Ultimate Protest

Ray E. Boomhower is a senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press. His books include The Soldier's Friend: A Life of Ernie Pyle, Dispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod, and Richard Tregaskis: Reporting Under Fire from Guadalcanal to Vietnam (UNM Press).

"Malcolm Browne, the first and longest-serving American correspondent in Vietnam, was long overshadowed by the better-known David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan. But Ray Boomhower's new book finally helps redress the balance. The Ultimate Protest is an engrossing read for anyone interested in how the United States got itself involved in Indochina despite clear warnings by its best journalists who found themselves labeled as 'enemy agents' for reporting the truth."—Fox Butterfield, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of China: Alive in the Bitter Sea "Malcolm Browne was everything a great reporter should be--intrepid, independent, insightful, and ultimately a bit wistful about the human condition. Ray Boomhower has given Malcolm the fine biography he deserved."—Peter L. W. Osnos, author of An Especially Good View: Watching History Happen-- "Elegantly written, deeply researched, and fast paced, The Ultimate Protest shines an overdue light on the life and times of one of the first journalists to report critically on America's misadventure in Vietnam and the challenge of gathering news in the face of government evasions and lies--a challenge to reporters as relevant today as it was then. For anyone seeking a better understanding of how great journalism is practiced, this book is must-read."—Thomas D. Herman, director and producer of Dateline-Saigon "Ray Boomhower paints a fresh and vivid portrait of one of America's most accomplished war correspondents. With meticulous attention to detail, The Ultimate Protest deftly captures the dilemmas that faced journalists during the Vietnam War--and that continue to face reporters in more recent times."—Mark Atwood Lawrence, The End of Ambition: The United States and the Third World in the Vietnam Era "Boomhower conveys the breadth and depth of an amazing journalist's career and its impact in bearing witness to the Vietnam War. The book serves as a model for future journalists as he balances viewpoints to form a well-rounded picture of Browne and his work."—Jim Willis, author of 100 Media Moments That Changed America

• PrologueChapter 1. Korea, 1956Chapter 2. From the Laboratory to the NewsroomChapter 3. ""Welcome to Viet Nam, Mal""Chapter 4. The Young TurksChapter 5. A Battle and a CrisisChapter 6. The Ultimate ProtestChapter 7. The RaidsChapter 8. The CoupChapter 9. The ""Stand-Upper""Chapter 10. Saigon, 1975EpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex