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The worldwide phenomenon — The movie Flags of Our Fathers, produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Clint Eastwood.

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James Bradley brought President George Herbert Walker Bush back to the island where he was to die at the age of twenty-one

 

Used by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in the HBO series The Pacific.

“The Imperial Cruise is startling enough to reshape conventional wisdom about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.”

— New York Times

The China Mirage reveals that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s beloved grandpa, Warren Delano, was the American Opium King of China.

Among other surprises.

The worldwide phenomenon — The movie Flags of Our Fathers, produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Clint Eastwood.

James Bradley brought President George Herbert Walker Bush back to the island where he was to die at the age of twenty-one

Used by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in the HBO series The Pacific.

“The Imperial Cruise is startling enough to reshape conventional wisdom about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.”

— New York Times

The China Mirage reveals that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s beloved grandpa, Warren Delano, was the American Opium King of China.

Among other surprises.

The worldwide phenomenon —
The movie Flags of Our Fathers,
produced by Steven Spielberg and
directed by Clint Eastwood.

James Bradley brought President George Herbert Walker Bush back to the island where he was to die at the age of twenty-one

Used by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in the HBO series The Pacific.

“The Imperial Cruise is startling enough to reshape conventional wisdom about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.”

— New York Times

The China Mirage reveals that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s beloved grandpa, Warren Delano, was the American Opium King of China.

Among other surprises.

James Bradley on Pacific Front Untold

Why did Vietnam win against America?

In a thought-provoking podcast, NYT Bestselling author James Bradley delves deep into the complexities of the Vietnam War and shares insights from his latest book, “Precious Freedom.” Drawing on personal experiences and historical events, Bradley challenges conventional narratives and offers a fresh perspective on the Vietnamese struggle for independence.

Main Content:

James Bradley’s Journey as an Author James Bradley has made a name for himself with his compelling storytelling, particularly in works like “Flags of Our Fathers”. In this podcast, he shares how his father’s experiences during World War II motivated him to explore the narratives surrounding American wars. His latest book, “Precious Freedom,” is a culmination of years of research and personal reflection, focusing on Vietnam’s revolutionary journey. He also tells us what it was like working with Clint Eastwood.

The Personal Connection to Vietnam

Bradley recounts a poignant moment from his childhood when his older brother left for Marine Boot Camp, a moment that instilled a sense of urgency and curiosity about the Vietnam War. This personal history propels him to seek answers and understanding about the conflict, particularly after witnessing the lasting impact it had on his family.

Challenging Established Narratives

One of the key themes discussed is the tendency of American narratives to focus on loss and technical failures in Vietnam. Bradley points out that while numerous books analyze why America lost, few ask the Vietnamese how they won. His journey to Vietnam led him to ask this simple yet profound question, uncovering the strategies and resilience that characterized the Vietnamese fight for freedom.

The Influence of Historical Figures

Bradley draws parallels between Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong, highlighting how Ho’s strategies were influenced by Mao’s tactics. He explains the concept of a “back base,” demonstrating how the Vietnamese adapted their strategies to counter foreign invasions effectively. This not only showcases the depth of Vietnamese military strategy but also raises questions about Western misconceptions.

The Misunderstanding of Vietnamese Identity

Throughout the podcast, Bradley emphasizes a critical realization: the American perception of Vietnam was largely shaped by external narratives. The Vietnamese people themselves did not see their country as divided into North and South as Americans did. This perspective shift underscores the importance of understanding a culture from its own viewpoint rather than imposing external labels.

Conclusion:

In reflecting on the insights shared by James Bradley, it becomes clear that the narrative surrounding the Vietnam War is far more complex than commonly portrayed. By asking the right questions and seeking the voices of those who lived through it, we can gain a deeper understanding of history. Bradley’s work challenges us to rethink our assumptions and encourages a more nuanced discussion about freedom, identity, and the impacts of war.

