Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: The CIA's Secret Campaign to Destroy the Viet Cong

Explodes myths surrounding the CIA's top-secret effort to destroy the Viet Cong by neutralizing its civilian leaders, drawing on recently declassified documents and interviews with US, South Vietnamese, and North Vietnamese sources. Dissects various attempts to eradicate the Viet Cong infrastructure and analyzes the effectiveness of each, offering a new interpretation of the rise of the Viet Cong and the role the shadow government played in its ascent. Discusses the effects of the program on South Vietnamese villagers, and offers an insider's view of intelligence operations based on officers' and mercenaries' accounts. Includes b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.