Ask Steve: Why Vietnam War Dragged On (1:23)
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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Related Videos (10)
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Ask Steve: Why Vietnam War Dragged On
Ask Steve: Why Vietnam War Dragged OnVideo Clip (1:23)
Video Clip (1:23)
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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Governor Jim Gibbons and Take a Vet to School Program
Governor Jim Gibbons and Take a Vet to School ProgramVideo Clip (1:03)
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In this short clip we get to sit down with the Governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons. Learn how he served the United States in the Vietnam War and how he is very happy that the History Channel is trying to make a difference with young students.
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Reporting from the War Zone
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Find out more about the journalists who reported directly from the frontlines of the Vietnam War.
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Arthur Wiknik
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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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Gery Benedetti
Gery BenedettiVideo Clip (3:18)
Video Clip (3:18)
Gery Benedetti was a member of the "Brown Water River Rats," whose missions were a crucial but dangerous component of the American combat operation in 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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Tet Offensive
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Video Clip (4:53)
This massive North Vietnamese surprise attack during the 1968 Tet holiday was a crucial turning point in the war.
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LBJ: Gulf of Tonkin Incident
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The Gulf of Tonkin incident was the result of mounting tensions between the U.S. and North Vietnam.
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Barry Romo
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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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Bob Clewell
Bob ClewellVideo Clip (3:35)
Video Clip (3:35)
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.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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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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U.S. Army Prepares South Vietnam for American Withdrawal
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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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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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North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire Agreement
North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire AgreementAudio Clip (4:44)
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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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U.S. Troops Leave Vietnam
U.S. Troops Leave VietnamAudio Clip (1:13)
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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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McNamara Briefs President Johnson on Tonkin Gulf
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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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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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Lyndon Johnson Considers Troop Increase in Vietnam
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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
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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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