Arthur Sylvester on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 4, 1964, Arthur Sylvester, assistant secretary of defense, makes a press statement about North Vietnam's attack on two U.S. destroyers that were on patrol in the Tonkin Gulf.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Arthur Sylvester on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Arthur Sylvester on the Gulf of Tonkin IncidentAudio Clip (1:08)
Audio Clip (1:08)
On August 4, 1964, Arthur Sylvester, assistant secretary of defense, makes a press statement about North Vietnam's attack on two U.S. destroyers that were on patrol in the Tonkin Gulf.
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McNamara on the Bombing of North Vietnam
McNamara on the Bombing of North VietnamAudio Clip (1:44)
Audio Clip (1:44)
The secretary of Defense Robert McNamara appeared before the press to defend the bombing of the Major North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. The bombings were supposed to deprive the military of essential supplies.
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Nixon on the Vietnam War
Nixon on the Vietnam WarAudio Clip (1:06)
Audio Clip (1:06)
While campaigning for reelection in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon promises to end the war in Vietnam in such a way as to ensure a "a full generation of peace."
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Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia
Nixon Orders Invasion of CambodiaAudio Clip (1:02)
Audio Clip (1:02)
On April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon asks the American people to support his decision to send troops into Cambodia in response to North Vietnam’s invasion of the country.
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Adlai Stevenson on Vietnam War
Adlai Stevenson on Vietnam WarAudio Clip (4:10)
Audio Clip (4:10)
As permanent U.S. representative to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson is interviewed in early 1965 about his view on the developing situation in Vietnam.
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McNamara Briefs President Johnson on Tonkin Gulf
McNamara Briefs President Johnson on Tonkin GulfAudio Clip (1:00)
Audio Clip (1:00)
On August 4, 1964, as events in the Tonkin Gulf unfold, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara apprised President Lyndon B. Johnson of the situation in a series of phone calls. In the third secretly recorded phone call of the day, McNamara reports that two U.S. destroyers deployed in the Gulf east of Vietnam are under attack. While McNamara did not know it at the time, the information he relayed was later determined to be false.
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Lyndon Johnson Considers Troop Increase in Vietnam
Lyndon Johnson Considers Troop Increase in VietnamAudio Clip (5:02)
Audio Clip (5:02)
In June 1965, shortly after a coup in South Vietnam led to the 10th change of government in the war torn country, an attack by the North Vietnamese destroyed three U.S. aircraft at Danang. During a recorded telephone conversation with Defense Secretary Robert McNamara on July 2, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson contemplates whether the war can be won.
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John F. Kennedy on Coup in South Vietnam
John F. Kennedy on Coup in South VietnamAudio Clip (6:06)
Audio Clip (6:06)
On October 29, 1963, President John F. Kennedy meets with the National Security Council to discuss whether to support the overthrow of South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem. During the secretly recorded conversation, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and the president craft a detailed plan involving Henry Cabot Lodge, ambassador to South Vietnam, Gen. Paul D. Harkins and the general of the South Vietnamese military, hoping to avoid setting off a civil war in the country.
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McNamara and Kennedy Discuss Vietnam War
McNamara and Kennedy Discuss Vietnam WarAudio Clip (1:57)
Audio Clip (1:57)
In a recorded meeting at the White House on May 7, 1963, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara briefs President John F. Kennedy on the uprising in Vietnam, laying out a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops and warning that he doesn't want to see Vietnam turn into "another Korea."
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LBJ on Resumption of Air Strikes in North Vietnam
LBJ on Resumption of Air Strikes in North VietnamAudio Clip (1:16)
Audio Clip (1:16)
In a broadcast from the White House on January 31, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson informs the nation that U.S. airstrikes on Vietnam have resumed after a 37-day pause in bombing.
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Barry Romo
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Fresh out of high school, Barry Romo enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in Vietnam. Romo was awarded a bronze star for his efforts but grew disillusioned with the war and later joined a controversial group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
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Arthur Wiknik
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As an 18-year-old draftee, Arthur Wiknik was rushed through officer candidate's school. After one month in Vietnam he found himself in the middle of the battle of "Hamburger Hill"--one of the most notorious battles of the war.
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Keith Connolly
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Air Force pilot Keith Connolly was among the first USAF units to be stationed within South Vietnam. During his second tour, he flew F-4 Phantoms targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail and witnessed two of his men go missing after his plane had been hit.
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Donald Devore
Donald DevoreVideo Clip (3:22)
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in the summer of 1968, Donald Devore was drafted and sent off to basic training. Devore was assigned to an artillery unit in Vietnam and after four months, was granted leave to attend the birth of his first child.
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A Soldier's Story: Hamburger Hill
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In 1969, Arthur Wiknik found himself in one of the Vietnam War's most notorious battles.
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A Soldier's Story: Khe Sanh
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Amid a siege that would last 77 days, medic Raymond Torres was dropped into central Vietnam.
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Preserving the Footage
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By recovering footage buried away for decades to develop the Vietnam in HD series, see how history is preserved transferring the delicate film to HD.
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Veteran's Home Movies
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Find out why more veterans came home with home movies from Vietnam and how they helped give Vietnam in HD a unique perspective of the war.
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On Patrol
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In the field, many soldiers spent their time on patrol, seeking out communist forces, and avoiding lethal booby traps.
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Charles Brown
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Raised in the segregated South, Charles Brown thought his best shot at a better life was to join the Army. He was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division and quickly appointed platoon sergeant, leading search and destroy missions through the jungles of Vietnam.
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