William J. Rust is a former journalist and communications consultant. He is the author of Kennedy in Vietnam: American Vietnam Policy, 1960-1963, Before the Quagmire: American Intervention in Laos, 1954-1961, and So Much to Lose: John F. Kennedy and American Policy in Laos.
"Like his previous diplomatic histories of the United States' early
efforts in Laos and South Vietnam, Rust's study of the Eisenhower
administration's relationship with Cambodia is a valuable and
compelling addition to our understanding of the roots of the Second
Indochina War." -- Journal of Military History
" Eisenhower and Cambodia should not only be considered the
standard work on US--Cambodia relations during this period, but it
is also a highly useful text for understanding US foreign policy
formulation during the Eisenhower years, Washington's often fraught
relationship with its anti-communist allies, and the limits of
covert action." -- International Affairs
"In William J. Rust's Eisenhower & Cambodia: Diplomacy, Covert
Action, and the Origins of the Second Indochina War, new light is
shed on an often convoluted segment of Cambodian history,
describing detailed experiments in democracy, Cold War diplomatic
maneuverings and a king obsessed with political power. Anyone
interested in the complex and often violent birth pangs of
post-World WarCambodia, its connection to the war in Vietnam and
the rise of the Khmer Rouge will findRust's book of unparalleled
appeal." -- Mekong Review
"Rust has a keen eye for detail, and his research [...] shines a
light on the complicated politics of Southeast Asia in the 1950s,
including the region's political and military leaders and dissident
groups, as well as US diplomats stationed there." -- Asian Review
of Books
"Rust offers a thoroughly researched history of the relationship
between the United States and Cambodia during the Eisenhower years.
Rust is excellent in reporting on the process of American
policymaking and how Sihanouk and the Cambodians reacted to
American policy. Rust tells a fascinating story filled with
political and military intrigue and covert action." -- H-Diplo
"We all know the horrific end of this story. Rust's masterful
accomplishment is to illuminate the beginning, to trace the
arrogance of the US determination to push Cambodia into the fires
of the Vietnam War." -- London School of Economics Review of
Books
"The meticulous archival document and oral history research make
this study the epitome of diplomatic history, and it highlights the
role of covert actions in the country. Despite the detail and
intricacy of the rendering, Rust's deft writing and his development
of the personalities involved make absorbing reading. The study
broadens and deepens understanding of the complexity of the
Indochina quagmire. It is essential for any serious student of the
Vietnam War." -- Choice
"Bill Rust has made it his purpose to dig deep for explanations of
the origins of the American war in Southeast Asia. In Eisenhower
and Cambodia Rust shines a penetrating light on the murkiest corner
of all, the impact of American actions on the neutralist nation of
Cambodia and its Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Rust's account
considerably advances our knowledge of Eisenhower's and Kennedy's
actions in Cambodia. No student of the Vietnam war can afford to
miss Eisenhower and Cambodia." -- John Prados, author of Vietnam:
The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945--1975
"Rust has mastered the art of reviving the past as he piles fact
upon fact to recreate the political and military climate of the
time." -- The VVA Veteran
"Rust's books on the early years in Vietnam and Laos established
him as the preeminent scholar of the period. Cambodia during this
time frame remains overlooked. Thus the author's best book to date
fills an important place in the literature. It is excellent
scholarship written as always in the author's deft style." -- Joe
P. Dunn, author of "I Have Done the Work": The Times and Life of
James Hutchison Kerr
"Rust's brilliant account of the Eisenhower and Kennedy
administration's attempt to leverage a recalcitrant Cambodian
leader into a Cold War alliance reveals much about American
diplomacy then and now. Extensively researched and exceptionally
readable, this groundbreaking book discloses the often shadowy
realities of what occurs when government officials from dissimilar
cultures endeavor to bend each other to their will." -- Walter E.
Kretchik, author of U.S. Army Doctrine: From the American
Revolution to the War on Terror
"William Rust, author of two recent definitive books about American
relations with Laos, now explores US relations with Cambodia during
the Dwight Eisenhower administration. This is a careful,
impressive, well written and researched diplomatic history that
highlights the administration's antipathy toward neutralism in the
Cold War, which led it into ill-advised and self-defeating efforts
to destabilize Prince Norodom Sihanouk's government. It will stand
as the authoritative work for many years to come." -- Kenton
Clymer, author of A Delicate Relationship: The United States and
Burma/Myanmar since 1945
"William Rust's engaging book contributes significantly to our
understanding of U.S.-Cambodian relations, the origins of the
Vietnam War, and the role of covert operations in American foreign
policy during the Cold War. As he does in his other books, Rust
relies on extensive archival research to craft a gripping and
accessible narrative that brings to life the characters on all
sides of this complex story." -- Jessica Elkind, author of Aid
Under Fire: Nation Building and the Vietnam War
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