Suspenseful, deeply engaging and heart-wrenching, the Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell illustrates the tumultuous evolution of a controversial policy which fostered hate and intolerance within the military - and undermined the very freedoms American soldiers fight for - by forcing gay and lesbian soldiers to lie and live in secrecy. In 1993, President Bill Clinton, trying to deliver on his election promise of lifting the ban on gays in the military, encountered vehement opposition that resulted in the compromise legislation, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell.