Veith''s Drawn Swords in a Distant Land relates in vivid detail the end of South Vietnam''s first republic under Ngo Dinh Diem and the rise and fall of the second under Nguyen Van Thieu. Based on a truly impressive array of sources, it offers invaluable insights into Saigon''s noble but ultimately vain attempt to defeat Hanoi''s armies while building a viable state below the 17th parallel. This book is as overdue as it is remarkable.
-Pierre Asselin, author of Vietnam''s American War: A History

"In Drawn Swords in a Distant Land, Veith avoids the mistake of other American scholars. Instead of overstating the American role and understating the Vietnamese, he gets the balance right in this dramatic study of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu''s leadership. Based on extensive access to former Saigon officials and deep research in archival sources, Veith shows how much we still have to learn about the Vietnam era."
-Luke A. Nichter, author of The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War

"Drawn Swords in a Distant Land paints a remarkably detailed portrait of the former Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Boldly rejecting the notion that America''s erstwhile ally was little more than a corrupt Cold War contrivance, Veith forces us to reconsider the principal actors and pivotal events that determined its destiny."
-Warren K. Wilkins, author of Nine Days in May: The Battles of the 4th Infantry Division on the Cambodian border, 1967

"Agree with it or not, this is an important book that makes bold arguments using never-before-seen documentation and interviews regarding Saigon''s war. It treats the Second Republic, under Nguyen Van Thieu, on its own terms and in doing so, challenges the reader to question previous explanations for the fall of Saigon."
-Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, author of Hanoi''s War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam