'The Road Not Taken' In Vietnam

With guest host John Harwood. 

Historian Max Boot will be on the program to discuss Cold War-era soldier-spy Edward Lansdale, an American maverick who thought he knew how to win the Vietnam War.

We'll discuss what else could have happened in this seminal moment in American history, and the lessons for today's counter-insurgency strategies.

Max Boot, senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Author of the new book, "The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Experience in Vietnam." (@MaxBoot)

In the history of American spycraft, Edward Lansdale plays a leading role. He was a mid-20th century advertising man who became an intelligence operative, exerting early influence on US policy in Vietnam. But his influence shrank as the war grew. And now a new book argues that may help explain why the war went wrong. We’ll talk to author Max Boot. This hour, On Point: The Road Not Taken, and America’s path today. --John Harwood