Gulf of Tonkin Incident
An NBC special report describes a second night of North Vietnamese torpedo boat attacks on two U.S. naval destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964.
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Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Gulf of Tonkin IncidentAudio Clip (2:12)
Audio Clip (2:12)
An NBC special report describes a second night of North Vietnamese torpedo boat attacks on two U.S. naval destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964.
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Senator Morse Calls for Vietnam Withdrawal
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In an address before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 10, 1968, Sen. Wayne Morse, a vehement critic of the war in Vietnam, attacks President Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam policy after Gen. William Westmoreland requested that 200,000 more troops be sent in response to the Tet Offensive.
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Spiro Agnew Attacks News Coverage
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On November 13, 1969, at the Midwestern Regional Republican Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, Vice President Spiro Agnew delivers a Pat Buchanan-penned speech that sharply criticizes the television networks' coverage of President Richard Nixon's Vietnam policy.
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Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia
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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
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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 and Robert McNamara Plan Airstrikes in Vietnam
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Audio Clip (3:31)
In a recorded phone call on February 26, 1965, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and President Lyndon B. Johnson discuss possible airstrikes in Vietnam.
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Lady Bird Johnson Critiques the President
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Audio Clip (2:30)
President Lyndon B. Johnson holds a press conference on March 7, 1964, and takes questions on a range of topics, from the pending civil rights bill to the war in Vietnam. Afterward, in a recorded conversation with the president, Lady Bird Johnson evaluates her husband’s performance and awards him a “B+.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Questions South Vietnam Coup
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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.
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Johnson Buries Goldwater
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Ask Steve: Why Vietnam War Dragged On
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In this video from Ask Steve, the reason for the continuation of the unpopular Vietnam War is discussed. The question of why the war continued for five years after the public turned against it in 1968 is under review.
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LBJ: Gulf of Tonkin Incident
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Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial
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