As a book on guerrilla warfare, there are definitely better texts. Thayer combines Clauswitz, Mao, and his own experiences as a liaison officer in WW2 to arrive at a hesitant mix of platitudes about the need to offer something to civilian populations, judge the political 'temperature of the waters', and relentlessly pursue guerrilla forces. He's not wrong, but the topic has been treated in more depth by others. Like so many others, Thayer is unable to square the circle of what causes modern liberal technocratic citizens are be willing to die for, and the institutional position of unconventional warfare vis-a-vis balances of power in the US government.

That said, as a historical artifact his book is fascinating. It was written in 1963, at the fulcrum of the Vietnam War, and for all the criticism above, Thayer is definitely asking the right questions about what America should be doing in the region. So what was this career officer, diplomat, and expert in unconventional warfare doing at this crucial period in history? Hiding out in Majorca to avoid a Senate investigation into allegations of homosexual behavior and Communist leanings.

Oh, that's why we totally screwed up in Vietnam.