PRECIOUS FREEDOM

James Bradley journeyed to Iwo Jima and returned with Flags of Our Fathers and now ventures to Vietnam and brings us Precious Freedom, where he reveals that, if we’d known what happened in the 1960s in Vietnam, American mothers would never have sent their children to Iraq and Afghanistan. The truth is the best vaccination against great lies.
Oliver Stone
This is James Bradley doing what he does best. Diving in and talking to veterans, asking the hardest questions about the Vietnam War, and looking for actual answers. Precious Freedom is a David and Goliath story . . . and proof of the power of the ordinary person.
Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author
If you have spent time with US veterans of the Vietnam War and with Vietnamese citizens who lived through it, and took part in it, you will immediately recognize in these pages the enormous nuance and complexity of that time in both countries’ histories. It’s likely in your daily routine that you meet someone who fought in Vietnam, and it’s almost guaranteed that they are still thinking of those days, the terror and camaraderie. At the same time, we struggle to find a way to talk about it. That’s where James Bradley comes in. Precious Freedom is an engrossing, highly-researched and essential part of this complex conversation. We undertake a new journey with James Bradley: he takes us inside the lives of the people, culture, and aspirations of the Vietnamese people who met on the battlefields with the older men you see today in the grocery stores, the coffee shops, at high school graduations. If we are to understand the experiences of these two countries, and to honor them, we must see they are inextricably bound. Bradley brings this relationship to dramatic light in a way we cannot forget or put down. Read this book for yourself, for the veterans of any conflict, and for the Vietnamese people who have become some of America’s steadfast allies, just as they had predicted they might be. Precious Freedom is an important and poignant homecoming of many, many kinds.
Doug Stanton, # 1 New York Times bestselling author
The world knows that Vietnam defeated the United States in a long war, but how did Vietnam accomplish that astonishing feat?  James Bradley has come up with a magnificently rich and deeply researched answer.  His book teaches us much about the war and about Vietnam, but most of all about the United States and why it embarks on such devastating misadventures.
Stephen Kinzer, author of Poisoner in Chief and The Brothers
James Bradley has produced another triumph. Anyone who has spent time talking with veterans and survivors of the American War in Vietnam will instantly recognize the people in this book.  Precious Freedom offers a window onto the obscenity of the conflict and the episodes of courage and grace that nonetheless punctuated it. It’s a complex story told in a compelling and furiously honest fashion.  If you think you’ve already read all the great Vietnam War novels, think again.
Nick Turse, author of Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam
James Bradley’s revelatory account of how the Vietnamese people defeated a better armed, better funded fighting force backed up by the richest country in the world offers an object lesson in why so-called advanced technology and vast expenditures are no match for superior morale, smart strategy, deep local knowledge, society-wide commitment and unity of purpose. . . . The stories Bradley conveys offer a cautionary tale about the dangers of an approach based on technological hubris and misplaced faith in the power and effectiveness of military intervention, divorced from an understanding of local conditions. War is a human endeavor, and Bradley captures that truth in compelling detail.
William D. Hartung, Senior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, author of The Trillion Dollar War Machine
James Bradley is in top form with Precious Freedom, displaying his gift for making complex subjects understandable.  Precious Freedom is the place to start if you haven’t read about the Vietnam War and if you're familiar with the genre, it will add significantly to your understanding.
Douglas Valentine, author of The CIA as Organized Crime
For more than sixty years, Americans have looked at Vietnam through the wrong end of a telescope. Precious Freedom turns it around, bringing into sharp focus Vietnamese people who lived and died in the Pentagon’s gunsights. James Bradley’s profound novel illuminates the resilient spirit of Vietnam’s people and the historic aggression of America’s warfare state.
Norman Solomon, author of War Made Invisible
Precious Freedom is an extremely important book that counters the distorted revisionism about the Vietnam War prevalent in the US, presenting the US cause as a noble one, and America’s South Vietnamese allies as heroic. Bradley is a gifted story-teller and writer who gives voice to the Vietnamese people who successfully stood up to defend their country against brutal foreign invaders, backed by local collaborators. Drawing on dozens of interviews, including with aides to Ho Chi Minh, North Vietnamese army generals, and southern-based National Liberation Front (NLF) fighters, along with American Marines, Bradley explains how and why Vietnam won the Vietnam War, and how and why the US lost. Important lessons can be drawn from this history that sheds light on the barbarism and folly underlying US foreign policy in the Cold War.
Jeremy Kuzmarov, Managing Editor of CovertAction Magazine and author of Obama’s Unending Wars
If we had truly understood what happened in Vietnam, no American would have let their children march off to Iraq or Afghanistan. Precious Freedom exposes the buried lessons of war, showing how forgotten history paves the road to repeated tragedy.
John Kiriakou, Author of The Reluctant Spy
Like James Bradley, I have travelled to Vietnam and shared memories, food, laughter, and tears with these remarkable people and some of their leaders.  Remarkable because as Americans invaded their land, killed five million people, raped their women, destroyed their triple canopy forests with chemical weapons, and dropped more bombs on their tiny country than were dropped by all sides in World War II--through it all Ho Chi Minh taught his people to feel sorry for American troops, to understand the American mothers' sorrows and, above all, not to let corrosive hate enter their being.  Ho taught that neither the Vietnamese or American people wanted war, but Cold War-addled US leaders got in the way. Today in Vietnam we Americans are forgiven and accepted.  After besting the Mongols, Chinese, French, Japanese and Americans, Vietnam cannot afford to hate much of the world and they don't.  I found their spirit of resistance inspiring and I am humbled by Vietnamese forgiveness, which James Bradley brings out so poignantly in Precious Freedom.
Peter Kuznick, Co-Author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States, made into a ten-part Showtime documentary film series. Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University.

