The Best and the Brightest Summary
David Halberstam

The Best and the Brightest Summary

The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam is the story of the Vietnam war. It is an in-depth analysis of how the whole situation in Vietnam developed from the days of French imperialism. He examines the factors that contributed to the situation that developed into the Vietnam War. French colonialism was the primary factor that set the stage for Vietnam. At the peace talks at the end of World War II, the big concern was Europe and not Indochina. The peace conference allowed the French to return to Indochina and the result was almost immediate conflict.

Instead of the French leaving Indochina, they remained and the longer they remained, the graver the situation became. The United States misread the situation in China and Indochina. China fell because the Americans failed to support Chiang Kai Shek at the end. With China in the hands of Communist Mao,... View more of the The Best and the Brightest Summary