The book details the campaign against Qaddafi, from the day Navy pilots shot down two Libyan jets over the Gulf of Sidra to the night Air Force bombers raided Tripoli. The book also examines the deaths of 241 American servicemen in Beirut and backstage deals that helped end the hijacking of Trans World Airways Flight 847. The authors describe how Navy pilots, searching the skies for the plane carrying hijackers of the Achille Lauro, mistakenly intercepted the Delta Force and then bluffed the hijackers' airliner into landing at an Italian air base. They expose the secret schemes of Oliver North, William Casey, and John Poindexter to free Americans held hostage in Lebanon. The authors conclude that Reagan and his top aides consistently confused the war against terrorism with their crusade against communism. A chronology of terrorist incidents covering the 1980-1987 period, in which 363 Americans died, is provided. Photographs and references.