Despite the continuing flood of literature on United States national security policy, there is no current general bibliography on the subject. In this work, the compiler has sought to fill that need by bringing together a highly selective listing of valuable works in the field of national security. Although the book begins with the first Eisenhower administration, the emphasis is clearly on the post-1960 era, and in particular the years following American involvement in the wars of Indochina. With its focus on the executive branch, the bibliography provides an effective introduction to the processes for formulating strategies and military policies, and to a number of major defense and security issues.
In order to identify the major policy declarations, strategy assessments, and reference works for each administration, Beede has divided the bibliography into chapters that cover presidential administrations. Each of these chapters begins with works concerning the decision makers and decision-making process of the administration, and follows with subject groupings on military and defense policies, particular types of strategies, and American alliances and responses to crises. Special chapters cover reference works, studies that address the entire time period, or that deal with several administrations, and analyses of the Vietnam conflict. The materials listed in the volume include a number of publications from the National Defense University. The book contains comprehensive author and subject indexes. It will be an important reference source for students of military history and presidential policy, as well as a valuable addition to university, research, and military libraries.