The Sammy Wong Files: Confessions of a Chinese American Terrorist

Customer Reviews:

Chinese restaurants will never be the same.......2007-07-13

Did you ever wonder what happened to the Chinese American family that ran your favorite Chinese restaurant? Remember the girl with pony tails and knee socks, doing her third grade math homework at a table piled high with folded napkins and cutlery right next to the cash register? Or that affable but slightly rumpled gentleman with three pens in his pocket protector who always seemed to be at the bar or the cash register, ready with a big smile and kind words no matter whether you were having dim sum on Sunday or grabbing takeout at 10PM on Thursday?

Well, look no further. Eleanor Wong Telemaque, who grew up working at her family's Canton Cafe in Albert Lea, Minnesota, provides insightful and often hilarious vignettes of her life on the Minnesota-Iowa border in the 1940s. Her newly published memoir, "The Sammy Wong Files: Confessions of a Chinese American Terrorist," starts in Minnesota but ricochets from China to Canada to New York to Chicago. Add in the absurd and frightening way she was caught in the anti-Chinese Communist dragnet of the 1950s, freed by a member of President Kennedy's staff, and propelled into the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and you have a fast-paced memoir that makes for a great read at the beach this summer.

Elly, as she is known to her many friends, first burst onto the literary scene in 1978 with "It's Crazy to Stay Chinese in Minnesota," a young adult book that was not accepted by the publishing industry as an adult novel because her protagonist, Bingo Tang, was not white. Elly was urged by people familiar with the publishing world to make this change, but she refused. After years marching, writing, and working for civil rights, including years on the staff of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, she was not about to back down on this important issue.

Enter her name in Google. however, and you will get an idea of the impact that "It's Crazy" has had over the years. Excerpts have been included in anthologies about Asian Pacific Americans, women, the midwest, and Minnesota. Courses use the book to represent Asian Pacific American life in the midwest.

Another place you may remember seeing Elly Telemaque's name is her 1980 book "Haiti Through Its Holidays," written to honor her Haitian-born husband Maurice Telemaque and her Haitian-Chinese-American daughter, Adrienne Chi-en Telemaque, who works as a physical therapist but who has been seen on stage and screen as an actress and dancer. Elly also has appeared in Amy Chen and Ying Chan's award-winning 2001 documentary, "The Chinatown Files," which examines the effect of Cold War anti-Chinese communist hysteria on Chinese Americans.

Elly Telemaque is a master of dialogue and character development, and her decision to use the Chinese words as she heard them, and not necessarily as they would be written in a Chinese language text, is a wise decision.

You can almost imagine yourself in her hometown, when her mother discovers three photographs of naked women that a passing tramp gave a young Elly and her brother Don in exchange for a glass of milk and two day-old doughnuts. "When Mother found the photographs, she knuckled our heads. 'Chuk nee ah,' she screamed. 'What example will you be to your children? You'll become white devils!'"

The tensions between a father who supported Chiang-kai Shek and wanted to be one hundred percent American and a mother who learned little English and longed for the old country is a standard plot device. In Telemaque's deft hand, however, we understand the racist immigration laws that forced father to come in as a "paper son," and follow the family story as it describes the lives of her siblings and Wong cousins.

Elly does all women a service in her book by going into detail about how her trust was violated at a young age by a visiting older relative who was a sexual predator. While she was able to run away from him and then keep him at bay when he tried to visit her at college, her words are a reminder that the "model minority" myth obscures the reality that the Asian Pacific American community, like every community, has its share of problems.

"The Sammy Wong Files" is full of wonderful ironies, like the soy sauce factory co-owned by Elly's father where only the African American janitor remembers the secret recipe. As each chapter unfolds, however, you will see that when Eleanor Wong Telemaque describes her Asian Pacific American immigrant life for us, she is really celebrating an American history that is as varied as the lo mein and milk-fed turkey sandwiches served at the Canton Cafe.

