The Best and the Brightest
Description
This landmark work examines how the United States became drawn into the Vietnam War, tracing the decisions and assumptions that shaped policy during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Through vivid portraits of the influential politicians, academics, military leaders, and advisers who guided America’s course, it reveals the human motives, institutional pressures, and intellectual blind spots behind the escalation. The book explores the dangers of technocratic confidence, cultural misunderstanding, and the belief that complex political realities can be mastered through expertise alone. Written with journalistic precision and the scope of a political tragedy, it offers a penetrating profile of an era—and a lasting study of power, responsibility, and human folly.
Available Editions
paperback
Random House
Published Jan 1, 1972
688 pages
ISBN: 9780394461632
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Details
First Published
1972
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam.