About the Program
Lewis Sorley spoke at the National Archives about his book, "Vietnam Chronicles: The Abrams Tapes, 1968 - 1972." It was in 1968 that General Creighton Abrams became the head of the U.S. Army's Military Assistance Command in Vietnam. During his tenure in this position, General Abrams instituted the Nixon Doctrine which began the transfer of control of the war to the South Vietnamese military. Author Lewis Sorley examined the more than 450 recordings that General Abrams and his staff made during his four years as head of military command in Vietnam.
Lewis Sorley was in the news again in October 2009 because of his book, "A Better War," written in 1999 about Vietnam and the Johnson White House. It was reported that several members of the military and the Obama Administration were reading his book to glean insight in how to conduct the war in Afghanistan. It was also reported that Gordon Goldstein's book, "Lessons in Disaster," was also being widely read by Obama Administration members.