The enormous and ever-growing Vietnam War memoir library is more and more dominated by the works of former military and media men, but only a handful of memoirs tell the war stories of civilian intelligence personnel. Sullivan, a former CIA polygraph examiner, adds his unique voice and perspective in this detailed, anecdote-heavy (and CIA-approved) account of his four years of service during the Vietnam War, from 1971 to 1975. Sullivan arrived in Vietnam a war hawk. After 48 months of traversing the war zone administering lie-detector tests to thousands of enemy prisoners and others, he came home a thoroughly disillusioned dove. Sullivan chronicles his change of heart by seemingly sparing few details about his work and social lives during his extended tour of duty. He paints a generally negative picture of the CIA's war against the Vietcong. Sullivan claims that CIA operatives produced "some good information," but that information was misused by those at the top and produced no real progress in undermining the enemy. On the social side, Sullivan readily admits that he lived the good life in Vietnam. He and his wife and child lacked for few creature comforts in the war zone. The book is peppered with references to leisurely brunches, swimming pool parties, daily exercise workouts, two-hour lunches, restaurant dinners, movies in theaters, dinner parties and the services of maids, cooks and chauffeurs. "Partying hardy," Sullivan says, "was another reality of Saigon, and keeping up with Saigon's social life was a challenge." It's safe to say that few others who have written memoirs about their Vietnam War experiences have delved as deeply as Sullivan does into this particular sort of "challenge." Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

There is no shortage of Vietnam War memoirs, of course, but here is one with what just might be a unique perspective: the war as seen by a CIA agent responsible for polygraphing prisoners of war, potential allies, and even his own colleagues. Sullivan is not unaware of the ironies implicit in his role as polygraph specialist--a lie-detecting expert hunting truth at a time and in a place where disinformation was ubiquitous. His work took him from one end of Vietnam to the other, as well as to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, and his memories of the final four years of the war (1971-75) are deeply unsettling. There are no lid-blowing revelations here (like all books by former CIA employees, this one has been vetted by the agency), but the very personal story of a man confronted with the elusiveness of truth proves surprisingly moving. The book isn't powerfully written--workmanlikewould be a good way to describe the prose style--but the stories Sullivan tells are genuinely riveting. David Pitt. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

In this uneven but interesting autobiographical account, Sullivan, a former polygraph examiner for the CIA, unveils little-known aspects of US actions during the Vietnam War. The CIA's antics were characterized by ineptitude and immorality, a state of affairs only partially leavened by some well-intentioned, professional operatives. Like many of his countrymen, Sullivan, who began a four-year stint in Vietnam in April 1971, ventured there with high hopes of what he might accomplish, but quickly experienced "guilt, cynicism, and disillusionment." He witnessed debilitating battles among State Department, CIA, and US military personnel that helped ensure US defeat in Vietnam. Other deficiencies related to the policy of Vietnamization, the falsification of reports, and the Pentagon's outmoded strategy. The CIA's programs were sorely compromised by the incompetent and corrupt Special Branch of the South Vietnamese National Police, while the agency itself was crippled by a dearth of linguistic and cultural knowledge about Vietnam. Sullivan realized by the close of his first year in Vietnam that the US was involved in "a no-win situation." Some of the biographical sketches of key CIA personnel are revealing, while others are too abbreviated. Recommended especially for general readers. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.