China's New Rulers: The Secret Files; Second, Revised Edition

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Excellent Read
Look Inside Zhongnanhai
Fascinating, and loads of explanatory power
New Rulers: A Consensus Team for Jiang
A Fascinating Look at the Fourth Generation

China's New Rulers: The Secret Files; Second, Revised Edition
Bruce Gilley , and Andrew Nathan
Manufacturer: New York Review Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1590170725
Release Date: 2003-10-31

Book Description

At the Chinese Communist Party's 16th Congress in November 2002, a group of new leaders took over the world's most populous country. Their accession as the "Fourth Generation" of rulers of the People's Republic--following the generations of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin--signaled the end of a long, complex struggle for power.

Yet little has been known outside high Party circles about either that struggle or the men who emerged victorious from it. China's New Rulers, based on confidential Party files leaked to a Chinese writer abroad, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the most orderly succession in the turbulent history of the People's Republic. At its center are detailed descriptions of the nine men who will rule China for the next five years--their backgrounds, their characters, and their visions for the future. Among the challenges they will face are economic reform and China's integration into a global economy, pressures for political liberalization and human rights, ethnic unrest in Tibet and Xinjiang, the status of Taiwan, and relations with the US.

China's New Rulers is an extraordinary account of a high-level political drama that has largely taken place in secret. It portrays many key figures in the Party, government, and military, and provides new information on Jiang Zemin's thirteen years in office. Most importantly, it contains the first insights into matters of great importance to the West: who will lead China, what changes they may bring to their country, and how they may act as international partners and competitors.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Read.......2003-09-02

This book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to know about China's rulers. Granted the "secret files" in the title made me a little skeptical, but after reading the book and reading other articles as well, this book feels "real." It will be interesting to see how the new leaders guide China and how they will react to the challenges that come up.

To go along with this book, I recommend James C.F. Wang's "Contemporary Chinese Politics," the latest edition.

Look Inside Zhongnanhai.......2003-08-24

This book is great for anyone from a curious reader to an "expert sinologist" (who rarely know what they are talking about). While I would never advocate accepting any foreign policy text-especially one on China-without serious skepticism, I think this is an overall accurate look at the inside.
As many of the other reviewers have noted, this book became dated as soon as it went to print, but that is not as big of a fault as one might imagine. With a quick glance at the news source of your choice (or the reviewer a little further down the page) will bring you up to date quite easily.
My one disagreement worthy of mention is his definition of the world multipolarity- "many nations having a say in world affairs." While I agree that is what American pundits mean by the term, I would argue that Chinese politicians mean something slightly different. Praise for multipolarity is actually an effort to tie the US down to the UN (where China of course wields a veto) and other means of international oversight of US foreign policy decisions. There is a subtle difference between the meaning in the this word in the lexicons of the leaders of the two nations. America means it much as the authors describe it, but China means it as constrain America.

Fascinating, and loads of explanatory power.......2003-07-03

With the State and the Party so tied up together in China, trying to figure out the roles of the NPC, the State Council, the Politburo, Standing Committees, etc is extremely difficult! The best feature of this book is its ability to explain and clarify the role of each part of the Chinese government. Then again, maybe the best feature is its descriptions of the inside workings of the CCP. And then again, maybe the best feature is that after reading this book, you can read a New York Times article about Hu's possible liberal leanings, and say "What the?..." You'll know more than the average bear! Warning: This book is not necessarily an easy read, and will be most useful to those who take more than a passing interest in China.

New Rulers: A Consensus Team for Jiang.......2003-05-26

The value of this book is severalfold. It gives intriguing hints at the nature of top level Chinese decision-making processes. It contains excellent biographical sketches of top leadership in the Chinese Communist Party -- new and old. And it reveals relationships among the various players that is invaluable in attempting to fathom the workings of a secretive government that sees its relationship with the United States as the core of its foreign policy.

Even with insider information (the secret files), it is always risky business to predict the future, and authors Andrew Nathan and Bruce Gilley are surly aware of this. The fact that they got most of their predictions right isn't as important as examining the ones they got wrong, and trying to figure out what may have happened.

Jiang Zemin stepped down as general secretary and president -- as predicted -- but stayed on as chairman of the powerful Centeral Military Commission. This event was not foreseen. What happened?

Nathan and Gilley forecast that the Standing Committee of the Politburo would consist of seven members. That group today stands at nine. (The PRC constitution allows for seven to nine members on the PBSC.)

