Comparing the Documentary Hearts and Minds by Peter Davis with the Book, Dispatches by Michael Herr

To far too many people, Vietnam and the conflict there remains a mystery. To some, it was the only war America has ever lost. To others, a senseless venture into a land we did not know, politics we did not understand, and an enemy far better able to fight in jungle terrain than American soldiers. Vietnam is history- and not very pleasant or comforting history. Hearts and Minds- the title comes from a Lyndon Johnson speech, depicts not merely the cruelty and callousness of both Americans and Viet Cong- but is far more politically against our involvement. Dispatches is an objective, but just as frightening series of reports from Esquire's war correspondent, Michael Herr.…