The Best and the Brightest

by David Halberstam · 1972

Heard in 1 episode across 1 show since Sep 2026

David Halberstam’s 1972 nonfiction book examines the origins of the Vietnam War and the foreign-policy decisions made by the academics, intellectuals, and officials recruited into President John F. Kennedy’s administration. It argues that the confidence and assumptions of these influential policymakers contributed to the escalation and failure of U.S. policy in Vietnam.

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