Gary R. Hess is a Distinguished Research Professor of History at Bowling Green State University. His published works include The United States at War, 1941-1945; Vietnam and the United States: Origins and Legacy of War; The United States' Emergence as a Southeast Asia Power, 1940-1950; and America Encounters India, 1941-1947.

• Series Editor's ForewordPreface to the Second EditionIntroduction: Presidential Leadership and International Crises1. Harry S. Truman and the Korean Crisis: "We can't let the U.N. down"2. Harry S. Truman as Commander in Chief: Decision by Indecision3. Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam Crisis: "America keeps her word"4. Lyndon B. Johnson as Commander in Chief: The Strategy of Wishful Thinking5. George H. W. Bush and the Persian Gulf Crisis: "This aggression will not stand"6. George H. W. Bush as Commander in Chief: The Imperatives of Coalition Warfare7. George W. Bush and the Second Crisis with Iraq: "Time is not on our side"8. George W. Bush as Commander in Chief: History Overpowers IdeologyConclusion: Four Presidents and Their WarsBibliographical EssayIndex

"Hess's writing is clear, each chapter is sharply focused, and his comparisons are deft, all of which we have a right to expect from an historian of his stature." - International History Review "This book admirably introduces an historical cross-analysis that allows some assessment of US leadership during these critical times." - Virginia Quarterly Review "A solid work... Hess has packaged three historical vignettes in a thorough, concise, and readable primer on wartime presidential leadership." - Historian"