The Hubris of the American Century

There has been no dearth of commentaries on the Vietnam War and on the crisis into which it has plunged this country. The very proliferation of writings is a measure of the depth of this crisis: no comparable output accompanied, for example, World War II, even though it cut much deeper into the fabric of U.S. society.

Among the recent critical writings many have been valuable in one way or another. But, at least to my knowledge, none of these so far has treated the theme as comprehensively and, at the same time, concisely, as Theodore Draper’s new book. It shares the qualities of Draper’s previous work: his respect for facts, his concern with truth, his getting at the roots. His judgment becomes all the more devastatin...