Tom Mangold

"Not only were they confronting an army of moles, but they had to deal with them in mole holes, perhaps the most extraordinary battleground the American soldier would ever encounter."

During the Vietnam War American soldiers would be amazed that the Viet Cong could appear, engage in fire, and then fade away. This was due in large part to the networks of underground tunnels in which they hid, and even lived, sometimes for years at a time. In the Cu Chi area, which is a far suburb of Saigon, the tunnels were part of a complex of tunnels stretching from Saigon to near the Cambodian border. There were hundreds of miles of tunnels, connecting villages, serving as storage for weapons caches as well as providing hiding places for the soldiers. Some of the tunnels contained hospital wards and even operating rooms. There were workshops to build booby traps and other weapons. There were conference rooms and entertainments stages. (One chapter of the book reports on a North Vietnamese troupe of entertainers who lived in the tunnels in the south for years, entertaining the soldiers.)

Many of the tunnels were built during the time of the struggles with the French, and by the time the Americans arrived in 1965 there were more than 200 kms of tunnels. At first, the Americans discovered, and attempted to destroy the tunnels on an ad hoc basis. Soon, however, the need for a better strategy arose, and the "tunnel rats," a all-volunteer group of soldiers, was formed. They were charged with entering the tunnels when they were found, routing out inhabitants of the tunnels, and destroying the tunnels. Much easier said than done.

The tunnels had evolved as a natural response of poorly equipped guerillas facing a technologically superior enemy. The CuChi tunnels were in a free fire zone near a major US base, and were used for infiltrating Saigon. The Tet Offensive was planned and executed from these tunnels.

The book is told from both sides, primarily through interviews and descriptions of those who experienced the tunnels, on both sides of the conflict. There is almost more information from the North Vietnamese point of view than the American, since many of the American tunnel rats were reluctant to discuss their experiences. This was a fascinating read, and it definitely gives one a clear sense of why the United States could never have won the Vietnam War.

3 stars… (mere)

An interesting but biased look at the career of James Angleton. I say biased because it only really looks at what the author considers his failures. While there are chapters covering his life before 1960, it is really window dressing. The book is really only interested in Angleton's support of the Soviet defector Golitsyn who developed a theory that the Soviets were masters of deception. So masterful in fact that not only had they recruited spies in nearly ever Western government, but that all defectors after Golitsyn were in fact false defectors. Still loyal to the Soviet Union and who's only role was to spread disinformation to the West. It should have been investigated, but it was also self serving. But it fitted with Angleton's thinking and became his base for all further investigations. The book is not as well written as The Chu Chi Tunnels, by the same author, but it's not terrible either. It's simply biased and in parts dated. We now know that at least two major accusations against Angleton are not true, accusations that his failed methods got agents arrested or killed by the Soviets. They were revealed by real American traitors. Worth reading, but not the definitive book on the man or the subject.… (mere)