Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the Spy Ship Pueblo

It's perfectly clear to me, having read Jack Cheevers' well-researched and well-written book, that much of what went on regarding the U.S.S. Pueblo was never revealed to the world--until now. A debt of gratitude is owed the author by all of us, for without his book we'd remain greatly misinformed about a tragedy which could and should have been prevented. Anyone who is even remotely interested in imprisonment, intelligence gathering, the Korean Peninsula, military culture, naval activity, politics, post-traumatic stress, psychology, the Second Indochina War, or torture should read this book. Obviously, those interested in the seizure of the U.S.S. Pueblo and the fate of its crew will find this book enlightening. While not wanting to give anything away, as it's all of a piece, I'll nevertheless address a subject about which I've retained some small knowledge: destruction of classified documents and equipment. Imminent capture of such items by a hostile force was, during the period examined in this book, a scenario not taken seriously by relevant authority. The U.S.S. Pueblo's crew had neither the means nor the training necessary to destroy classified machines and materials on a moment's notice, as the ship captain's repeated requests for proper destruction equipment had been denied. In short, the "blue water" navy and its admirals had little respect for crews and ships embarked on intelligence-gathering missions. (This nonchalant attitude, however, did not prevail within the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.) Shocking as such high-level incompetence is, it's equally shocking to learn of treatment accorded some of the U.S.S. Pueblo's crew upon their release from captivity. The sole fatality aboard U.S.S. Pueblo was Damage Controlman Third Class Duane Daniel Hodges (1946-1968) from Creswell in Oregon. May he and Commander Lloyd Mark Bucher (1927-2004) rest in peace, along with their 18 shipmates who have also passed away.

"Act of War" is a compelling and often infuriating look at the "Pueblo Incident" in 1968, when a U.S. Naval vessel and its crew are taken prisoner by the North Koreans during America's involvement in the Viet Nam War. The crew suffers greatly in captivity which lasts for 11 months. Although they are hailed as heroes upon their return home, a long investigation into the incident by Navy brass is accusatory and cruel. This book tells a valuable tale of 20th Century American politics, war, and the Navy's attempt to scapegoat the skipper of the Pueblo, Lloyd Boucher. Well written and thoroughly researched but could possibly have been a hundred pages shorter.

I was stationed in Korea back in 1968 and have read many books and other government documents about the USS Publeo’s mission and it’s subsequent capture by North Korea and find “Act of War” the best overall account of the “incident”. This book by Jack Cheevers is a detailed but well written and a great read. Recommended highly to those readers who are interested in the Pubelo.

This is a well written, current, easy to follow, conversational book on a very sad subject. My only criticism, and this is a big one for me as a former serviceman who likes to see the "big picture", is that there are no maps, a shortcoming "Act of War" shares with one of its heavily credited sources, the much earlier excellent book on the same subject by Armbrister. A "God's eye" map showing the general area of the Sea of Japan and Korean peninsula and another close-in map laying out the actual course of the USS Pueblo along the Korean coast, along with the superimposed bogus track claimed by the North Koreans, would have been very helpful - and logical for a military history work of this caliber. Those two pages couldn't have very cost much to add for the value they would have provided. I'm not going to take away a star for this omission as a serious reader probably has a few military atlases laying near their armchair, but it would have been nice to just have to only flip a couple of pages to get some physical context.

The author’s coverage of this event is 5 star. If you are interesting in learning about North Korean’s capture of the Pueblo and of what happened to the crew during their time in captivity, this book will cover it all. The book provides a lot of essential background information on how the Pueblo came to find itself in such a vulnerable position while loaded with highly sensitive electronics and documents. And despite the chaos surrounding the attack and capture of the Pueblo, the author seems to have presented the rapidly folding sequence of events as clearly as possible given the many crew members, each with their own memories of the actions that they took prior to being boarded. Given the nearly year-long period of brutal abuse of the crew by North Koreans, it’s not surprising that at least half the book covers this aspect of the Pueblo story – along with America’s ongoing attempts to negotiate a release of the crew. The actual moment of release was both tense and emotional. I was also quite interested in the immediate aftermath, when captain and crew were lauded by the general public, but more seriously (and perhaps unfairly) investigated by a naval court of inquiry. So why just 4 stars? Because there was so much coverage about the abuse of the crew. The author was right to include it all, and I agree with his decision to do so. But I felt potential readers should be warned that parts of the book can be tough to get through. The crew members are truly survivors in the purest sense of the word.

I faintly remember this incident, it hit the press, but everything was so politically correct, that they brushed it under the rug at the time. Pretty much like they do now. I'm ashamed at how we handled this situation. Our soldiers were tortured and we did nothing about it. I love the USA, but sometimes we are just overly careful on how we handle things. Help us!

Ha great story of crew and a ship left without support and captured How the Unites states was powerless to to act Full of interest in the personalities Well written Well read If it was not an Audio book it would be a Page Turner

my book arrived in good order. I have a few books ahead of this one to read. Subject matter looks fascinating, I may just go straight to this one.

Appears well received.

Excellent, would buy from again!!!