militarily to the republic of vietnam, south vietnam. and he gives a kind of litany of what do americans see as compelling reasons. one, he said, we promised them we'd do that. we pledged in 1954 that we'd stand by south vietnam. this is a commitment we have as a nation to another nation state. we have to do this. and then it echoes of something diet d. eisenhower, the president in the 1950s, said about vietnam. he warned if we let vietnam fall all of asia could fall to communism. eisenhower called this the domino effect. johnson, the democrat, seconded and agreed with the premise that his republican president counterpart in the '50s had said. all of asia could fall if the united states doesn't honor its commitment to south vietnam. and he also talked about the potential bloodbath that could occur if north vietnam was allowed to take over south vietnam, that hundreds of thousands of innocents would lose their lives, so he made a moral case as well. so political, geopolitical, moral, these were grounds upon which he placed the american in

to those in command of north vietnam and the viet cong, the pursuit was a united vietnam under hanoiuth vietnam, the pursuit was to be left alone. but they were not left alone. the story was always the same. it became a daily way of life and a daily way of death. village after village, city after city. today dozens killed in one area, hundreds in another, thousands in another. ♪♪ often mass graves were located months after a massacre. the ones who were previously known only to be missing were found, identified, and buried. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> in north vietnam, rallies of victory were held with regularity. death and destruction in the villages of south vietnam were hailed as a liberation. the south vietnamese reacted with missions to search for and destroy the weapons used against them. in the early 1960s, reconnaissance flights began. from the air, the land looked lush and innocent. signs of an enemy or weapons storage were nonexistent. if this lush land held secrets, it was rarely apparent from those on the quick overflights. and so the missions were preserved on film for study

he warned if we let vietnam fall. all of asia could fall to communism eisenhower's called this the domino effect. johnson the democrat seconded and agreed with the premise that his republican president counterpart in the 50s had said all of asia could fall if the united states doesn't honor its commitment. to south vietnam and he also talked about the potential bloodbath that could occur if north vietnam was allowed to take over south vietnam that hundreds of thousands of innocents would lose their lives. so he made a moral case as well. so political geopolitical moral these were grounds upon which he placed the american involvement in vietnam and again americans overwhelmingly supported this commitment both in congress. and in the public so you begin in a sense with a kind of public consensus? about the war in vietnam as being necessary and even more good an honorable appropriate and necessary commitment to the people of south vietnam. this is the beginning. and by 1965 early 1965 the war begins to escalate from an a

the war in vietnam. in wrapping u our discussion, i'd like to ask for your views, your opinions, your impressions as to what makes war a particularly fertile time for media myth making? we discussed the yellow journalism and spanish american war speerd. here is another example of media myth predated to war. the war in vietnam. what are some of the reasons why that, in your view, war is such a fertile time for myth making. when does war give rise to media myths? thoughts? comments? observations? >> i think that wartime you don't get a lot of objective information, so you get some facts from officials and you have no way of verifying those facts. in a way that creates fertile ground for spreading misinformation whether you do it consciously or if you do it unconsciously, that's misinformation. >> do you think that might be a factor in allowing myths to take hold pause there's no frame of reference for many people to figure out what, whether this story sounds right or is accurate. they are relying on media

some 58,000 us military personnel died in vietnam. and there were many tens of thousands of deaths of combatants and civilians in the country's of southeast asia during a 20 year period from 1955 to 1975. america's troop presence in vietnam was most pronounced from 1965 until 1963. it peaked. in 1969 with more than 540,000 us military personnel in the country. and they were deployed there. to help prevent the communist north of vietnamese from consolidating their power over the southern portion of the country over south vietnam, which a us ally at the time. this turned out to be a losing struggle in 1975 north vietnamese forces took over the south and consolidated their power. the last us forces had been withdrawn from vietnam two years before. the us began to deploy combat troops to vietnam in 1965. and by 19 by the end of 1967. the johnson administration was characterizing the war. as improving as having reason to believe that there was optimism ahead that the course of the war was progressing well. those rather upbeat characterizat

