Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 142

gulags, where it is estimated that the government has incarcerated more than one hundred thousand individuals.
He also writes of factories that are dormant, a bottling
plant that produces no bottles, and hospitals that have
few patients.
However, there may be room for optimism. More
and more North Koreans are becoming aware of the
outside world via smuggled information technology
such as smart phones that provide access to the Internet,
particularly for those located near the Korean demilitarized zone in the south and near the Chinese border in
the north. The author suggests that the West should do
more to inform the people of North Korea. For example,
the British Broadcasting Corporation could establish
a North Korean Service, and Voice of America could
increase its output. South Korea could reverse-engineer North Korean mobile phones, of which there are
two million, to see what can be modified to provide the
North Koreans with the ability to do more with their
mobile phones—and then build the world’s largest
cellular masts near the demilitarized zone. “Information
is light, and the people of the dark state of North Korea
need more of that than anything else.”
The author suggests that the Kim dynasty will eventually fall. When it does, dealing with those implications
promises to be a daunting task for the international community and particularly for South Korea. North Korea
Undercover provides relevant insights into the country
today. The book will be of interest to many, ranging
from the casually curious to those who one day will help
rebuild the country once its people are freed from the
oppressive grip the Kim regime has imposed for three
generations.
Col. David D. Haught, U.S. Army, Retired, Fort
Belvoir, Virginia

ACT OF WAR: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the
Capture of the Spy Ship Pueblo
Jack Cheevers, NAL Caliber, New York,
2014, 448 pages

T

he 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo by North
Korea and the detention of its crew for almost a
year are incidents largely forgotten with the passage of time. In Act of War, author Jack Cheevers writes
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a comprehensive history of a significant and controversial event. He makes a persuasive case that, considering
the asymmetric threats we face today, we should be
revisiting its lessons rather than letting it be forgotten.
Act of War reads like novel. It is fast paced, rich in
detail, and covers events in a style that keeps the reader
constantly engaged. The author uses interviews, declassified reports, transcripts, and summaries of the negotiations to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the events. It includes the ship’s mission, its seizure,
the imprisonment and torture endured by the crew,
the crew’s release, and the subsequent naval inquiry.
Cheevers covers the events and decisions from multiple
perspectives, including those of the crew, the ship’s captain, the U.S. Navy, South Korea, and President Johnson’s
administration. Calling it “one of the worst intelligence
debacles in American history,” Cheevers uses recently declassified National Security Agency damage assessments
to provide a fresh appraisal of the amount of damage the
ship’s capture caused to national security.
The book is a study of decisions, assumptions, risk, and
the consequences of being wrong. The author has a knack
for clearly describing the difficult choices and the factors
affecting the decisions; this is the true strength of the book.
Cheevers does an excellent job of providing all the options
open to the decision makers and discussing why they
ultimately arrived at their decisions. The tension and the
gravity of the decisions are especially clear as the events
unfold. Readers ultimately will ask themselves what they
would do if confronted with the same circumstances.
The author is balanced in his approach. He presents the
facts—both good and bad—and lets the reader determine
whether the decision maker made the best decision. What
readers likely will find most interesting is the clash of values,
which is clearly outlined by the author. For example, while
the ship captain’s decision “to save his men’s lives had been a
humane one,” the Navy, whose “self-image was built on heroic tales of sea commanders who fought against long odds,”
could not understand his decision.
Winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval
Literature, this book is a cautionary tale with many lessons relevant to the asymmetric threats we face today. In
addition to posing tough questions, it also tells a story of
resilience, leadership, and cohesion. I recommend this book
to all readers, but especially those interested in international
affairs because of the lessons it provides.
Robert J. Rielly, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
November-December 2015  MILITARY REVIEW