U.S. Army Prepares South Vietnam for American Withdrawal
From his station in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 25, 1973, Col. Gerald M. Steinberg reflects on the difficulties encountered as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared to transfer jurisdiction to ARVN, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, following the Vietnam War ceasefire signed on January 27.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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U.S. Army Prepares South Vietnam for American Withdrawal
U.S. Army Prepares South Vietnam for American WithdrawalAudio Clip (2:04)
Audio Clip (2:04)
From his station in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 25, 1973, Col. Gerald M. Steinberg reflects on the difficulties encountered as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared to transfer jurisdiction to ARVN, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, following the Vietnam War ceasefire signed on January 27.
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Impact of U.S. Withdrawal on South Vietnam
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Audio Clip (2:47)
Following the January 27, 1973 signing of a ceasefire agreement to end the Vietnam War and the subsequent departure of U.S. troops, the U.S. military prepared the South Vietnamese to take over operations. A U.S. officer who remained in Vietnam to help with the transition is interviewed on October 11, 1973, about the process of bolstering South Vietnam's economy and self-sufficiency.
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U.S. Troops Leave Vietnam
U.S. Troops Leave VietnamAudio Clip (1:13)
Audio Clip (1:13)
After the Vietnam War ceasefire was signed on January 27, 1973, the United States had 60 days to withdraw its troops from Vietnam. In an interview on October 9, 1973, Col. Frago, chief of the Army Division of the Defense Attaché, comments on the problems encountered while drawing down the U.S. forces.
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John F. Kennedy on Coup in South Vietnam
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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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North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire Agreement
North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire AgreementAudio Clip (4:44)
Audio Clip (4:44)
In an October 12, 1973, interview, Col. Le Gran, U.S. deputy director of intelligence, discusses the discovery that North Vietnam installed SA-2 missiles in the southern city of Khe Sanh shortly after a ceasefire agreement prohibiting military incursion in South Vietnam was signed on January 27 of that year.
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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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Douglas MacArthur Receives the Japanese Surrender
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Audio Clip (1:21)
On September 2, 1945, aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, World War II comes to a close when Japanese officials sign the unconditional surrender. Gen. Douglas MacArthur presides over the signing and delivers a short speech on the momentous occasion.
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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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Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia
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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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Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara Plan Airstrikes in Vietnam
Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara Plan Airstrikes in VietnamAudio Clip (3:31)
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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Bob Clewell
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Bob Clewell dropped out of college to join the Army, and arrive in Vietnam just weeks after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964. During his third tour, he was trained as a helicopter pilot, providing air support for ground troops during the Lam Son 719 offensive.
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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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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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A Soldier's Story: Fighting in the Delta
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The Mekong Delta in South Vietnam was a particularly challenging battleground for the U.S. "River Raider" Gery Benedetti who fought there from 1968 through 1970.
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Remembering Vietnam: Life in the Field
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UPI reporter Joe Galloway describes what life was like while embedded with the troops out in the field.
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James Anderson
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As an experienced Army Ranger School instructor, Jim Anderson became a military advisor to the South Vietnamese Army as a counter-guerilla specialist. After returning home In 1964, he was reassigned as an aide to the newly appointed commander, General Creighton Abrams.
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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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Raymond Torres
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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
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