THE CHINA MIRAGE
THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICAN DISASTER IN ASIA

The backstory to one of the world’s most important relationships – the United States and China.
NPR’s Morning Edition
Bradley explores America’s perception of Asia – as it was shaped by callow policymakers and self-appointed sachems – and the gap between that perception and reality: the received wisdom, hopeful hogwash, and accumulated misunderstandings that led to three major Asian War (and a few minor ones) …. FDR’s East Asia policy is a story as complex as a Fabergé egg, that Bradley handles with aplomb … Bradley is sharp and rueful, and a voice for a more seasoned, constructive visions of our international relations with East Asia.
Christian Science Monitor
A vivid, bracing, and careful study …. There are lessons to be learned about war and peace, and Bradley’s valuable book offers a warning about past and future unnecessary entanglements.
History News Network
Well worth a read …. The new book covers, better than I’ve seen anywhere else, the history of how many of the wealthiest individuals and institutions of the East Coast United States in the nineteenth century got their money – including Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s grandfather’s money – by illegally selling opium in China … For the full account, I recommend Bradley’s book.
Counterpunch
Bradley has produced another gripping historical account with ramifications for today’s world.
World Affairs Council
Bradley argues that a better understanding of China could have helped America to avoid war with Japan in 1941 and subsequent wars in Korea and Vietnam. Verdict: A superlative read that is highly recommended to experts and novices alike.
Library Journal (starred review)
Bradley...argues that this positive, pre-WWII view of China was false and led the US into several policy errors, including the needless provocation of Japan... Bradley's work is insightful and entertaining.
Publishers Weekly
Uncovers the nineteenth-century plan to create a 'New China' and 'Americanize Asia'...In this relentless critique of wrongheaded thinking by government officials who did not speak the Asian languages and had little hands-on experience, Bradley focuses especially on the foreign policy of the two Roosevelts ... Bradley delivers a strenuous expose about the initial building of the 'rickety bridge of fellowship crossing the Pacific.
Kirkus Reviews

