Waltzing with a Dictator

Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy

Author	Raymond Bonner
Language	English
Subject	Ferdinand Marcos United States foreign policy
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Times Books[1]
Publication date	April 12, 1987[2][3]
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	533[3]
ISBN	0812913264

Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy is a 1987 book about the policies of the United States toward the two-decade Philippine presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, written by American investigative reporter Raymond Bonner.^[3] The book received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its thoroughly detailed history while criticizing its lack of satisfactory analysis.

Overview

Published a year after the People Power Revolution overthrew Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Waltzing with a Dictator was written by Raymond Bonner to reveal patterns of United States involvement in Marcos' dictatorial presidency, along with providing details of the imprisonment and assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., a prominent Marcos critic.^[4][5] Bonner sourced his writings from more than 3,000 previously classified documents from the United States government which he was able to retrieve.^[3]

Critical response

Marvin Seid of the Los Angeles Times praised the book, writing that Bonner tells the "bizarre and disheartening" story of President Marcos "with rich detail and documentation".^[1] Christopher Lehmann-Haupt of The New York Times was critical, however, of the book's focus on historical details to the detriment of satisfactory explanations, stating that "Paradoxically, by so forcefully answering the question 'What happened?' he only increases the mystery of 'Why?'"^[3] Donald S. Zagoria of Foreign Affairs also shared this sentiment, expressing that "At an analytical level..., the book is disappointing. There is no serious discussion of U.S. strategic interest in the Philippine bases in the light of Soviet-American rivalry in the Pacific, the Vietnamese invasion of Kampuchea or the Soviet presence in Cam Ranh Bay."^[6]

John H. Taylor, then an assistant to former United States President Richard Nixon, denied the book's claim that Nixon had two phone calls and a meeting in 1972 with US Ambassador to the Philippines Henry A. Byroade where he allowed Marcos in advance to acquire absolute power, arguing that they have not been found in any government record. Bonner countered that the White House phone logs had yet to be completed, while Byroade himself informed him about the meeting.^[7]

References

1. Seid, Marvin (May 10, 1987). "Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
2. Bonner, William; Bonner, Raymond (1987). Waltzing with a Dictator: Bonner, Raymond. Times Books. ISBN 0812913264.
3. Haupt, Christopher (May 14, 1987). "Books of The Times". The New York Times. p. 25. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
4. Ullman, Richard (May 17, 1987). "A Relationship Like No Other". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
5. Waltzing With A Dictator; The Marcoses & the Making of American Policy: Raymond Bonner. Amazon.com, Inc. January 1987. ISBN 9789710840502. Retrieved April 28, 2020 – via Amazon.com.
6. Zagoria, Donald S. (Fall 1987). "Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy; Rebuilding a Nation: Philippine Challenges and American Policy". Foreign Affairs. Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
7. "Nixon denies backing Marcos on martial law". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. AFP. May 19, 1987. p. 7. Retrieved October 27, 2021.