By: HISTORY.com Editors

1972

Bob Hope gives his last show in Vietnam

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 16, 2009

Last Updated: January 31, 2025

Comedian Bob Hope gives what he says is his last Christmas show to U.S. servicemen in Saigon. Hope was a comedian and star of stage, radio, television and over 50 feature films.

How WWII and Vietnam Veterans Were Treated Differently

WWII and Vietnam Veterans put their lives on the line for their country. But their treatment by government and civilians were completely different.

Hope was one of many Hollywood stars who followed the tradition of traveling overseas to entertain American troops stationed abroad. The 1972 show marked Hope’s ninth consecutive Christmas appearance in Vietnam. Hope endorsed President Nixon’s bombing of North Vietnam to force it to accept U.S. peace terms, and received South Vietnam’s highest civilian medal for his “anti-communist zeal.” Although some antiwar protesters criticized Hope for supporting government policies in Vietnam, the comedian said he believed it was his responsibility to lift spirits by entertaining the troops.

Also on this day: President Nixon suspends Operation Linebacker II for 36 hours to mark the Christmas holiday. The bombing campaign against North Vietnam had been operating since December 18, when Nixon initiated the campaign to force the North Vietnamese back to the Paris peace negotiations. On December 28, the North Vietnamese announced that they would return to Paris if Nixon ended the bombing. The bombing campaign was halted and the negotiators met during the first week of January. They quickly arrived at a settlement—the Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 23, and a cease-fire went into effect five days later.

Timeline

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Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on December 24th

1801

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1814

Treaty signed to end the War of 1812

The Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America is signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundary of the United States […]

1851

Fire ravages Library of Congress

A devastating fire at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroys about two-thirds of its 55,000 volumes, including most of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, sold to the institution in 1815. The Library of Congress was established in 1800, when President John Adams approved legislation that appropriated $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be […]

1923

President Coolidge lights first national Christmas tree

On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge touches a button and lights up the first national Christmas tree to grace the White House grounds. Not only was this the first White House “community” Christmas tree, but it was the first to be decorated with electric lights—a strand of 2,500 red, white and green bulbs. The […]

President Coolidge lights the first national Christmas tree.

1948

A family moves into the world’s first fully solar house

On Christmas Eve 1948, a family of three moves into a home in Dover, Massachusetts with unusually large windows—the world’s first fully solar house, an idea decades ahead of its time. Nobody had ever tried living in a residence heated only by the sun, much less through a frigid New England winter. The 800-square-foot wedge-shaped […]

modern glass fronted house in snowy landscape

1952

McCarran-Walter Act goes into effect, revising immigration laws

The McCarran-Walter Act takes effect and revises U.S. immigration laws. The law was hailed by supporters as a necessary step in preventing alleged communist subversion in the United States, while opponents decried the legislation as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The act, named after Senator Pat McCarran (Democrat-Nevada) and Representative Francis Walter (Democratic-Pennsylvania), did relatively little to […]

1964

Viet Cong bomb Brinks Hotel

Two Viet Cong agents disguised as South Vietnamese soldiers leave a car filled with explosives parked at the Brinks Hotel in Saigon. The hotel was housing U.S. officers. Two Americans were killed in the blast and 65 Americans and Vietnamese were injured. Ambassador Maxwell Taylor, Gen. William Westmoreland, and other senior U.S. officials tried to […]

1973

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1979

Soviet Union invades Afghanistan

The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978.

The Soviet army in Kabul, Afghanistan on December 31st, 1979.

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Citation Information

Article title: Bob Hope gives his last show in Vietnam
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/december-24/bob-hope-gives-his-last-show-in-vietnam

Date Accessed: April 29, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: January 31, 2025
Original Published Date: November 16, 2009

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