THE IMPERIAL CRUISE
A HISTORY OF EMPIRE AND WAR

Mr. Bradley does not simply cite Roosevelt’s egregious talk. He presents this much-ignored aspect of Roosevelt’s thinking with sharp specificity and then goes on to make a much more damaging point, angrily and persuasively connecting Roosevelt’s race-based foreign policy miscalculations in Asia. His these in The Imperial Cruise is startling enough to reshape conventional wisdom about Roosevelt’s presidency.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
A provocative study … What is fascinating about Bradley’s reconstruction of a largely neglected aspect of Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy is the impact that his racial theories and his obsession with personal and national virility had on his diplomacy. Engrossing and revelatory, The Imperial Cruise is revisionist history at its best.
Ronald Steel, New York Time Book Review
This is a book to admire and, it must be said, to enjoy … The Imperial Cruise is breezy and engaging … The heart of the Bradley argument is that Roosevelt’s forgotten corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the one that warned the Old World that the United States, and not European nations, would intervene if Western Hemisphere nations had unstable economics and owed large debts, emboldened Japan to become an aggressor nation in the run-up to World War II.
David M. Shribman, Boston Globe
A page-turner … eye-opening.
Mike Householder, Associated Press
The Imperial Cruise is an important contribution to a realistic understanding of America’s history, good and bd, and the views that other cultures, particularly in Asia hold toward the United States. It also serves as a powerful reminder that the course we choose today is influenced by choices made long before, and will have its own influence, for good and ill, in the world that comes after us. We ignore such lessons at our own peril.
Howard Shirley, BookPage
Bradley’s critique of Rooseveltian imperialism is compelling.
Publishers Weekly

FLYBOYS
A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE

In Flyboys, James Bradley combines his tenacious detective skills with his gifts as a master storyteller to produce a tragic epic of two empires. I wept not only for the American pilots, but for all the millions of people who died needlessly in the Pacific War.
Iris Chang
Bradley has written a clear-eyed, heartfelt approach to a little-known corner of the 20th century’s largest and most violent upheaval, while at the same time shining a light on some of that generation’s finest.
Denver Post
Flyboys, the heartbreaking and horrifying saga of eight American airmen who went down during bombing runs over the Pacific, is the result of Bradley’s courage in putting a face on wartime atrocities … Bradley does a commendable job of setting the bloody events on Chichi Jima within a historical framework that helps to explain both the American and Japanese thirst for blood in wartime … Perhaps that is the real value of Flyboys: to tell a story so unspeakable, so unimaginable, that we will remember it and try to ensure it does not happen again.
San Antonio Express-News
Flyboys is not just a true story of courage but a frightening reminder of the savagery human beings are capable of and of the terrible moral choices nations at war must make
Houston Chronicle
Bradley tackles head-on the thorny issues of Japan’s wartime villainy and America’s problematic response … A gripping story.
Los Angeles Times
Bradley did a tremendous amount of research, interviewing survivors and their families. And he’s done an excellent job of presenting the fruits of his labor. Flyboys is a well-done history of combat in the Pacific theater. But, most of all, it is a disturbing account of the depths to which human beings can sink.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Here is a book, brilliantly ambivalent, that draws us in with its directness and stuns us with its brutality.
Tampa Tribune
An unforgettable story about eight forgotten World War II flyers and a ninth who became the 41st president of the United States. Heroism and the horrors of war collide over the South Pacific, and Bradley weaves a compelling tale. Like his previous work … Flyboys will be a part of the historical record for years to come.
Pages
A powerful, compelling look at a tragic time in our history.
W.E.B. Griffin

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

Unforgettable … one of the most instructive and moving books on war and its aftermath that we are likely see.
The New York Times
The best battle book I ever read … These stories, chronicling the time the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima enlisted, their training, and the landing and subsequent struggle, fill me with awe.
Stephen Ambrose
A powerful book whose vivid and horrific images do not easily leave the mind … [Flags of Our Fathers] relates the brutalizing story of Iwo Jima with a fine eye for both the strategic imperative and the telling incident.
The Boston Globe
Brings a heartfelt personal dimension to this penetrating and insightful look at an American icon … Flags of Our Fathers captivates as the story behind a famous photo; a story that lives on in a son’s heart.
National Review
Graphically, horrifically, and heroically told … Not only a gripping true story but also an inspirational book, a tale about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bradley’s gripping narrative, vivid descriptions, and heartfelt style make this a powerful story of courage, humility, and tragedy … The book packs both a literary and historical punch … Highly recommended.
Library Journal