History Repeats

The April 28 Book Review gave a comprehensive and stimulating overview of written efforts on the Vietnam War. I noted that the hawkish authors tend to believe that loss of that war could be blamed on the media and Congress, figuratively accusing them of stabbing the military in the back. While this concept draws much debate, it does have historical precedent from another country, time, war and political group that expressed it.

The country and the time were Germany in the 1920s; the lost war was World War I, and the political group was the Nazi party that accused the Reichstag of a “stab in the back” to the German army in surrendering to the Allies.

J. T. HOLLERER

Los Angeles

McNamara was indeed secretary of defense. Our error.