Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam's Shattered Dreams

"Drawn Swords showcases the rise and fall of South Vietnam. This book highlights the South Vietnamese effort to build and defend their country, while weaving in the policy decisions made in Washington and Hanoi that signifcantly influenced the course of the war. A huge historical gap exists in understanding the motivations and policies of the Saigon government, mainly due to old ideological blinders, misinformation, and outright lies. By providing the South Vietnamese story and perspectives, Drawn Swordssets the record straight and offers the first detailed overview of their successes and failures in the democratic experiment known as the Republic of Vietnam. Many books have aptly chronicled the presidency of Ngo Dinh Diem, but few scholars have delved deeply into the years following the coup. This has left a tremendous historical void. Thus, this publication explores the presidency of Nguyen Van Thieu, the American withdrawal, and the eventual fall of the Second Republic of Vietnam. Equally important, Drawn Swords provides fascinating new evidence on how the Diem coup was almost halted, the backroom maneuvering that allowed Thieu to run for the president over Nguyen Cao Ky, and the true story behind the infamous "Anna Chennault Affair," one that shows that Richard Nixon was not the instigator of a plot to win the 1968 election. Even more explosive, Drawn Swords provides the incredible details on the last, great, secret of the Vietnam War: a plot during the last days of the war by France, in conjunctionwith one of Hanoi's allies, to prevent North Vietnam from conquering Saigon. This previously unknown scheme, along with many other fascinating new insights, sheds fresh light on the tumultuous struggle called the Vietnam War"--
Drawn Swords in a Distant Landshowcases the fascinating, untold story of the rise and fall of the Republic of Vietnam. Putting aside outdated ideological debates, it offers the first in-depth review of the South Vietnamese successes and failures in building and defending their state. Drawn Swordshighlights the career of President Nguyen Van Thieu, who in many ways embodied the hopes, dreams, and innumerable tragedies of the South Vietnamese people. It details the extent to which the Vietnamese Nationalists under his leadership built a viable state after the 1968 Tet Offensive; weaves together the policy decisions made in Washington, Hanoi, and Saigon that significantly determined the course of the war; and explains why South Vietnam was defeated in April 1975. Equally important, it provides stunning new details about how the coup against Ngo Dinh Diem was almost halted, describes the backroom maneuvering that chose Thieu for the presidency over Nguyen Cao Ky, and demonstrates that Richard Nixon was not the instigator of a conspiracy with Thieu known as the “Chennault Affair” to win the 1968 election. Even more explosive, Drawn Swordsreveals the last, great secret of the Vietnam War: a plot by France during the last days, in conjunction with one of Hanoi’s allies, to prevent North Vietnam from conquering Saigon. This previously unknown scheme, along with many other intriguing new insights, sheds fresh light on the tumultuous struggle called the Vietnam War. Drawn Swords is the definitive and much overdue account of Thieu and the Second Republic.