The Road Not Taken - Brooks E. Kleber Memorial Lecture Series

January 31, 2018 - Mr. Max Boot, Author

If the highest ranks of the U.S. Military and diplomatic corps had listened to, and took stock in, Major General Edward Lansdale, the outcome of the Vietnam War may have been quite different. As a young officer after the carnage of World War II, Major Edward Lansdale started his epic, and sometimes ignominious, career working with the Philippine Army to rebuild their intelligence services, learning the complicated ins-and-outs of psychological operations. His experience in the Philippines, combined with his fast-track rise through the ranks of the U.S. Air Force, led to his participation in every facet of the diplomatic, military, and civil aspects of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. On Wednesday, January 31, 2018, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania hosted New York Times best-selling author Max Boot to discuss his recent biography, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam. The presentation will explore how Lansdale used his experience in the Philippines to spearhead a “hearts and minds” approach to diplomacy in Vietnam.

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