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Education of Robert Mcnamara, The

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Summary
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy passed to Robert McNamara the daunting task of taking U.S. nuclear strategy into the missile age. The new Secretary of Defense, along with his team of defense intellectuals, conducted a full review of America’s nuclear arsenal. Replacing “massive retaliation” with “flexible use” strategy that relied mainly on conventional weapons to defend Europe worried many in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)... more
Program
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age / Education of Robert Mcnamara, The

Carter's New World

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Summary
President Jimmy Carter entered office wanting cooperation with the Soviet Union and a treaty that significantly reduced nuclear weapons. The President’s hopes for deep cuts, then for a freeze on nuclear weapons disappeared. Soviet involvement in conflicts in Africa and its continuing military buildup sharply divided Congress and the Administration over the centrality of arms control, the concept of linkage, and fears of U.S. military inferiority... more
Program
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age / Carter's New World

Interview with Ton-That Thien, 1981

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Text
. Sound 2601. Scene 2. Take two. Hoyt. (Everyone talking at the same time) OK, pick it up...Tell about the cadres. Well, the thing that I, that impressed me most and I
Summary
Dr. Ton-That Thien served under Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh Diem. Here he describes his 1968 capture and interrogation by Communist forces, and his escape during the Battle of Hue with the help of American marines. He discusses the role of the American press in Vietnam and recalls a clash of opinion with Madame Nhu.
Date Created
04/21/1981
Media
Video, Transcript

Tet, 1968

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Summary
On January 31, 1968, the Vietnamese New Year, Tet, a coordinated, nationwide offensive of Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops struck the cities of South Vietnam and shocked the American public. “Tet, 1968” examines that surprise battle and its political consequences for President Lyndon Johnson. Although the Tet offensive was a decisive military defeat for the communists, decimating the Vietcong and failing to topple the Saigon government, it was a political victory in the United States... more
Program
Vietnam: A Television History / Tet, 1968

LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965)

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Summary
Lyndon Johnson took office weeks after the coup against South Vietnam’s Ngo Dinh Diem, and faced a rapidly deteriorating situation. With Ho Chi Minh determined to reunite Vietnam, Johnson determined to prevent it, and South Vietnam on the verge of collapse, the stage was set for massive escalation of the undeclared Vietnam War... more
Program
Vietnam: A Television History / LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965)

LSD: Lettvin Vs Leary

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Summary
Live debate on drug use, the devil and dropping out between Timothy Leary (A Former Harvard psychology professor) and Jerome Lettvin (chemist, physician, MIT professor). Included the short film "The Psychedelic Experience" with music by Ravi Shankar. 1967. Won the Tom Phillips Award for Best Television Public Service competition sponsored by the UPI Broadcasters Association of Massachusetts.
Date Created
11/30/1967
Media
Video
Program
LSD: Lettvin Vs Leary
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