vietnam. american reckoning, the vietnam war and our national [applause]. now it's a great pleasure of mine to introduce chris happy, he's a professor, historian at the university of massachusetts amherst and he probably is best known for identity. patriots, the vietnam war, remembered from all sides and working class war american combat soldiers in vietnam. but he is also has made a great contribution for having organized events such as this with a three-week display of the waging peace in vietnam, exhibit at the university of massachusetts involving folks from the five colleges and large numbers of students. my hat is off to chris happy. thank you. >> thank you very much, it really is a great honor to speak to you today and i very much want to thank everybody's involved in putting this exhibit together and hosting these events and i think it documents the dramatic and inspiring story of the greatest movement of anti-war twice and veterans in u.s. history and by doing so it helps us recover f

, american reckoning the vietnam war and our national identity, patriots, the vietnam war remembered from all sides, and working class war, american combat soldiers in vietnam. but he is also -- has made a great contribution for having organized events such as this with a three-week display of the waging peace in vietnam exhibit at the university of massachusetts involving folks from the five colleges there, and large numbers of students. my hat is off to chris appy. thank you. [ applause ] >>> thank you very much. it is really a great honor to speak to you today. and i very much want to thank everyone involved in putting this exhibit together and hosting these events. and i think it documents the dramatic and inspiring story of the greatest movement of anti-war gis and veterans in u.s. history. and by doing so, it helps us recover a virtually secret history. why it's a secret is important problem. i think michael casein gave a pretty good brief explanation for it. i think the short answer is that in the decades after the war, but beginning during the war, primarily by people like ri

the immediate restoration of peace in vietnam. i'm grateful to tom wilbur, commander gene wilbur's son for his research and writing with jerry lemke, a book about the american military detainees in vietnam from 1964 to '73. he would be with us today, but for a bad back. that unique mail exchange arrangement was carried out by three american women with a women's organization of the, quote, enemy state. in august of '72, dave dillinger and i were called to come to paris and were told the vietnamese wanted to make a peace gesture and would we go to hanoi and bring home three detained pilots. with the mother and wife of two, the wife and parents of the third were persuaded by the military not to have anything to do with us. dave, richard, olga, mini lee, the mother of another, and i, invited peter arnett of the associated press and took off for hanoi. read about it in "the waging peace" book, which i recommend. i tell that story because, again, the importance of civil society in making peace during conflict. actually, it was jodie wil

vietnam.cycle bell dings ] ♪ [ horn honks ] >> anthony: listen to me. listen to me. there is no other way to see this city, hanoi, than from a motorbike or a scooter. to do otherwise would be to miss it all. [ horns honking ] ♪ >> anthony: it is one of the great pleasures of my life to join the river of people rushing through the streets. ♪ [ horns honking ] ♪ >> anthony: vietnam. it grabs you and doesn't let you go. once you love it, you love it forever. i've been coming here since 2000, the first time i'd been in this part of the world, and it's held a special place in my heart and my imagination since. i keep coming back, i have to. [ bells ding ] vietnam has changed since last time i was here. it's changing every minute. [ horns honk ] but some things, for now, anyway, remain the same. important things, like this stuff. that's going to be good. bún oc. first meal in hanoi, and it's something they do here better than anywhere else. okay, i'm officially in hanoi now. mm. magic. a spicy, wond

, the vietnam war. looking at the vietnamese you, the sensory landscape folder and the. eventually led her to write fire, the vietnamese americans of vietnam was, it won't work possible in making you to. she was 31 years old. upon his australian, case where. a family of intellectuals, she was in new zealand and raised in . here i again on her own with her, no credentials to see, no job, no leaves on the yet she do outsider work a very different path for a contact word, she began a great combat reporter, going into the societies of billion and the enemies, telling a story that had united others have. contributions were recognized cries named after, that he or to the asian journalists with the greatest determination and courage in journalism. next slide please. this is kathleen law, the french photographer. my book is not filled with a lot of analysis of gender this weekend. i told the story as a name is big lies. capturing was already accomplished pianist, parachutist when she arrived in saigon. and she

