Bob H's Reviews > The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam

This is, first off, a comprehensive biography of Edward Lansdale, his origins and upbringing, his career in advertising and as a US gov't operative and adviser, and his involvement with US counterinsurgency efforts in the mid-20th Century, first in the Philippines and later in Vietnam. It's a sympathetic portrayal, and his life certainly was adventurous, and against a background of war and diplomacy. Max Boot makes much of his "Quiet American", hearts-and-minds approach in confronting Communist insurgencies in the two countries, and his friendships with Presidents Magsayay and Ngo Dinh Điem. Boot hints that Lansdale's approach, rather than the massive firepower the US would later apply in Vietnam, might have produced better results -- or at least avoided the loss of over 50,000 US lives and 2 million Vietnamese.

Boot does, at book's end, try to summarize Lansdale's approach, which he summarized as the "3 Ls", Learn (about the country you're working with, and better yet, their language); Like (befriend leaders there); Listen (to them -- don't lecture).

The author laments that Lansdale's example was not followed, was ignored, by later US commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's somewhat speculative, certainly the book title conveys a sense of possibility, but the book does make a point.