The Death of the Army; A Pre-Mortem
New York: Saturday Review Press, 1972. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. vii, [3], 246 pages. Footnotes. Index. Signed by author on fep. Other name, in pencil, on fep. Pencil erasure residue on fep. DJ is worn, torn, chipped and soiled in a plastic sleeve. Some soiling at pages 6 and 7 noted. The author was a career Army officer, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He served in WWII and the Korean War. He published a number of articles on military reform with outlets such as the Washington Post, The New Republic, and the Denver Post. This was his first book. Derived from a Kirkus review: A retired colonel makes a stirring indictment of the internal state of the Army, whose best traditions, he says, have given way to the most squalid careerism and favoritism, to racism and laxity. His second emphasis falls on the ""misuse of manpower,"" both logistically and educationally. His complaints and recommendations for organizational and training reforms are filled with examples, many culled from Vietnam. His contempt for ""false leadership"" and ""parochial self-interest"" reflects an old-fashioned sense of responsibility as opposed to unprincipled pragmatism. King observes that ""to reform an institution effectively it must be understood."" To understand the Army, however, one must go beyond the barracks and command strata, past the military machine itself, and into examination of the interests and policies it serves. His reforms would probably improve morale and strengthen discipline -- ultimately in the service of higher kill ratios. The book can be profitably read as a study of military malfunction as well as a crisp exhortation against self-seeking perversions which, if unlicensed, can undermine any bureaucracy. Condition: Good / Fair.
Keywords: United States Army, West Point, Officer Corps, Racism, Discrimination, Vietnam War, Julian Ewell, Joint Chiefs of Staff, JCS, Korean War, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty, William Westmoreland
ISBN: 0841501688
[Book #73545]
Price: $50.00