The 1968 Crisis: How President Lyndon Johnson Responded to North Korea's Capture of the Spy Ship Pueblo

Bookman Henry: I was stationed in Korea back in 1968 and have read many books and other government documents about the USS Publeo’s mission and it’s subsequent capture by North Korea and find “Act of War” the best overall account of the “incident”. This book by Jack Cheevers is a detailed but well written and a great read. Recommended highly to those readers who are interested in the Pubelo.

United States on Feb 12, 2024

Steven K: The last book that captivated me this throughly was Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken,” the heart wrenching story of Louis Zamperini, who survived unending, brutal torture in Japanese POW camps after months adrift at sea during WWII. “Act of War” is reminiscent of that award winning work in its recounting of the merciless, inhuman treatment of the officers and crew of the USS Pueblo by the North Koreans who unlawfully captured it in international waters and subjected the 82 survivors to 11 months of unfathomable mental and physical cruelty. The story of the Pueblo was overshadowed by the other, unending bad news we were subjected to in 1968, but it deserves to be remembered. If anyone has any doubts about the depravity of communism, that person should read this book. If anyone wants to be reminded of the depth of the human spirit under the worst possible circumstances, read this book. As was the case when reading “Unbroken,” there were passages that brought me to tears.

United States on May 16, 2022

Shaun: Appears well received.

United Kingdom on May 11, 2021

F. Moyer: The author’s coverage of this event is 5 star. If you are interesting in learning about North Korean’s capture of the Pueblo and of what happened to the crew during their time in captivity, this book will cover it all.

The book provides a lot of essential background information on how the Pueblo came to find itself in such a vulnerable position while loaded with highly sensitive electronics and documents. And despite the chaos surrounding the attack and capture of the Pueblo, the author seems to have presented the rapidly folding sequence of events as clearly as possible given the many crew members, each with their own memories of the actions that they took prior to being boarded. Given the nearly year-long period of brutal abuse of the crew by North Koreans, it’s not surprising that at least half the book covers this aspect of the Pueblo story – along with America’s ongoing attempts to negotiate a release of the crew. The actual moment of release was both tense and emotional. I was also quite interested in the immediate aftermath, when captain and crew were lauded by the general public, but more seriously (and perhaps unfairly) investigated by a naval court of...

United States on Jun 13, 2020

frances madsen: my book arrived in good order. I have a few books ahead of this one to read. Subject matter looks fascinating, I may just go straight to this one.

Canada on Nov 01, 2016

Mrs J M Harris: Excellent, would buy from again!!!

United Kingdom on Feb 05, 2015

Arthur Pendragon: Ha great story of crew and a ship left without support and captured
How the Unites states was powerless to to act
Full of interest in the personalities
Well written
Well read
If it was not an Audio book it would be a Page Turner

United Kingdom on Oct 10, 2014

William L. Fahrner: I faintly remember this incident, it hit the press, but everything was so politically correct, that they brushed it under the rug at the time. Pretty much like they do now.
I'm ashamed at how we handled this situation. Our soldiers were tortured and we did nothing about it. I love the USA, but sometimes we are just overly careful on how we handle things. Help us!

Canada on Apr 21, 2014

Joseph A. Haran Jr.: It's perfectly clear to me, having read Jack Cheevers' well-researched and well-written book, that much of what went on regarding the U.S.S. Pueblo was never revealed to the world--until now. A debt of gratitude is owed the author by all of us, for without his book we'd remain greatly misinformed about a tragedy which could and should have been prevented.

Anyone who is even remotely interested in imprisonment, intelligence gathering, the Korean Peninsula, military culture, naval activity, politics, post-traumatic stress, psychology, the Second Indochina War, or torture should read this book. Obviously, those interested in the seizure of the U.S.S. Pueblo and the fate of its crew will find this book enlightening.

While not wanting to give anything away, as it's all of a piece, I'll nevertheless address a subject about which I've retained some small knowledge: destruction of classified documents and equipment. Imminent capture of such items by a hostile force was, during the period examined in this book, a scenario not taken seriously by relevant authority. The U.S.S. Pueblo's crew had neither the means nor the training necessary to destroy classified machines and...

United States on Mar 04, 2014