One of the seven predicted to attain Standing Committee status, Li Ruihuan, was not chosen. Li, a reform-minded member of the previous Standing Committee, didn't make the cut for this one, even though he would have been young enough to serve another term before "mandatory" retirement at age 70. Credit Jiang Zemin for his ouster.

Three unexpected members were chosen -- Huang Ju, Jia Qinglin, and Wu Guanzheng. Nathan and Gilley discuss these men (and many others) as well as the leaders they predicted would rise to power.

There are brighter red stars than Huang Ju. Jiang has mentored him since Shanghai days in the 1980s. A former mayor and party chief of Shanghai, his daughter is married to a pro-Taiwan newspaperman from San Francisco.

Jia Qingling, a former Beijing party chief, was the best man at Jiang's wedding, and saved by Jiang after a corruption scandal involving Jia's wife.

Wu Guanzheng is secretary of the important Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC. An ally of Jiang, he has close links with Hu Jintao as well.

The new members of the PBSC that were correctly predicted by Nathan and Gilley are:

Hu Jintao, Mr. "Zero Defects" is China's first "resume president." Hu used force in Tibet in 1989 two months before Tiananmin, creating the precedent for the June 4 massacre. Jiang labeled him the "core of the fourth generation."

Wen Jiabao is a protégé of Zhu Rongji and supported by anti-Jiang factions. As premier of the State Council, he will oversee economic reforms. A capable administrator, he has been called "most dazzling."

Wu Bangguo. A Jiang man from Shanghai days, Wu oversaw the Three Gorges dam project. He is said to have a "common touch" and is cautious about reform.

Zeng Qinghong has been mentored by and is the former personal secretary to Jiang Zemin. Zeng is perhaps the most influential member of the Standing Committee, and a possible challenger to Hu Jintao.

Li Changchun is supported by Jiang, but lost the premier's position because of purported missteps in Guangdong. Still, he was able to solve problems in the province and bring it in line with Beijing's policies in the 1990s, making it a favorite of Jiang and where he chose to announce his "Three Represents" campaign in 2000.

Luo Gan. Mr. "Go To" when there's trouble, Luo controls the security apparatus of PRC, including the People's Armed Police. He did Li Peng's bidding at Tiananmen.

At least seven of the nine are Jiang's men.

One of the interesting, if not amazing things that the authors show is that the succession to power of the "fourth generation" leadership in China is the most orderly transition of power in China's history. No small claim. Still, it remains to be seen how these men will govern and engage in foreign affairs.

None of the nine have any direct military experience. Only one has studied outside China (Luo Gan), and only one has had international travel (Hu Jintao). The preceeding leadership "traveled extensively, made diplomatic visits, attended summits, and entertained a ceaseless stream of visitors from abroad."

To varying degrees each man is well-grounded in domestic policy, and they are poised to work together as a consensus team under the watchful eye of Jiang. As Nathan and Gilley point out, and as many China-watchers agree, "stability" will be a key word in making policy at home and abroad.

Last year, some of my Chinese colleagues in Beijing attempted to forecast the future too. "There are others besides Hu Jintao," one high-ranking PLA officer told me. But he missed the mark more than "China's New Rulers" did.

If you're interested in the inner workings of the CCP, and the relationship between different levels and persons of power in Beijing, you'll appreciate the information this book conveys.

A Fascinating Look at the Fourth Generation.......2003-02-05

Starting late last year, a new generation of leaders -- often referred to as the "fourth generation" -- began to take over the top posts in China. This book is something of a scorecard of what we might be able to expect from them as they lead China.

Based on what is supposedly a Chinese insider's look at secret files on the new leaders, China scholars Andrew Nathan and Bruce Gilley write a highly readable account, focusing mainly on the seven men they expected to form the sixteenth Politburo Standing Committee (the book went to print before the announcement of the new leadership in November, 2002 -- however, most of the Chinese leaders it examines are still in power; with the exception of the early retirement of Li Ruihuan, it appears the authors were mainly correct in their early predictions).

The authors also briefly deal with other PRC leaders, including the top women leaders and those early candidates for leading the fifth generation. One of the final chapters focuses on the way the new leadership sees China's place in the world, including most importantly its relationship with the U.S.

