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A Murder in Wartime: The Untold Spy Story That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War
by Jeff Stein
Product Group: Book
Publisher: St Martins Pr (1992-04)
ISBN: 0312070373
EAN: 9780312070373
Dewy Decimal #: 343.730143
Hardcover: 414 pages
Edition: 1st
SKU: 40665
Condition: New
Comments: THE HARDBACK BOOK! ST, MARTI'NS 1992. THE UNABRIDGED 1ST EDITION. WITH GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS! HARDCOVER WITH GILT LETTERING, DUST JACKET AND PAGES ARE NEW! SHIPS IMMEDIATELY. Air Mail. YW.RD
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
A look at the greatest unsolved mystery and political coverup of the Vietnam War describes how, in 1969, eight Green Berets in Vietnam were arrested for the murder of a Vietnamese agent working for the Vietcong, even though it had been ordered by the CIA.
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Customer Reviews
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From one who was there - an excellent accounting of this VN War scandle
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-08-08
The author did a superb job focusing on these events and the primary players. Wish however he'd included more about General Abrams' other crusades to destroy US Army Special Forces (SF). Too, aside from the reasons given for President Nixon having charges dropped against our commander, Colonel Rheault, there was an additional undertaking within SF to influence Nixon to make such a decision. Never did get any feedback as to whether or not word of our raid planning reached the top as intended. Also very glad our guys were freed before the raid was launched - could have been very messy. Otherwise the book illustrates perfectly why conventional Army brass of Abrams' variety have no business commanding SF programs; neutralizing enemy agents really gets their panties in a wad. De Oppresso Liber
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Almost a masterpiece
Rating  (3)
Date: 2002-05-06
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
...A MURDER IN WARTIME is one of the best books to have emerged from the Vietnam debacle. Jeff Stein deserves full credit for the extensive research he did, and for tying together such a complicated story in such a readable way. All sides are fairly represented, and that indeed is something rare in a book about the Vietnam War. The only problem I have with the book is that it sometimes has a bigger-than-life quality that makes one wonder if the author was willing to stretch the truth here and there for the sake of a good read. For example, Stein paints the book's central figure, Col. Robert B. Rheault, as a warrior-philosopher, both a thinking man and a highly-decorated combat leader revered by his men. To make the point, Stein writes that Rheault had earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star, valor awards rated only one and two steps behind the Medal of Honor. However, according to Rheault's entry in the United States Military Academy Register of Graduates, he actually had very limited combat service and had never been decorated for valor. Additionally, Rheault's name does not show up on an exhaustive list of Vietnam DSC winners compiled by the late Lt. Col. Albert F. Gleim, USA-Ret. This is no small matter and makes me wonder about other passages in a book which was great enough to stand on its own without any exaggerations. I'd be curious as to where Stein got his information about Rheault being a highly-decorated war hero....
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Well-balanced encapsulation of the Vietnam War
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-09-08
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Jeff Stein's "A Murder in Wartime" bravely tackles all of the moral issues of wartime in general and the moral ambiguities attached to the Vietnam War, in particular. In 1969 eight Green Berets were accused of murdering a Vietnamese who may or may not have been a spy for North Vietnam. The case called into question the morality of waging a guerilla war, the role of the regular U.S. Army in such a context, the control of the CIA, and the politics of waging an unpopular war. Stein manages to weave all of these issues and dozens of key participants in the alleged murder and its aftermath without losing focus. Stein's narrative style flows easily through the perspective of all the key personnel and pulls the reader into the moral and ethical wilderness these people faced. Stein is careful not to pass judgement on the Green Berets charged with the crime, or on the regular Army establishment who may have seized on this incident just to put the Green Berets in their place. Instead he allows the reader to face the same dilemma all of these people did and make their own choices. An outstanding piece of historical writing.
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A great but disturbing tale
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-01-22
This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam war. Well written. If I could get the rights, I would turn it into a film. Well worth the read. Find it if you can.
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A true summary of a meaningless war!
Rating  (4)
Date: 1998-09-24
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Jeff Stein gets great kudos for excellent writing of a compelling story of a real face in a faceless war. Without taking sides or prejudging, the author provides a well researched account of a minor event with major ramifications.
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