The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam

Acknowledgements ix One - Pursuit of Policy Contrary to Self-Interest 3 Two - Prototype: the Trojans Take the Wooden Horse Within Their Walls 35 Three - The Renaissance Popes Provoke the Protestant Secession: 1470-1530 51 1 Murder In a Cathedral: Sixtus IV 62 2 Host to the Infidel: Innocent VIII 66 3 Depravity: Alexander VI 75 4 the Warrior: Julius II 91 5 the Protestant Break: Leo X 104 6 the Sack of Rome: Clement VII 118 Four - The British Lose America 127 1 Who's In, Who's Out: 1763-65 128 2 "Asserting a Right You Know You Cannot Exert": 1765 150 3 Folly Under Full Sail: 1766-72 167 4 "Remember Rehoboam!": 1773-75 191 5 "...A Disease, a Delirium": 1775-83 208 Five - America Betrays Herself In Vietnam 233 1 In Embryo: 1945-46 234 2 Self-Hypnosis: 1946-54 246 3 Creating the Client: 1954-60 269 4 "Married to Failure": 1960-63 283 5 Executive War: 1964-68 311 6 Exit: 1969-73 357 Epilogue "A Lantern On the Stern" 379 Reference Notes and Works Consulted 391 Index 429