we're talking about the mayday 1971 anti-vietnam war protests and this morning our camera is at the vietnam memorial here on the national mall in washington dc and lawrence roberts are cameras looking out along the wall of the vietnam memorial and with a view of the washington monument in the background you talked about the camping out. where did that take place in relation to the national mall? and and where where were these law enforcement? where was the extra law enforcement put in washington, dc? well, the campground was not far from where the vietnam war memorial is that there was it was essentially in this area of west potomac park between the jefferson and the lincoln memorials on some playing fields and some other parkland over there right along the river's edge, but you know you could see the washington monument in the distance. so it was very much a feeling of being near the near the heart of washington when the when the police deployed and the military deployed on the morning of may 3rd rush hour. they were sent all over the city. now this you may have noticed in the in the film

you're looking at the vietnam memorial here in the nation's capitol. this morning in our last hour of the washington journal in a joint conversation with american history tv on cpan3, we're focusing on the mayday 1971 anti-vietnam war protest. joining us is lawrence roberts. he's the author of a book on those events. thank you very much for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. i'm looking forward to it. >> let's begin with what is going on with the vietnam war in 1971. >> let me paint a picture of what happened exactly 50 years ago this morning. it was also sunday morning, may 2nd and president richard nixon and his aids ordered hundreds of d.c. police riot squad to clear out a park down by the potomac river in which tens of thousands of mostly young people have been camping in preparation for what was going to be the most audacious protest in all the anti-war movement against the vietnam war. people had come from all over the country to camp in west potomac park in order to get ready for this traffic blockade of washington, d.c

>> after vietnam women wereld forever on the battlefield.t together countries a little bit longer but the next time the united states went to war was 1991 gulf war in by then the women that arrived were staff correspondent with wages and health insurance and equipment. they didn't think they got the same access as men but they were war correspondents even australia had dropped it. all countries now allow women on the battlefield. but the problem now the battlefield is more dangerous for reporters, male or female. you could say journalist are targets. but they are captured and kidnapped for ransom and they are killed it's a different problem entirely. that those women did not realize that that they effectively ended the band of women in combat so they did not tell their stories for 30 years. they kept it quiet and only a personal reminiscence that they actually tell their story and it was that scary but it was never reimposed. >> so many questions. how optimistic do you feel it will change your it is a flash in the pan? [laughter] >> it is in

mark: another problem was a situation in vietnam. in many of the conversations, with this all important topic. this was no conversation this one comes from may 27, 64. and lbj is on the phone this national security advisor. monday and this is at a point where lbj is trying to keep vietnam off the agenda and of the front pages but as well aware major decisions are looming before him few months on the road. >> the more i think and getting into another. [inaudible]. that one can never get out of it. and i believe that the chinese communist come into it and i don't think that we can drive 10000 miles away from home in that area. [inaudible]. and don't think it's worth ripping apart i don't think that we can get out. [inaudible]. it is an awful mess. [inaudible]. what is it for three and what is it worth to this country. [inaudible]. we have a treaty everybody else has a treaty out there. and of course you start and they tissue right into your own kitchen. [inaudible]. and that is trouble the suffer the world if anything comes apart on it

in vietnam?: why is the first time you're visiting? i was surprised to hear that. >> i never wanted to face up to it. see this is, this brings home, you know, to see that many people gave the ultimate sacrifice. soledad: more than 58,000 names of american lives lost and families heartbroken are engraved on this wall. the medal of honor went to 246 of the soldiers, well more than half died in their act of valor. 44 years after melvin morris' courageous act, the white house would finally give him his due, atoning for a pattern of racial bias. by then, morris was 72. what was it like, the day that president obama said you were gonna get the medal of honor? >> proudest moment in my life. because i didn't have a clue that this was gonna happen. pres. obama: when i called melvin morris, his first reaction was, "oh my god, what have i done?" [laughter] when i told him it was all good, the medal of honor, i could hear it through the phone and he almost passed out. [laughter] >> he say, i want to apologiz

troops out of vietnam. >> why? why did they come? what is happening with the war that they decide they need to descend on washington? >> the war had been going on for six years in an intense way. and there had been -- the anti-war movement had started almost the same time as the war did by people who believed that the war was, you know, ethically wrong or was unwinnable or was, you know, draining the resources of the country that should have been put toward domestic problems. and there had been millions of people in the streets over those six years, picketing, parading, marching, petitioning, working on political campaigns, and still the war was going on. the war had been started primarily by president lyndon johnson back in 1965, the true u.s. involvement, and then johnson was in some ways kind of run out of the white house by the growing anti-war sentiment in the country. and then richard nixon was elected in 1968, and one of the reasons he was elected was his promise to wind down the war, to end the war. but rather than ending the

