I've read a fair amount about post-colonial Vietnam over the years but never have I read a book that was so enlightening about Diem as a man and what his motivations in governance were and which made clear how serious he took his own agenda of social and moral improvement as being the real end of good government, at least when he wasn't playing off other rivals for power in Saigon. However, it's also quite clear that American politicians & officials, with their focus on economic development and governmental organization never quite grasped these motivations, which tied into a strong current of American doubt over Diem's long-term political durability. A matter which has tended to be overshadowed by the legend of Diem as an American puppet from the start. Of course, it's not to say that most Vietnamese took either the Diem or the American "options" as their preference; the failure to truly engage in grass-roots level politics remains the tragedy of South Vietnam. ( )