The Making of a Quagmire Book Review

David Halberstam is a 1955 graduate of Harvard College, an early 1960s New York Times correspondent, and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for his work in Vietnam from mid-1962 to late 1963.

In The Making of a Quagmire, Halberstam discusses how the involvement of the Vietnam War was motivated by a political agenda. The United States government sought out what could be done to keep Vietnam from coming under Communist control and placed the fight in the hands of the Ngo family. The latter was a decision that the United States government would soon regret. Halberstam mentions that even though Ngo Dinh Diem was President of South Vietnam, all of the power was vested within his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, and his sister-in-law, Madame Nhu. These were virtually the only individuals President Diem trusted. His trust within the American involvement wavered drastically because of the significance that the Ngo family played on Diem's life and that the American government wanted more involvement in terms of policy making.

The main point Halberstam attempts to get the reader to realize is that America's involvement of the Vietnam War was a result of deliberate and misguided policy by the United States government and that victory in the war would be virtually impossible.

Halberstam argues that the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War was solely based on a political agenda rather than the betterment of a Vietnamese society from coming under Communist power with Ho Chi Minh at the helm. Once involved in the debacle, however, continued support to Saigon was a necessity. Without increasing support from the Americans, the government would have collapsed and the aforementioned goal of keeping Communism out of South Vietnam would have been lost. It seemed that the United States government was going to cover President Diem and the Nhu's back regardless of what was done. Halberstam also discusses the downfall of President Diem's regime. At that time, America was growing restless that their policies were not being practiced. Again, this is a direct result of President Diem's stubbornness and distrust with the American government along with the influence Ngo Dinh Nhu and Madame Nhu had on him. The relief America had conjured up once President Diem was overthrown was taken away when Nguyen Van Thieu reigned, in which Halberstam describes as a "shrewder" Diem. It was the vast American influence on the Vietnamese nation that intensified the problems in the area. The U.S. government weakened the Vietnamese by handing them money for many different things and allowing them to rely on a rich ally.This book kept my interest the entire time I read it. Halberstam not only gives you details of behind-the-scene events, but also allows one to supplant his or herself in the actions of Vietnam. He describes flying over the Mekong Delta as a spine-tingling, hair raising occurrence and also describes the shooting of peasants who run away while the Vietnamese mistake them for running enemies. In one instance, he describes himself hopping out of the helicopter and water coming to his shoulder ruining a camera and spoiling a lunch. It gives one an idea of what really does go on behind closed doors. I would definitely recommend continued use of this book in this course as I found it both entertaining and educational at the same time.

Written by Justin Setliff