troops out of vietnam. greta: why did they come? what was happening that they decided that they needed to descend on washington? lawrence: the war had been going on for six years in intense way. the movement started almost the same time that the war did, by people who believed that the war was ethically wrong or was unwinnable, or was draining the resources of the country that should have been put towards domestic problems. millions of people were on the streets over those years, picketing, parading and marching, petitioning and working on political campaigns. the war had been started primarily by president lyndon johnson back in 1965. johnson was in some ways run out of the white house by the growing antiwar sentiment in the country. richard nixon was elected in 1968. one of the reasons he was elected was his promise to end the war. rather than ending the war, he was expanding it geographically. in 1971, in february, troops were sent south. that triggered another run of the movement, which was in the spring of 1971. we have dozens

vietnam was not so much. and so i wondered if you think that changes the stake -- that it's a different way to cover war because war changes. yes, all of the above. the way you reacted to the different situations. >> no question. jessica, you write, quite an eye-opening book and you write about special forces and you also -- and they are the most male of all units in the military in my view. they never like it when we show up. but you -- you get deep into their culture and you get deep into the culture of the afghan special force, how did you do that, how did you get them to let you? >> there was a natural divide and then the men would do the sort of more kind of thing and at the start, not be in one kind of reporting because you had access. women obviously -- as i matured in the war, i see differently but started out, yeah, i wanted to do the same stuff that guys did. why couldn't i get access to afghan commanders and that's where the story was and at the time the u.s. calling out, the story was very much wh

these are different kind of buddhism in vietnam. and then to be completely untrue - - unprepared for war. and then one more did break out but then the american phase started the north vietnamese refused to be spread out and by the time i got there it was frightening. the paris peace accords had already been signed. and the american air force was free to bomb cambodia. so i watch the bombing i covered the bombing of cambodia. kate came back from hong kong to teach me. and then after a few months i became the "washington post" contact one - - contact reporter on the ground. and with a full-time staff reporters in cambodia so they needed someone like me and that's how i broke in. >> this is the picture that epitomizes a lot of the war with corruption in cambodia's world that is replete with shower sandals and the poor pay grade. and then i wondered if i could handle all of the sexual harassment or turn the other cheek and wondering whether or not with what was happening to me that i could still prevail. one of theth worst things when i

just came back from vietnam.y started to give a briefing and commander-in-chief was bigger than life. he would have pop-up every time so many would say something it answer the question in hubert would just about be ready to answer googling and stop. johnson would take over. >> this usually pretty much the way it was as well pretty. >> he was a powerful figure. >> and johnson talking by the things that he was doing to win the war, and you piped up and said like halts'. [inaudible]. >> as a congressman listening to him, i was probably more critical than i would've been as a member of the executive branch being asked questions by them at the congress party so you stand it kind of depends on where you set. so he was going through. where he was trying to figure out what to do in the war in vietnam. he would go through a heavy bombing. and then there would be a bombing pause and he would hope that would cause a positive reaction from the north vietnamese are the - and it did not. and he and explaining what he was doing

involvement in vietnam. so i was seeing the homicides the suicides, the ramp, and heroin addiction shit out among the american soldiers within our own. you obviously at that point and $97071.00. we were questioning, why were we ever in vietnam? you know, because a lot it was thought that we were there to preserve peace and democracy and the united states government. but that was all a lie. everything was a lie and the same thing is true for the war in afghanistan. you're going to see a lot of rack and ask them better, is probably committing suicide. a lot of them are going to drink and drugs themselves and death because they're going to ask themselves what, what's the point of me ever be in iraq or afghanistan? well, it means in less than 8 weeks, the u. s. military adventure enough, yellowstone comes to an end, whichever way the future plays only it will affect lives, both inside and outside the country. according to recent estimates, the exit this of afghan refugees is rising rapidly. the number of factors

when i was in vietnam, i was only medical vietnam. so i was seeing the rapid disintegration of american involvement in vietnam. so i was seeing the homicides the suicides, the ramp, and heroin addiction shit out among the american soldiers within our own unit. obviously, at that point in 197071, we were questioning, why were we ever in vietnam, you know, because a lot of was thought that we were there to preserve peace and democracy and in the united states government. but that was all a lie. everything was a lie in the same thing is true for the war in afghanistan, you're going to see a lot of rack and ask them better is probably committing suicide. there's a lot of that we're going to drink and drugs themselves and death because they're going to ask themselves, what's the point of me ever being in rack or hundreds of undocumented migrants are on hunger strike, and brussels in a bid to press the authorities to grant them asylum, some have even so their mouths shut to show that they have no say on wednesday government officials met wi

and so there's obvious parallels between afghanistan and vietnam when i was in vietnam, i was only medical mom. so i was seeing the rapid disintegration of american involvement in vietnam. so i was seeing in the homicides the suicides, the ramp, and heroin addiction shit out among the american soldiers within our own unit. obviously, at that point in 197071, we were questioning, why were we ever in vietnam? you know, because a lot of was thought that we were there to preserve peace and democracy and in the united states government. but that was all a lie. everything was a lie and the same thing is true for the war in afghanistan. you're going to see a lot of very rack and ask them better, is probably committing suicide. a lot of them are going to drink and drive themselves to death because they're going to ask themselves what, what's the point of me ever being in iraq or afghanistan? hundreds of on documented migrants are on hunger strike in brussels. it's in a bit of pressure the authorities to give them asylum. some of even sewing their mouths close to show they have no say on wednesday

what happened in vietnam? made reports from recaptured territories up at taliban is once again imposing severe restrictions on the sheree law. a plea for help the haitian government of the u. s. and us to send troops to protect the countries key infrastructure. just days after the president was assassinated, his own home, plunging the island nation into turbo and also adding the program funding a drum for inclusion and equity. the u. s. office of the director of national intelligence goes, woke, but finds itself in hot water for the photo shopping table people into the cover photo of its diversity report ah, around the clock across the world this season use our an rti great to help your company. my names unit only the telephone has been making further territorial gains enough. yellowstone including major border crossing points with a rum on trick menace done reports their suggest the groups imposing strict shari'a law restrictions as well similar to those deployed windows last in power 20 years ago. such as fo

and so there's obvious parallels between afghanistan and vietnam when i was in vietnam, i was only met in the mom. so i was seeing the rapid disintegration of american involvement in vietnam. so i was seeing the homicides the suicides, the ramp, and heroin addiction shit out among the american soldiers within our own. you obviously, at that point in my view of 7071, we were questioning, why were we ever in vietnam, you know, because a lot of was thought that we were there to preserve peace and democracy and defense, the united states government. but that was all a lie, everything was a lie and the same thing is true for the war in afghanistan. you're going to see a lot of rack and ask them better is probably committing suicide. there's a lot of that we're going to drink and drugs themselves and death because they're going to ask themselves, what's the point of me ever being in rack or hundreds of undocumented migrants or ron hunger strike in brussels in a bid to press seal 30 to ground them is silent, some of the even sudden, the mouse close to show they have no say, wednesday governme

as for, for was vietnam wage. a war on terror realized that the tree is impossible, in could deal with your enemy found in your allies and get the hell out of that. well, let's just hope the carpool doesn't fall as quickly as south vietnam did. to buy didn't, at least has faith. is a tale bond take over that gas that now inevitable? no. it is known. is that what the goal was? 20 years ago? that devastation, no plan for long lasting peace. i hope that the government wouldn't crumble as soon as the u. s. left. how many more countries will be put through this vicious cycle before us finally launch its lesson. united states is a far very global empire. we are absolutely totally addicted to war. our economy cannot survive unless we are either actively engaged in war or preparing for war. and so there is obvious parallels between afghanistan and vietnam. when i was in vietnam, i was the only medical mom. so i was seeing the rapid disintegration of american involvement in vietnam. so i was seeing the homicides the suicid