"A candid account of the killing of Ngo Dinh Diem, the reasons for it, who was responsible, why it happened, and the disastrous results. Particularly agonizing for Americans who read this clearly stated and tightly argued book is the fact that the final Vietnam defeat was not really on battle grounds, but on political and moral grounds. The Vietnam War need not have been lost. Overwhelming evidence supports it."— From the Foreword by James V. Schall, S.J., Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
"This masterpiece will likely emerge as the definitive work on this troublesome subject. An exceedingly well-written and engaging read, replete with significant revelations and exposés."— William L. Stearman, Ph.D.,Director of the National Security Council's Indochina staff, 1973–1976
"A remarkable book that finally sets the record straight with copious documentation on the assassination of Diem, which was ultimately responsible for our loss of the war. A must read."— Admiral John M. Poindexter, U.S. Navy (ret.), National Security Advisor to President Reagan
"Shaw has produced a truly monumental and highly readable account. Any serious student of the Vietnam War must read this book."— Colonel Andrew R. Finlayson, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), Author, Killer Kane
"It took half a century for someone committed and brave enough to unravel the Machiavellian plot to assassinate President Diem."— Nghia M. Vo, Director of Saigon Arts, Culture, and Education Institute (SACEI)
"Amidst a new time of national strategic misdirection and hubris, the case of Diem demands to be revisited. This book is essential reading."— Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D., Author, Maoist People's War in Post-Vietnam Asia
"Geoffrey Shaw has done a commendable job in unraveling the intricacies of the most wrong-headed political decisions of the Vietnam War."— Stephen Sherman, Editor, Vietnam Veterans for Factual History, Indochina Series
"In this important book, Geoffrey Shaw illuminates the critical conflicts within the U.S. government over support for South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem prior to his assassination."— Mark Moyar, Author, Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965
"Utilizing newly released documents, Professor Shaw, in his riveting book, reveals how the anti-Catholic crowd in the U.S. State Department manipulated President Kennedy to authorize the removal of South Vietnam's first president, Ngo Dinh Diem."— George J. Marlin, Author, Christian Persecutions in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy