This well-organized, ably written book delivers what the title promises. Blang (Hampton Univ.) examines US relations with France, West Germany, and Britain during the Kennedy-Johnson escalation of the war in Vietnam. All three European powers saw folly and danger in the US's Southeast Asian war, but diplomatic opposition to US policy was more the product of self-interest than moral outrage or any other factors. The impact of European opposition to US war policy was greatly lessened by the failure to formulate a mutual response to US Vietnam policy due to conflicting state interests. Unsurprisingly, de Gaulle's France was most critical. West Germany's leaders were more circumspect, due to the Federal Republic's reliance on US support in the Cold War. Accordingly, LBJ was ruthless in pressing the Bonn government for greater support in Vietnam, even asking for German troops. British political leaders found US policy in Vietnam often inexplicable and tried to push the US toward a negotiated settlement. US relations with the European allies were less fractious once a military draw down began in the late 1960s. An epilogue examines US relations with western European allies in the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Public libraries and undergraduate collections. * CHOICE *
Blang draws skillfully on archival material from the Kennedy and Johnson presidential libraries and on numerous published collections of U.S., French, German, and British documents....Blang's focus on bilateral diplomacy at the highest level helps her craft an admirably clear central argument: The British, French, and West German governments opposed American escalation in Vietnam for reasons stemming from their distinctive national outlooks, historical experiences, and geopolitical goals. * Diplomatic History *
Researched on both sides of the Atlantic, this valuable book skillfully explores the conflicts that divided the United States and its major European allies during the Vietnam War. -- George C. Herring, author of From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776
A highly enlightening and very readable book. Eugenie Blang sheds new light on the complex and contradictory responses of the Western Europeans to America's unfortunate entanglement in Vietnam. Not least, her analyses of the 'sitting on the fence' policies of the West German, British and French governments are very persuasive. Highly recommended. -- Klaus Larres, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
