Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos Paperback – January 1, 1995

During the time of the Vietnam conflict, the war in northern Laos was waged between the Pathet Lao/North Vietnamese aggressors and the rag rage home land defense forces of Lao General Vang Pao, supported by the CIA. In the south the story was the NVA efforts to keep their aorta arch resupply trail open from North Vietnam through Laos to the battlefields of South Vietnam. In the royal capital of Laung Prabang, in the commercial and gov't center of Vientiane, and down in the southern reaches of the country, internecine political haggling swirled. One diplomat said if you think you know what's going on in Lao politics, you just don't know the facts.On the US side, the war was commanded by the Ambassador although it fell to the CIA to do the field work. It was the largest covert action program the CIA ever ran.Nothing much has been written about the billions of US dollars spent there, and the thousands of lives lost there and the millions of tons of explosive dropped by the USAF there. Nothing about the CIA activities, or Vang Pao's army or the North Vietnamese invasions in the north and appropriation of Lao land in the south.However of what's been written, Conboy's Shadow War is the definitive history. It is the bible that people who research the war or who lived the war refer to. Every sentence of every paragraph of every chapter is filled with facts, and while there might be some debate over some minor points, there is no debate that this is the single best record of what went on in that shadowy fight. It represents 10 years of labor on the part of Conboy and Morrison.To those who might consider buying the book, I can guarantee that if you were to get it, let it open where it may and you will find there - on any page - enormously interesting aspects of a country and a people caught in the clash of super powers over the critical terrain of Laos... and you will have there on that page input from the super power participants and the soldiers who did the fighting and the pilots who did the bombing.This book is magic with the way it puts light on the Shadow War, thought it does not Hollywood the situation, it does not lionize the irregular fighters or demonize the foreigner invaders or try to justify any point of view. It simple tells what happened.I served in Lao for two years and have written a couple of books on the subject. I know like few others how factual Shadow War is... how exacting it is with names and dates and places. It simply has the story right. It is the best book on the Lao war available.

I like it.

interesting and brings back some names of friends that I had the pleasure of working with during these times!

At present, this is THE book to come to for comprehensive coverage of the Secret War in Laos. Crammed with facts garnered through rigorous research, it relates the amazing tale of a war being fought while simultaneously being hidden from the world's view. However, as stuffed with facts as it is, it can be difficult to understand at times. I see two reasons for that. One is the extensive use of month-day dates with only an occasional mention of the year. The other is a screaming need for some decent maps to help unravel the geography. If it were not for these two shortcomings, I would rate this book 5 stars. As it is, it is not the most easily readable book on the Secret War, but it is the most complete and dependable.

I posted a review on this...book back in 2002 and wonder who Mr Conboy interviewed Reference Muong Soui/L108, it is evident he must been in Bangkok/Capitol Hotel/Dorchester Hotel or another hotel like the Time reporters that fabricated their tales of secrecy on what used to be White Star and turned into Project 404...He did not talk to Major Bob Moberg or CSM Joe Bossi ..any one who has read Fire In The Lake Written by Champassak can extrapolate and put together all kinds of info...I asked for a simple correction in the spelling of my last name (Point of respect and Honor) and it was not forthcoming ...Mr. Conboy, your book is where it belongs in the Colorado Springs trashdump...for shame !!!SGM D.L. Pompili, SGM, USA, Ret

Good read, I disagree with some of the characterizations,having been in Laos from 68 to 69,(Moung Soui, the PDJ etc) but then that's human nature. By the way David Pompelli's name is a misspelling. Should be Pompili, But then, what's in a name?

a good book.