Backfire
CIA's Secret War in Laos and Its Link to the War in Vietnam
Roger Warner(Author)
Simon & Schuster Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 3. April 1996
Book
Hardback
464 pages
978-0-684-80292-3 (ISBN)
Description
This is the story of a hidden war between the US and the communist powers in the neutral country of Laos, which led to the Vietnamese War. This book offers a full account of this conflict, based on access to previously closed files and interviews with intelligence players, military officers and government officials. The narrative describes the key Americans who trained the Laotians peasants and tribal people and led them into battle. Hill tribesmen were taught how to fly planes and guerilla raids were planned by CIA officers from thatched huts in a war overseen by the US ambassador. The book also tells of the warring Laotian princes, the general who may have dabbled in the opium trade, and the CIA operative who raised an army of 30,000 hill tribesmen and beat back the communists until the US government bureaucracy took control of his war and tore the kingdom apart. This book aims to make the puzzle of the US war in Vietnam whole and reveals how an obscure people was set on the path of achieving national identity, only to be abandoned in the wake of America's escalating conflict in Vietnam.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
1 map
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 160 mm
Weight
651 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-684-80292-3 (9780684802923)
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Schweitzer Classification