Diverting the Buddha

About the Book

America is in the third year of all-out war in Vietnam, and the battle for our allies' hearts and minds has begun to turn against us. In the Johnson Administration, a team of experts hatches a desperate scheme to do whatever it takes to win the fight in the trenches. If the team succeeds, their actions will profoundly alter the course of history, but the outcome is far from certain. What is certain is that these efforts are having an explosive impact on the lives of four people, two Vietnamese and two Americans.

With the lives of millions hanging in the balance, these four characters struggle through the worst of times. The clash between a Texas White House surrounded by high-powered, ideology-driven bureaucrats and a hardy band of Vietnamese nationalists creates a thrilling narrative, one that boils with intrigue, mayhem, and betrayal. The disquieting engine that propels this work is Washington power brokers' distain for democracy movements that spring from the people.

About the Author

During the Vietnam War, Bob Swartzel witnessed the meteoric rise and unprecedented fall of a populist movement in Vietnam. Because his unit provided sensitive communications for the State Department and the CIA, many in it heard discussions that did not track with official reports. The discordance caused misgivings among many of the Americans with whom he served.