Reality and Belief in Military Affairs : A First Draft (June 1977)

Herbert Goldhamer

ResearchPublished 1979

Three unfinished chapters of a book the author was writing at the time of his death in 1977. The discrepancies between reality and belief in military affairs which have had decisive consequences on events throughout man's recorded history--although often observed and commented upon by military analysts and historians--are here for the first time made the focus of inquiry. Drawing on past and present writings of East and West to illustrate his points, the author discusses the factors and circumstances that influence the assessment process, and the role of manipulation and deception in shaping images of the enemy and the self in military affairs. Primary attention is given to the peacetime or pre-war cases that illuminate the relation between military realities and military beliefs.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 1979
  • Pages: 206
  • Document Number: R-2448-NA

Citation

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Goldhamer, Herbert, Reality and Belief in Military Affairs : A First Draft (June 1977). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1979. https://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R2448.html.
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