Embers of war: the fall of an empire and the making of America's Vietnam

Prologue: a Vietnamese in Paris

pt. 1. Liberations, 1940-1945. "The empire is with us!"

The anti-imperialist

Crossroads

"All men are created equal"

pt. 2. Colonial clash, 1946-1949. The warrior monk

Conflagration

War without fronts

"If I accepted these terms I'd be a coward"

pt. 3. East meets West, 1949-1953. "The center of the Cold War"

Attack on the RC4

De Lattre's moment

The quiet Englishman

The turning point that didn't turn

Eisenhower in charge

Navarre's American plan

pt. 4. The cauldron, 1953-1954. The arena of the gods

"We have the impression they are going to attack tonight"

"Vietnam is a part of the world"

America wants in

Dulles versus Eden

Valley of tears

pt. 5. Peace of a kind, 1954. With friends like these

"We must go fast"

"I have seen destiny bend to that will"

pt. 6. Seizing the torch, 1954-1959. "We have no choice but to win here"

Miracle man

Things fall apart

Epilogue: a new war.