Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903,Stuart Creighton Miller, Yale University Press, 1982.
Benevolent Assimilation is one of the most referenced and consulted works on the American – Philippine war. The book is a well-written general military and political history that falls into the group of new-left histories written during or shortly after the U.S. Vietnam war. As such, it consciously evaluates the American experience in the Philippines within the context of the perceived American tragedy of Vietnam. Miller’s view is that American success in the Philippines represents the triumph of a world military power over the nationalistic aspirations of an oppressed indigenous population.
Miller’s is an important work to read and understand. To many, the book continues to represent how the U.S. military repeatied mistakes made in earlier wars in Vietnam. Currently, it is also used to illustrate the flawed U.S. policy in Iraq. For these reasons it is important that military professionals engage with Miller’s history, and are able to compare and contrast his history with the more nuanced, pragmatic, and realistic analysis of John Gates and Brian Linn.
A Horse Soldier's Thoughts 