My Lai

James Stuart Olson, Randy Roberts

America never fully recovered from or forgot the grim day in 1968 when the soldiers of Charlie Company killed almost four hundred Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. Introducing readers to the most controversial event of the Vietnam War, this brief history examines the massacre and its cover-up and discusses the ramifications that the ensuing investigation had for the public, policymakers, and the antiwar movement. Eight topical chapters reprint 68 primary documents - drawn mainly from testimony and reports of General Peers's inquiry into the incident - to chronicle the events leading up to, during, and after the massacre. An introductory essay places the carnage within the larger context of the war and considers the issues of culpability and human rights it engendered. Photographs, a glossary, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, maps, and an index are also included to make this book a fascinating resource.