Customer Reviews:

Provides depth and detail on Palestine history and issues.......2006-03-06

The first edition of Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians appeared in 2000 and there have been vast changes in the region since, prompting the need for this substantively revised edition, which offers new entries about these recent developments. Articles have all been updated, photos of important leaders and events added, and fifty key documents included. Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians provides depth and detail on Palestine history and issues, making it a recommended pick for general-interest college-level history holdings, as well.

Concise Discussions Without Overt Bias Can Promote Peace.......2002-12-05

There is much more detail that should be included. Four examples:

1 - The first 20 years of the region's decoupling from Turkey is inadequately discussed;

2 - Faisel Husseini, the man T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) chose as his key to launching the WWI revolt) was assisted in escaping the Turks by Lebanese-born Rafiq Habib Gabour, the 20-year-old consul on behalf of Persia to Turkey;

3 - Rafiq Habib Gabour dedicated his life to evicting Britain from Egypt and from Palestine, yet is not mentioned in the book;

4 - Working-class Jews and Arabs of the region worked together to improve their working conditions, wages, and political freedoms. Yet, not one line to this effect is uttered. This is key, for those in power and those with a financial stake in the area may possibly have driven a wedge between the two groups for which the entire world is now paying a stiff price!

The organization also could be much improved. Trying to find information on particular people, such as Faisel, or his brother Abdullah, or their father King Hussein of the Hegaz, is a bit of a meandering trail.

Despite these shortcomings, this book is quite useful and remarkably free of bias that leads any reader into a particular judgement. It is a must for anyone wishing to gain a fair insight to Palestine and Israel.

I highly recommend the book to any individual wishing to gain an insight into the development of the region and the seeds of the current strife. Supporters of Israel will find the book helpful, just as will supporters of the Palestinians. Few other books about the people of the region can boast such a claim.

Excellent Encyclopedia about Palestine & Palestinians.......2000-05-12

This Encyclopedia in one volume brings together a wealth of unbiased information about Palestine & Palestinians. It walks you through a snapshot of Palestine past & current events. I gained valuable information about past & current leadership within the Palestinian community. For example, briefly it gives you a snapshot about Palestinian families & their well known family members (i.e. Husayni, Nashashibi, Abdil Hadi, Khalidi, Nsabih,..etc. families). Beside that the book also gave me a deep insight into the past & present political parties, their leadership, statistical data (population, immigration, water sources, ..etc) before & after the catastrophe, Israeli settlement, ..Etc. Although the book contained very good maps, it lacks pictures of its subjects & events. An Arabic & Hebrew version of this book is a must. Good Job

The Vietnam War Files: Uncovering the Secret History of Nixon Era Strategy (Modern War Studies)

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Nam policy history
New evidence
Nothing New
Nixon According to the Anti-War Left
Original thesis!

The Vietnam War Files: Uncovering the Secret History of Nixon Era Strategy (Modern War Studies)
Jeffrey Kimball
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0700612831

Book Description

How Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger pursued their public vow to end the Vietnam War and win the peace has long been entangled in bitter controversy and obscured by political spin. Recent declassifications of archival documents, on both sides of the former Iron and Bamboo Curtains, have at last made it possible to uncover the truth behind Nixon's and Kissinger's management of the war and to better understand the policies and strategies of the Vietnamese, Soviets, and Chinese.

Drawing from this treasure trove of formerly secret files, Jeffrey Kimball has excerpted more than 140 print documents and taped White House conversations bearing on Nixon-era strategy. Most of these have never before been published and many provide smoking-gun evidence on such long-standing controversies as the "madman theory" and the "decent-interval" option. They reveal that by 1970 Nixon's and Kissinger's madman and détente strategies had fallen far short of frightening the North Vietnamese into making concessions. By 1971, as Kissinger notes in one key document, the administration had decided to withdraw the remaining U.S. combat troops while creating "a healthy interval for South Vietnam's fate to unfold."

The new evidence uncovers a number of behind-the-scenes ploys--such as Nixon's secret nuclear alert of October 1969--and sheds more light on Nixon's goals in Vietnam and his and Kissinger's strategies of Vietnamization, the "China card," and "triangular diplomacy." The excerpted documents also reveal significant new information about the purposes of the LINEBACKER bombings, Nixon's manipulation of the POW issue, and the conduct of the secret negotiations in Paris--as well as other key topics, events, and issues. All of these are effectively framed by Kimball, whose introductions to each document provide insightful historical context.

