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Vietnam: A Television History (1981-04-28)

Public Broadcasting1981Creative Commons
Poster for Vietnam: A Television History (1981-04-28)

About this film

Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 - 1969. He details the events in Vietnam during 1964, when President Johnson was involved in an election campaign. Mr. Rusk gives an inside-the-administration perspective on the Tonkin Gulf Incidents, the debate over whether or not to bomb North Vietnam, and how to keep China and the U.S.S.R. out of the conflict. He discusses the escalation of American forces, the Tet offensive, the decline in public support for the war, and his view of the peace negotiations. He explains why the United States had to get involved in Laos, but could do little more than sporadic shelling in Cambodia. Mr. Rusk illustrates some personal and political qualities of President Johnson, and offers his analysis of the Vietnam War's lasting effect on the United States.

Directors & creators

WGBH

Subjects

public broadcasting, AAPB, Vietnam War, Dean Rusk, Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy, US Foreign Policy, South Vietnam, Tonkin Gulf Incident, SEATO Treaty, Cold War, Nguyen Khanh, Ngo Dinh Diem, Military History, Diplomacy, Government Deception, Political Turmoil, Vietnam: A Television History, 1964, Fabricated Intelligence, United Nations, Buddhist Crisis, Geneva Conferences, US State Department, National Security, Presidential Transitions

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