The My Lai Massacre in American History and Memory

This book examines the response of American society to the My Lai massacreand its ambiguous place in American national memory. The author argues thatthe massacre revelations left many Americans untroubled. It was only whenthe soldiers most immediately responsible came to be tried that oppositionto the conflict grew, for these prosecutions were regarded by supporters ofthe war as evidence that the national leaders no longer had the will to dowhat was necessary to win.