Building on the ground-breaking arguments of his earlier prize-winning book, Nixon's Vietnam War, Kimball also offers readers a concise narrative of the evolution of Nixon-era strategy and a critical assessment of historical myths about the war. The story that emerges from both the documents and Kimball's contextual narratives directly contradicts the Nixon-Kissinger version of events. In fact, they did not pursue a consistent strategy from beginning to end and did not win a peace with honor.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Customer Reviews:

Nam policy history.......2004-08-19

At less than 370 pages, THE VIETNAM WAR FILES / UNCOVERING THE SECRET HISTORY OF NIXON-ERA STRATEGY by Jeffrey Kimball is a small book, compared to the size of the ax which it is attempting to grind on how poorly American policy works in those areas of the world where a quick victory is not in the cards. The longer version of the story, told in NIXON'S VIETNAM WAR (1998) by Jeffrey Kimball attempted to cover the years 1953 to 1973. The events of those years were rather awesome in leading up to the final situation, which is covered in depth in this book, described in the Prologue as carrying the analysis onward "from 1969 to 1975" (p. 3) to show how events conformed to expectations in the way Robert McNamara had expected the odds to be about even already in December, 1965, when considering how the war was going to present even tougher choices down the road.

Those who were most interested in how awful Vietnam turned out as a big step on the road to American hyperpower status will not be surprised that Kimball's epilogue to this book begins with insights on `historical myth' and `mythical tale' from those times before declaring that Nixon's and Kissinger's memoirs "were self-serving, incomplete, and obfuscatory, and they took legal and administrative steps that delayed the release of relevant documentary evidence about their policies, strategies, and motives." (p. 297). There was no good reason to tell Americans that power could make us more hyper than we already had been, but Kimball is good at finding the secrets which show how hyper the drive for American power has become.

I like books which make secret policies a major quest in the historical area, and this one laments the fact that not much has been found yet about Cambodia. History is such a dynamic pursuit, with odd quirks popping out from weird angles, that I doubt any adequate explanation of that bit of secret policy will ever be forthcoming. People who thought that Americans needed to fight in Nam so San Francisco would be safe see that argument fail when it is applied to Cambodia, South Vietnam's only neighbor south of Laos, where a peaceful situation prior to 1970 rapidly turned into a victory for enemies of civilization in any form advanced enough to unleash a massive bombing campaign, as a demonstration of hyperpower capabilities when bombs were dropping like the cards in a game of 52 pick up.

This book is most game-like in its use of card terminology for the Nixon strategy, which even carries over to "Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders had coincidentally decided that it was time to rejoin the world of nations, play the American card against the Soviet Union, and, especially, use the opportunity to get U.S. forces out of Taiwan." (p. 299). That might seem like a bit much for the Chinese to hope for, but a tape on Nam reveals Nixon saying, "Oh, I don't mean to tell, tell Thieu we're getting out in the fall. But it's moot, because we are without question gonna get out . . ." (p. 168). That was from Oval Office Conversation no. 527-16, Nixon, Haldeman, Kissinger, and John Ehrlichman, 9:14-10:12 a.m., June 23, 1971, in which Kissinger said, "Now, our cards, starting now, our cards are going to start falling." (p. 167). Three weeks before, a press conference brought up antiwar sentiment `that American intervention was immoral' (p. 160) and a tape of the following morning, June 2, 1971, reveals that Nixon was "very agitated during the conversation. Pounding his desk at one point, he vowed, . . . He would use his `card' of massive bombing." (p. 161). Since American troops were there, "it is certainly immoral to send Americans abroad and not back them up with American power!" (p. 162). Nixon might be a bit unclear about what actually happened after the French left North Vietnam, but he was worried about allowing "the bloodbath in South Vietnam that they had in North Vietnam where 50,000 of our good Catholic [unclear] of Danang [a city shown on the map facing page 1 along the coast southeast of Quang Tri and Hue in South Vietnam] were murdered, 500,000 were starved to death in slave-labor camps [pounding his desk]." (p. 162). In the next page of the transcript, it is a footnote that describes "Nixon is shouting and pounding his desk, while Kissinger is trying to speak." (p. 163). Like Khrushchev taking off his shoe to pound on a desk at the United Nations, hyperpowers believe in their ability to emphasize what they say when considering options like "We're gonna take out the dikes, we're gonna take out the power plants, we're gonna take out Haiphong, we're gonna level that goddamn country!" (p. 163).

Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of the conversations contained in pages 127-294, from Le Duc Tho's observation "It will take an unlimited time. We don't know when, or whether, it will be done. If it does not work, you will have the choice to remain in Vietnam or leave." (February 21, 1970, p. 129) to "It is a tragic situation. I am deeply troubled by what has happened . . ." (a proposed response on April 3, 1975, p. 294). Nam was unique in being a country in which the United States found itself opposing an established government with a lot of half measures which Nixon didn't want to limit himself to:

KISSINGER: Mr. President, if you had been in office '66, '67--

NIXON: --The war would be over--

KISSINGER: the war would be over, and, and, they'd be fewer casualties--
(p. 162). In '67, even General Westmoreland thought we were winning, but he was never sure the war was over. As far as policy goes, Nam is like an intelligence test that never quits for people looking for vicious evidence of American cruelty. Even Osama knows about Nam.

New evidence.......2004-05-27

Kimball's Vietnam War Files is a followup book to his award-winning Nixon's Vietnam War (1998). Both books break new ground on the history of the Nixon-Kissinger phase of the Vietnam War inasmuch as they both draw on a treasure trove of declassified documents from both sides of the conflict, clarify controversies about Nixon-Kissinger strategy, and reveal new information about the Nixon administration's handling of the war and about Communist Vietnamese strategy. The Vietnam War Files is briefer than Nixon's Vietnam War, but it includes numerous additional documents that were declassified between 1998 and 2004. Many of these documents consist of Kimball's own transcriptions of conversations between Nixon and Kissinger in the Oval Office about key strategies and decisions. There is new information about Nixon's highly secret nuclear alert of 1969, the Madman Theory, détente with the Soviet Union, the opening to China, and many other issues, including the Nixon-Kissinger decent-interval exit strategy. All of the documents in The Vietnam War Files make fascinating reading. More importantly, they demonstrate how solid, smoking-gun evidence (here reproduced in the form of substantial excerpts from paper files and transcribed conversations) can help readers break through the long-standing, politically charged debate about Nixon, Kissinger, and the Vietnam War. This was one of Kimball's purposes in writing the book: to substitute good evidence and sound logic for biased argument. The Vietnam War Files is Kimball's third book about Vietnam. His past writings have also included articles and essays about war and diplomacy. He has also interviewed some of the key policymakers on both sides of the war.

Nothing New.......2004-04-27

Like Larry Berman's No Peace, no honor, The Vietnam War Files did not reveal anything new that has not already been known. For instance, the madman theory...or Nixon's poker face...
it seemed to work all right in the Yom Kippur War! The book is also based on selected documents to support the author's views on the Vietnam War. I own the cd-rom version of the Haldemann diaries and there are also numerous entries that support Nixon and Kissinger's memoirs that have been ignored. The fact that Anthony Summer's tabloid and propaganda book Arogance of Power is treated as a credible source doesn't help the books objectivity either.

Also, the books is obsessed with the percieved Nixon myths (mainly, trying to end the war and prevent the holocaust that he predicted would happen if the U.S. abandoned Vietnam). There are several myths about the war but very few of them have anything to do with Nixon and the war. After all, it seems that the media and historians have forgotten that it was not his war. Nixon was given the difficult task of cleaning up the mess left by JFK and LBJ.

Nixon According to the Anti-War Left.......2004-03-27

I bought this book with great enthusiam but quickly became disapointed in its content.

First, Kimball cites H.R. Haldeman's "The Ends of Power" as an important and overlooked source. Anyone familiar with the historical record would know that H.R. Haldeman admitted that "The Ends of Power" was sensationalized and exaggerated by Joseph Diamona for publicity purposes.

Furthermore, Haldeman admitted this even before the book was released (unlike John Dean, who did not admit that he did not write "Blind Ambition" until thirty years later under oath). Anyone who would take the time to go through 1977 and 1978 editions of the major newspapers would know that (Also, see pp. 205-6 of Robert Sam Anson's "Exile").

Furthermore, Kimball is continuely attacking the 'myths' created by Nixon and Kissinger. It is fair game to make these assertions, but he does not clearly define or cite what the Nixon and Kissinger 'myths' were. One would think that in order to attack Kissinger and Nixon's perspective of the war that Kimball would spend sufficient time covering "No More Vietnams" and "Ending the Vietnam War"?

Kimball also indulges himself in personally attacking Nixon in a petulant and spitefull tone. Throughout the monograph he suggests Nixon may have been mentally ill, that he had no charisma (What about the Checkers speech and the passionate support he garnered from the Great Silent Majority?), and that he created more "myths" than other Presidents. On the tapes, when Nixon is refering to myths, he is speaking about how Kennedy and his academic cohorts used film and documentaries to put the Cuban Missile Crisis in the best possible light. Nixon often talked about doing the same type of thing, no different than what Kennedy did. All of these inappropriate character attacks are derived from dubious or discredited sources.

Also, Kimball proclaims that the Democratic Congress is only "partially" responsible for the fall of South Vietnam and the rest of the blame is tagged onto Richard Nixon. This is a complete distortion of the historical record. It was the reckless and inaccurate demogougic statements of McGovern, Fulbright, VVAW, and the Democratic Congress that killed the national will and financially and military cut off the war and sealed Vietnam's fate. If Nixon had his way, a Democratic South Vietnam and Saigon would still exist today.

After reading the book, one has to wonder what Kimball's qualifications are for writing on Richard Nixon? I do not question his character but just his judgement. He undeniably has a great understanding of the Diplomatic history field but his look at Nixon is much too narrow for such a complex personality. He also does not spend sufficient time examining the complex relationship between Nixon, Kissinger, and every other figure in the administration.

Thus, Kimball's conclusion that his debunking of these 'myths' can free us from the past is nothing but sheer arogance. Not even great scholars like Dr. Robert Dallek proclaim to have such a monoply on the truth. Scholars have found evidence in former Soviet archives that Moscow had come to the conclusion that Nixon had no intention of letting South Vietnam fall. So if Moscow, Hanoi, and Richard Nixon all agreed that South Vietnam's fall wasn't inevitable, why does the question receive so little scholarly attention? The book is one-sided and clearly, history deserves better.

However, I do commend Dr. Kimball for his excellent use of footnotes and easy to find citations.

Original thesis!.......2004-01-09

Much of this book is predicated on the newly released Nixon tapes; thus, it offers many new insights. However, on page 20, the author implies that the first draft lottery was held in 1971. The first draft lottery was held Dec. 1, 1969 and took effect in Jan. 1970.

Asian American Experience on File (The Ethnic Minorities in America Set)

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Asian American Experience on File (The Ethnic Minorities in America Set)

Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

Asia | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0816036969

Asian History on File (Regional History)

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Asian History on File (Regional History)
Diagram Group
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

Asia | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 081602975X

Atlas of Asian-American History (Facts on File Library of American History)

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Atlas of Asian-American History (Facts on File Library of American History)
Monique Avakian
Manufacturer: Checkmark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0816041288

Book Description

Using a wide arrangement of visual tools, this atlas offers a detailed overview of the experiences and important events surrounding Americans of Asian descent. Long neglected in general studies, Asian-American history resources have been scarce. Featuring detailed maps and authoritative text, this book tells the story of not one group of people but many. Photographs, line graphs, charts, chronologies, box features, and maps help explore the cultural, historical, political, and social history of Asian Americans. Coverage also profiles key events and issues in their homelands, especially those factors that influenced their movement to the United States.

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Burma File: Question of Democracy

Manufacturer: India Research Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Myanmar | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This compilation of reports and feature stories from correspondents of Mizzima News and Feature Service addresses the struggle of the country of Burma and its citizens living under a military regime. These collected stories combine to create a timely introduction to Burma's current political situation. Topics addressed include Burma's relations with its neighbors, domestic affairs, and Burmese refuges in India.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations (Facts on File Library of World History)

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Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations (Facts on File Library of World History)
C. F. W. Higham
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0816046409

The Facts on File Asian Political Almanac (Facts on File)

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The Facts on File Asian Political Almanac (Facts on File)

Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Far East | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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