Until the Last Man Comes Home: POWs, MIAs, and the Unending Vietnam War

Allen, an assistant professor of history at Northwestern, presents a perceptive analysis of the history of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue: paradoxically, the most extensive study ever attempted, despite the startling fact that the number of those missing in action is comparatively small (about 1,800, compared with 8,000 in Korea). In an ambitious book, Allen meticulously traces the history of the movement to account for the missing, concentrating on the group that became the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. He captures the sense of bitterness and betrayal that motivated the families and shows how the league morphed from a wives-led lobbying effort into a political phenomenon that has had a significant impact on the body politic through six presidential administrations, from Nixon to George W. Bush. Allen also makes a convincing case that the MIA issue was an important factor in the political rise of Ronald Reagan, which “marked the start of nearly three decades of Republican rule.” Allen lapses into needless academic jargon on occasion, but otherwise writes clearly and cogently in this valuable look at what he accurately calls a “strange” story. 28 illus. (Sept. 18)