Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History

"This abridged edition of Tucker's 3-volume encyclopedia maintains the authority and comprehensive scope of the critically-acclaimed original. Providing in-depth discussion of the tumultuous early history of Vietnam as well as the beginnings of U.S. involvement, more than 80 international historians explore the major socio-political and military events of the war in more than 900 alphabetically arranged entries and 39 primary source documents. Unlike other reference works with little consideration of the Vietnamese people, this encyclopedia includes contributions by Vietnamese scholars and features balanced biographies of the leaders of both sides, including Ho Chi Minh, Le Doc Thu, Ngo Dinh Diem, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Entries also illuminate the major weapons systems, military strategies, and tactics employed in addition to specific air, land, and sea initiatives and battles.