by Jack Cheevers

Combining the dark intrigue of a Cold War thriller and the propulsive writing of a novel, Kennedy's Coup is a landmark work that will change your understanding of America's involvement in one of the most controversial and consequential wars in our history.

Based on a decade of research and writing, enriched by eyewitness interviews and revealing documents obtained through dozens of freedom of information requests, Kennedy's Coup vividly recreates the Kennedy Administration's secret encouragement of the fatal 1963 military coup against South Vietnam's defiant president.

The brutal assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem by his own generals—which capped weeks of bitter White House infighting amid JFK's wavering—led to dreadful consequences for the United States, opening the door to nine years of costly and futile warfare in Vietnam. A meticulous researcher and fluid writer, Jack Cheevers etches unforgettable portraits of the people behind this fascinating drama: the kindly, philosophy-loving American ambassador who tried to save Diem; the powerful Pentagon and State Department figures who battled for JFK's ear; the hard-driving young American journalists in Saigon who braved police beatings and death threats to dig out the story; the adder-tongued Madame Nhu, Diem's beautiful sister-in-law, who enraged critics with outrageous insults; the scheming South Vietnamese generals who slowly tightened a noose around their commander in chief; the hard-drinking CIA agent who carried secret US messages to the generals; and Diem and his Machiavellian brother Nhu, head of the feared secret police, who tried but failed to outwit both the Americans and their traitorous generals.

While many Vietnam books mention Diem's murder in passing, this gripping account delves into the participants' personalities, motives, and actions in greater detail than ever before. The definitive history of one of the most catastrophic decisions ever made by a US president, shedding new light on events that altered the world, Kennedy's Coup will be a work of lasting importance.

Email: jscheevers@gmail.com
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2026

Ordering Info: Barnes & Noble

by Anthony D. Atwood
Read review by NOUS companion Peter Andrus, Texas Commandery

The critically important roles of Florida in World War II which had more soldiers in Florida (2.1 million) than civilians in the entire State. Our Gulf-Sea Frontier was the scene of serious naval combat, with enemy U-boats sinking 102 ships off its shores. Spies were landed here. Florida was vital for aerial force projection to the European and Asian fronts. CBI and the Hump Flights originated from the State. Ten percent of Liberty Ships were built by Floridians, primarily women. There were 25 POW camps here. The Civil Rights movement began in the barracks here. Tibbets was a native. Florida's impact on the war was enormous.

Email: Aatwood@fiu.edu
Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2025

Ordering Info: Amazon

edited by Dwight Hughes and Chris Mackowski

A navy veteran might call this a book of sea stories, specifically Civil War sea stories. Such tales—like fish stories, campfire stories, and aging-warrior stories— traditionally have about them elements of the fantastic and the fabricated. A true sailor would begin with, "This is no s**t!" Essays within indeed take place on the oceans, also on the beaches, in the harbors, and on the rivers of the Civil War. They are, however, comprehensive narrative history fashioned by talented public historians at Emerging Civil War. They also contain features of the fantastic but with the virtue of being true. Although the chapters are roughly chronological, these essays make for good browsing in any order of interest. They touch on many topics from strategy, tactics, and technology to social and political issues as well as personalities great and lowly. Devotees of both Civil War and naval history will discover unique perspectives on familiar events as well as obscure tales filling gaps of knowledge and understanding.

Email: shipdriver@verizon.net
Publisher: Savas Beatie, 2023

Ordering Info: Savas Beatie. See other works by this NOUS companion here.