An Overview of The Vietnam War

Chapter 12 - The Vietnam War: Bringing the Battlefield into the American Living Room

• The Vietnam War was the first televised war and also became known as the least successful war in American history.
• Because TV brought home the terrifying images of the war, audiences began to think of the war as "senseless".

America's Longest War

• Involvement in the war began during Truman's presidency in the early 1950's.  The United States hoped to stop communist North Vietnam from following China's governmental example while also hoping to spread the democratic beliefs of Southern Vietnam.
• In 1964, northern Vietnamese boats attacked US patrol boats causing President Johnson to order a retaliation.
• Unfortunately for the U.S. soldiers the Vietnamese were well aware of their geography and able to easily blend in with the surrounding terrain.  This was known as Guerilla warfare, and although the American soldiers were better equipped, ths type of warfare is what gave the Vietnamese such a great advantage.
• Approximately more than 58,000 Americans died fighting while between 1 and 3 million Southeast Asians lost their lives.

The Most Powerful Medium in History

• ABC, NBS, and CBS were bringing in over 35 million viewers nightly.
• During the war, reporters over seas had no restrictions on what they were allowed to report.  This made the Vietnam war the first war without military censors, it was also the last war without censorship.  Eventually officials set guidelines that categorized 15 different topics that were not allowed to be reported on until they were officially announced in Saigon.
• Advances on technology brought the front line battles into the homes of millions of Americans every night.  The typically black and white images were changed into color, causing the images of blood to be even more vivid and grotesque.

Exposing the Horrors of War

• Audiences of the Vietnam War were most interested in seeing wounded American soldiers as opposed to those of Vietnamese.  "It's not a Vietnamese was; it's an American war in Asia.  And that's the only story the American audience is interested in."  This statement was delivered by the NBC vice president at the time. 
• NBC's vice president went as far to inform his correspondents focus strictly on sending home images of U.S. soldiers in action, and most "preferably" images of mortal combat.

A Zippo Lighter Ignites a Firestorm

• In the early years of the war the most controversial story was reported by Morley Safer from CBS.  Marines were shown burning an entire village hut by hut using merely a Zippo lighter.  Many people complained to the network claiming that this video footage makes the U.S. soldiers out to be completely heartless.
• President Johnson was one among the upset viewers who contacted the network in order to express his distaste towards the footage.

Tet Stuns a Nation

• The Tet offensive took place in late January 1968 and was initiated by the North Vietnamese.  This offensive consisted of attacks on 100 cities, military bases, and villages throughout South Vietnam.  The attacks ceased after several hours but the fighting in the south persisted for another 10 days.
• The Tet offensive was a huge thing for televised news, it was "America's first TV superbattle."  ABC, NBC, and CBS reported Tet as a victory for the Viet Cong even though the evidence showed that it clearly was not.

The Shot Felt Around the World

• NBC reporter Howard Tucker was filming in South Vietnam (our ally) when General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shot an untried prisoner at point blank range.  The camera man caught the entire act on film, beginning with the prisoner being presented to the General, all the way through to the prisoners body collapsing into a heap with blood spraying horribly from the wound on his head.  
• This footage began to change the American's view on the war.  TV was hugely impacting the change in the American attitude.

Exposing the War as Unwinnable

• Walter Cronkite really set a tone for the potential outcome of the war.  He shared his personal opinions and beliefs about the war on his news broadcasts.  He eventually stated that it was his belief that this would be the first war that America could not win.  President Johnson stated that if he had lost the support of Cronkite, then it was obvious that he had finally lost the war.
• Johnson announced his decision to withdraw troops from Vietnam as well as his decision to not run for reelection.
• The wars negative tone continued to grow.  The My Lai massacre, after which U.S. Lieutenant William Calley was convicted of mass murder, was one eye opener presented by Seymour Hersh.  Another was when newspapers began reporting on secret government documents that showed the military's political motivations rather than a humanitarian motivation.

Antiwar Protesters Fight for the Spotlight

• As the war escalated so did the protesters.  Television helped progress the protesters towards a larger spotlight.  Protesters were originally viewed as traitors and frowned upon, but over time, as the war began to end, it became clear that although protesters did not support the war did not mean they supported the enemy.
• When President Nixon disregarded his promise to not expand the war by sending troops into Cambodia, protesters were in an uproar.  On Kent State University campus the National Guard opened fire on student protesters, ultimately killing  four.  This caused some 1.5 million students to become enraged and continue their protesting greater than ever.

Television News Helps End a War

• The United States was losing the Vietnam war no matter what the politicians were saying.  TV coverage of the war helped bring an end to the war.  It was believed that if the American's could send their children to war, then they should also be prepared to witness the destruction and carnage that war creates.