Perfect Spy - The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent

During the Vietnam War, Time reporter Pham Xuan An befriended everyone who was anyone in Saigon, including American journalists such as David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan, the CIA's William Colby, and the legendary Colonel Edward Lansdale—not to mention the most influential members of the South Vietnamese government and army. None of them ever guessed that he was also providing strategic intelligence to Hanoi, smuggling invisible ink messages into the jungle inside egg rolls. His early reports were so accurate that General Giap joked, "We are now in the U.S. war room."In Perfect Spy, Larry Berman, who An considered his official American biographer, chronicles the extraordinary life of one of the twentieth century's most fascinating spies. “Larry Berman in his book—insightful, overdue, an authentic ‘Shock and Awe’ story—deftly humanizes the contradictions in An’s life” — -Bernard Kalb“Berman has done an excellent job… There’s plenty here for both supporters and critics of the Vietnam War to ponder.” — Dan Southerland, former correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor in Saigon“Berman has unraveled the mystery of his strange double life in an engrossing narrative.” — Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History and winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in historyPraise for NO PEACE NO HONOR “A marvelous piece of work.” — Daniel EllsbergPraise for NO PEACE NO HONOR “Carefully researched, authoritative, and highly readable.” — Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A HistoryPraise for LYNDON JOHNSON’S WAR “A masterful job.” — Marvin KalbPraise for LYNDON JOHNSON’S WAR “Highly readable, full of telling quoted from newly opened sources.” — Walter LafeberPraise for LYNDON JOHNSON’S WAR “Berman has delivered the coup de grace.” — Townsend Hoopes“A remarkable blend of biography, history, and personal experience... Highly recommended.” ---A.O. Edmonds — Library JournalDuring the Vietnam War, Pham Xuan An was a well-regarded reporter for Reuters and TIME magazine. His friends in Saigon included the CIA’s William Colby, Colonel Edward Lansdale, and the most influential members of the South Vietnamese government and army. Little did anyone suspect that An was also a spy, providing strategic intelligence to Hanoi. In Perfect Spy, Larry Berman tells the story of North Vietnam’s most successful undercover agent. Berman spent hundreds of hours interviewing An, who considered Berman to be his American biographer, and shared his private files with him. This remarkable book throws new light on the Vietnam War, and explores the complexities and contradictions of a man who loved the United States, even as he worked to betray it. Larry Berman is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis and thedirector of the UC-Davis Washington Program. The author of three books on Vietnam, he has being featured on C-Span’s Book TV and the History Channel, as well as in programs by Bill Moyers, David McCullough and Marvin Kalb. A recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, Berman has also been a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Center in Bellagio, Italy. His website is www.larrybermanperfectspy.com. “Larry Berman’s Perfect Spy illustrates the proposition that truth can be stranger than fiction. Berman has brilliantly captured Pham Xuan An’s incredible double life. His book is informative history with the attributes of a Cold War spy thriller.” — Robert DallekLarry Berman Bio:Larry Berman has written four previous books on the war in Vietnam: Planning a Tragedy: The Americanization of the War in Vietnam; Lyndon Johnson's War: The Road To Stalemate in Vietnam; No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam and Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent. He has been featured on C-SPAN Book TV, Bill Moyers' The Public Mind and David McCullough's American Experience. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow in residence at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He received the Bernath Lecture Prize for contributions to our understanding of foreign relations and the Department of the Navy Vice Admiral Edwin B. Hooper Research Grant. Berman is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis and Founding Dean of the Honors College at Georgia State University. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.