GBH Openvault

Vietnam: A Television History; Legacies; Interview with Bob Muller, 1983

Part of The Vietnam Collection.

07/08/1983

Bob Muller was a Marine Corps veteran who was partially paralyzed after a bullet severed his spinal cord in Vietnam. He became a staunch veteran’s rights and peace activist upon his return. He describes “the most offensive aspect” of Vietnam being Americans’ refusal to own up to what happened there. He describes returning to Vietnam as part of a delegation to learn what he could about toxins and other long-term issues about veterans’ rights and benefits. Muller impresses upon his interviewer that importance of treating the Vietnam War as an ongoing issue for veterans. He recounts the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington as the first positive meeting of thousands of Vietnam vets. He predicts that the generation that came of age in the 1960’s will be too fragmented, to leave its mark on American history.


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Series
Vietnam: A Television History
Program
Legacies
Program Number

113

Title

Interview with Bob Muller, 1983

Series Description

This 13 part series covers the history of Vietnam from France's colonial control, through the 1945 revolution, to the 1975 U.S. evacuation from Saigon and the years beyond. The series' objective approach permits viewers to form their own conclusions about the war. 101--Roots of a War--Despite cordial relations between American intelligence officers and Communist leader Ho Chi Minh in the turbulent closing months of World War II, French and British hostility to the Vietnamese revolution laid the groundwork for a new war. 102--The First Vietnam War (1946-1954)--The French generals expected to defeat Ho's rag-tag Vietminh guerrillas easily, but after eight years of fighting and $2.5 billion in U.S. aid, the French lost a crucial battle at Dienbienphu--and with it, their Asian empire. 103--America's Mandarin (1954-1963)--To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, America replaced France in South Vietnam--supporting autocratic President Ngo Dinyh Diem until his own generals turned against him in a coup that brought political chaos to Saigon. 104--LBJ Goes to War (1964-1965)--With Ho Chi Minh determined to reunite Vietnam, Lyndon Baines 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. 105--America Takes Charge (1965-1967)--In two years, the Johnson Administration's troop build-up dispatched 1.5 million Americans to Vietnam to fight a war they found baffling, tedious, exciting, deadly and unforgettable. 106--America's Enemy (1954-1967)--The Vietnam War as seen from different perspectives: by Vietcong guerrillas and sympathizers; by North Vietnamese leaders; by rank and file; and by American held prisoner in Hanoi. 107--Tet (1968)--The massive enemy offensive at the Lunar New Year decimated the Vietcong and failed to topple the Saigon government, but led to the beginning of America's military withdrawal. 108--Vietnamizing the War (1968-1973)--President Nixon's program of troop pull-outs, stepped-up bombing and huge arms shipments to Saigon changed the war, and left GI's wondering which of them would be the last to die in Vietnam. 109--Cambodia and Laos--Despite technical neutrality, both of Vietnam's smaller neighbors were drawn into the war, suffered massive bombing, and in the case of Cambodia, endured a post-war holocaust of nightmare proportions. 110--Peace is at Hand (1968-1973)--While American and Vietnamese continued to clash in battle, diplomats in Paris argued about making peace, after more than four years reaching an accord that proved to be a preface to further bloodshed. 111--Homefront USA--Americans at home divide over a distant war, clashing in the streets as demonstrations lead to bloodshed, bitterness and increasing doubts about the outcome. 112--The End of the Tunnel (1973-1975)--Through troubled years of controversy and violence, U.S. casualties mounted, victory remained elusive and American opinion moved from general approval to general dissatisfaction with the Vietnam war. 113--Legacies--Vietnam is in the Soviet orbit, poorer than ever, at war on two fronts; America's legacy includes more than one half million Asian refugees, one half million Vietnam veterans and some questions that won't go away. Series release date: 9/1983

Program Description

Vietnam is in the Soviet orbit, poorer than ever, at war on two fronts; America's legacy includes more than one half million Asian refugees, one half million Vietnam veterans and some questions that won't go away.

Duration

00:22:15

Asset Type

Raw audio

Media Type

Audio

Subjects
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements
College students
Migration and refugees
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
Economic assistance--Vietnam
Brainwashing
Agent Orange
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Mass media and the war
Defoliants
Education, Higher
Totalitarianism
Concentration camps
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Influence
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Missing in action--United States
Veterans--United States
Conservatism
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion
Genres
Documentary
Topics
War and Conflict
Creators
Ellison, Richard (Series Producer)
Contributors
Muller, Bob (Interviewee)
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Rights Summary

No materials may be re-used without references to appearance releases and WGBH/UMass Boston contract. 2) It is the liability of a production to investigate and re-clear all rights before re-use in any project. Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation
Chicago: “Vietnam: A Television History; Legacies; Interview with Bob Muller, 1983,” 07/08/1983, GBH Archives, accessed December 3, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_7530C92C251F485BAB606FE871002164.
MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; Legacies; Interview with Bob Muller, 1983.” 07/08/1983. GBH Archives. Web. December 3, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_7530C92C251F485BAB606FE871002164>.
APA: Vietnam: A Television History; Legacies; Interview with Bob Muller, 1983. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_7530C92C251F485BAB606FE871002164
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