Description

Guilty: the conclusion of many trials. But this verdict was unusual, delivered by a jury of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, among them Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, James Baldwin and Stokely Carmichael; and in the chair, legendary philosopher-mathematician Bertrand Russell. The defendant was unusual, too: the United States government.

Award-winning historian Clive Webb lays bare the extraordinary true story of the 1967 Russell Tribunal and its attempt to hold the US government to account for atrocities in the Vietnam War. The revelations that came out of the tribunal shocked the world. Vietdamned is an eye-opening account of the anti-war movement, of cover-ups and abuses of government, and of the power (and limits) of celebrity.

Publisher Review

Vietdamned is many things at once: a wonderfully well-told story rich with personal and political drama; an outstanding piece of scholarship informed by deep research and fine historical judgement; and a sensitive meditation on the moral demands of the individual conscience confronted by terrible injustice and human suffering — Hugh Wilford, author * The CIA: An Imperial History * Long overlooked by historians of the Vietnam War, the Russell Tribunal is, in Clive Webb’s expert hands, brought vividly to life. Featuring an extraordinary cast of characters, organisational and governmental machinations, and searing testimony about American war crimes in Southeast Asia, Vietdamned makes for an immersive and compelling read. At a time when speaking truth to power has never been more important, this book resonates powerfully — Simon Hall, author * Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s *