A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vahn and America in Vietnam is a book by Neil Sheehan, a reporter and friend of Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann, who criticized the United States' strategies in the Vietnam war. Vann criticized the U.S. military commanders, their support of a corrupt Saigon regime, and their ineffective attempts to defeat their enemies. After being transfered back to America after confrontations with the command, Vann returned to Vietnam and compromised with the military, failing to secure victory.