decisions, or at least some of them, looked back and asked, ‘How in God’s name did we come to do that?’”
