. >> host: joining us now on c-span is peter prichard, the former editor in chief of the "usa today" newspaper and he is a former president of them museum and author of this book, "killing grace: a vietnam war mystery." what made you write a novel about the vietnam war? >> guest: i had always dreamed of writing a novel but then life intervened and and i becamea newspaper editor and an executive.e. but when covid it i finally thought i had the time to try to write a novel and i wanted to write something that wasn't really a a combat novel, that ws more in the vein of quiet american or the ugly american, both books had a great influence. >> host: without getting way any spoilers come what's the books s synopsis? >> guest: two mps in saigon in 1967 at the height of the war are called to investigate the murder of an american tourist named grace waverley whose body is found in the saigon river. and it appears to be a drowning, and she is an antiwar activist who said she came to vietnam ass a piece of tourist. but our real goal is to help smuggle arms back to her associates in the united s

peter prichard.was more of a so-called moral victory for, the viet cong, than it was a military, wasn't it? correct. for months, the had been telling the american people and all us soldiers there was light at the end of the tunnel that we defeating the enemy across, the country, and that there was hope that the war would ensue. and of course, when this offense had occurred, that completely upended that assumption. i remember listening to the radio the morning of the tet offensive. and general westmoreland came on the radio and said the is secure and we've the enemy. well, it didn't seem very secure when the terrorists got inside the embassy and people had to throw a gun to somebody up there trapped to get him to be able to escape. so it really proved to the people that the war wasn't over. and apparently wasn't going to end any time soon. does the tet offensive play a role in killing grace. i in this particular book that the story just before the tet offensive. but i'm doodling around on a sequel whi

peter prichard is the author of this book, killing grace a vietnam war mystery. and he has been our guest on c-span. mr. we appreciate your time, peter. it's a privilege to be on c-span, and i love the civil discussion that your channel generates day and distribute around the country. thankdr. aron came the united ss in the late 1970s as a refugee from russia. he also did his undergraduate at moscow state university, but slumming it at columbia for his graduate work, which is in political sociology, which i feel like that's plum line running through your work because, even when you are writing biography, be like your outstanding book. yeltsin it really is more about the culture, sociology of russia that's producing these of leaders. so with that, tell us about particular political sociology. well, thank you very much for being here, finding the time to be here and also for all your support while i was i was writing this book. it is not only my pleasure, it's my actual job. well, it's it's i think each of chapters of this book could be could be a separate book. but