Gerald Ford on Resignation of South Vietnam's President
In April 1975, when North Vietnamese forces reached Xuan Loc, Saigon's last line of defense, President Nguyen Van Thieu announced his resignation. In an interview, President Gerald Ford denies that the U.S. government influenced Thieu's decision.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Gerald Ford on Resignation of South Vietnam's President
Gerald Ford on Resignation of South Vietnam's PresidentAudio Clip (0:34)
Audio Clip (0:34)
In April 1975, when North Vietnamese forces reached Xuan Loc, Saigon's last line of defense, President Nguyen Van Thieu announced his resignation. In an interview, President Gerald Ford denies that the U.S. government influenced Thieu's decision.
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Nixon Announces Vietnam Peace Agreement
Nixon Announces Vietnam Peace AgreementAudio Clip (3:39)
Audio Clip (3:39)
On January 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon announces that Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho, signed an agreement to end U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. The official cease-fire, along with the release of all American prisoners of war, is to go into effect on January 28, though troops would remain in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975.
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Nixon on Vietnam War
Nixon on Vietnam WarAudio Clip (3:34)
Audio Clip (3:34)
On March 26, 1971, President Richard Nixon holds a meeting in the Oval Office with his National Security Council to discuss the war in Vietnam. The meeting is secretly recorded. Among the many topics he raises, Nixon recounts a prior conversation with House majority leader Hale Boggs on setting a date for the final withdrawal of U.S. forces.
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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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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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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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Robert F. Kennedy Questions South Vietnam Coup
Robert F. Kennedy Questions South Vietnam CoupAudio Clip (4:44)
Audio Clip (4:44)
On October 29, 1963, in a recorded meeting with President John F. Kennedy and the National Security Council, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy voices his concern about supporting the impending South Vietnamese coup to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem. Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Gen. Maxwell Taylor, and CIA Director John McCone echo RFK’s doubts.
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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.
Related Videos (10)
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Barry Romo
Barry RomoVideo Clip (3:24)
Video Clip (3:24)
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
Arthur WiknikVideo Clip (3:42)
Video Clip (3:42)
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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Raymond Torres
Raymond TorresVideo Clip (2:52)
Video Clip (2:52)
Navy medic Raymond Torres joined the Navy to attend medical school and was assigned to a Marine Corps company. While tending to wounded Marines during the Khe Sanh battle, Torres was critically injured when a grenade exploded near him.
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Keith Connolly
Keith ConnollyVideo Clip (4:31)
Video Clip (4:31)
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)
Video Clip (3:22)
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
A Soldier's Story: Hamburger HillVideo Clip (4:41)
Video Clip (4:41)
In 1969, Arthur Wiknik found himself in one of the Vietnam War's most notorious battles.
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Preserving the Footage
Preserving the FootageVideo Clip (2:04)
Video Clip (2:04)
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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Finding the Film
Finding the FilmVideo Clip (2:38)
Video Clip (2:38)
Discover how researchers combed archives to uncover rare film for the Vietnam in HD series and found some footage in unexpected places.
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Veteran's Home Movies
Veteran's Home MoviesVideo Clip (2:44)
Video Clip (2:44)
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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Tet Offensive
Tet OffensiveVideo Clip (4:53)
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This massive North Vietnamese surprise attack during the 1968 Tet holiday was a crucial turning point in the war.
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Vietnam War: Leaders
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View images of the Presidents, politicians, and military leaders who influenced American involvement in the Vietnam War.
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Throughout American history, a number of controversial generals have clashed with presidents and other officials.
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