Who the Hell Are We Fighting?: The Story of Sam Adams and the Vietnam Intelligence Wars Hardback - 2006

Media reviews

"In this time of White House obfuscation, it's a pleasure to be able
to read about the candor—against all odds—of courageous patriots like
Sam Adams." —Mike Wallace

"Will enlighten the general reader. ... Hiam does a superb job of
showing what happens when an idiosyncratic analyst finds himself
ensconced in that quadrant [analyst right / boss wrong]. Sam's very uniqueness means that Who the Hell Are We Fighting? brings fundamental questions about the relationship between intelligence and policy into sharp relief. Not only will it enlighten the general reader; it is worthy of inclusion as a case study in any curriculum for intelligence analysts."-- Studies in Intelligence


"A diehard CIA man, Adams was not against the war but was unwilling to stand by as the Pentagon "cooked the books," knowingly and significantly reducing the enemy's order of battle. . . . Hiam's book offers a rich oral history relying upon the recollections of many key players, friend and foe alike, as well as Adams's meticulous notes, court documents, and other relevant sources." — Library Journal

"Who the Hell Are We Fighting? is a definitive contribution to an understanding of the most acrimonious intelligence controversy of the Vietnam War. C. Michael Hiam skillfully leads the reader to a clear understanding of the issues involved in the debate over the strength and composition of the of enemy forces in Vietnam. He supplements this with a comprehensive and understanding portrait of Sam Adams, the capable and patriotic CIA analyst whose crusade for truth and honsety led to the "libel trial of the century", and made him a folk-hero in the intelligence community."
— George W. Allen, author of None So Blind: A Personal Account of the Intelligence Failure in Vietnam


"Sam Adams was a good friend, both to myself and my son James. We knew him for about 20 years — I, at least, found him always to be a haunting figure. He went at least once to the real cloud forest in Costa Rica but spent decades in the vast informational cloud forest of the American intelligence agencies. Michael Hiam has written an excellent book about Sam's attempt to finally post what he believed to be the true numbers about Viet Cong strength during the years of the Viet Nam War.

I saw Sam as being rather like some of the great explorers of the South American forests — Colonel Fawcett perhaps, battling on through the murk of American intelligence; it was a noble exploration and this book should bring it to the attention of many who know nothing of the passions or the conflicts of that time."
— Larry McMurtry

"Take up this book and let Michael Hiam lead you toward a final understanding of how military and civilian intelligence failed us during the Vietnam War. This biographical account of Adams's CIA career, and his subsequent roll as a defendant in the CBS v. Westmorland libel trial, lets the facts speak for themselves in a chronological progression that will, by turns, disgust and inspire you. It takes us a giant step closer to history's final word on that sorry season."
— John Rolfe Gardiner, author of Double Stitch

"In the late 1960s, CIA analyst Sam Adams was almost alone in showing what one honest person can do in the face of political and bureaucratic corruption that twisted the truth about America's enemy strength during the 10-year war in Vietnam. Now, C. Michael Hiam provides new insight into Adams's epic battle in "Who the Hell Are We Fighting?" Hiam's book offers a new look at the life and times of Adams, who died too young. It could educate Agency professionals who want to do the right thing without violating the security strictures that keep them silent. To some at Langley, Adams was a legitimate hero, and Hiam talks to CIA colleagues who were silent decades ago about what really happened at Langley. Boat rocking at the CIA can be scary. Here is what the No.3 boss at the Agency told Adams about exposing the rigged intelligence. "I would like you to know that if you take your complaint independently to the White House — and even if you obtain the results you desire by doing so — your usefulness to the agency will thereafter be nil. Let me repeat that : Nil." "
— Patrick J. Sloyan Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for Newsday

"If you like history, intelligence, and gossip, they're all here, in spades. Boldface names abound: Seymour Hersh, Mike Wallace, "Billion Dollar Charlie", Nesson of "A Civil Action" Fame, David Boles, and Renata Adler. And if you don't think these same debates about the number and nature of "enemy combatants" are taking place right now at the CIA and the Pentagon, you're kidding yourself."
Alex Beam, The Boston Globe