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Sunday Post April, 22 1972 Meticulously Documented Controversy THE ARNHEITER AFFAIR, By Neil Sheehan, New York, Random House. Here it is, kids --- Captain Queeg, Captain Ahab, that hassle aboard H.M.S. Bounty --- all set to the sound of naval gunfire and the whirr of a speedboat engine churning off the coast of South Vietnam. Neil Sheehan, who etched his name across newspaper articles with his role in disclosing the Pentagon Papers, has meticulously documented the controversial Affaire Arnheiter. He tells how he started as the wide-eyed reporter, ready to believe the underdog. Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter, however, was a master of defending himself, not just presenting statements or letters of support but saturating the press with them. But when Sheehan --- and the Navy --- peeked below the surface --- well, what an interesting can of worms that was. Arnheiter had come up with enough stunts to fill a book --- and Sheehan does the job beautifully More importantly, he does it completely and objectively. He not only quotes --- perhaps overquotes --- the verbose, energetic Arnheiter, but painstakingly delves into the comments of crewmen aboard the USS Vance when Arnheiter had her under his command for 99 days during the Vietnam War. First rate reporting, top notch writing by Sheehan, who covered the Vietnam war for UPI before joining The New York Times in 1964. ---PAUL ROBBINS |
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