Desert Mirage: The True Story of the Gulf War

This sprawling, unfocused look at the Persian Gulf conflict generally tells us what we already suspect--that Pentagon censorship limited the impact of the war on the American public, sanitizing the slaughter by means of carefully orchestrated briefings while President Bush painted the affair as a noble battle for freedom against aggression. According to Yant ( Presumed Guilty ) the administration deliberately obscured significant events and issues through its strict control of the news media. Among the deceptions: the likelihood that the U.S., by accident or design, helped create the crisis (Washington, charges the author, ``practically encouraged Saddam Hussein to take over Kuwait'') and may have sabotaged an Arab summit aimed at resolving the dispute between Iraq and Kuwait. Other points weakly made: that the international embargo against Iraq was more effective than our government led its citizens to believe, and that the tactical performance of the so-called smart bombs as well as the Patriot missiles were disappointing, despite publicity to the contrary. Photos. (Sept.)