GBH Openvault

Vietnam: A Television History; President Johnson Visits Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam

Part of The Vietnam Collection.

10/01/1966

Coverage of President Lyndon B. Johnson's brief visit into the Vietnam battle zone. Shows President Johnson addressing 7000 assembled troops, reviewing troops with USA General William C. Westmoreland, Commander MACV, and pinning medals on five servicemen: Captain Nolan, a Marine gunnery sergeant, two Army officers and a company sergeant. He also awarded the DSM to General Westmoreland. 1) Scenes of troops and color guard forming on ramp. 2) Shows Sky Trooper Band of the 1st Cavalry Division playing. 3) MLS of Air Vietnam DC-6 taxiing in. 4) MS of airline stewardesses getting out of Port squadron truck. 5) ELS of VC-l37C landing. 6) Scenes of caravan arriving -- shows USA General Westmoreland and President Johnson, wearing tan gabardine slacks and a matching zipper jacket bearing the gold seal of the President of the U.S. on the right breast, mounting platform. 7) VIP's on platform during playing of National Anthem include: USA General Westmoreland President Johnson, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Premier Nguyen Cao Ky and South Vietnam Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thieu. 8) Shows Pres Johnson beside USA Gen Westmoreland reviewing troops from an open jeep. 9) MS's of VIP's on platform including Lt Gen Thieu, South Vietnam Lt Gen Nguyen Huu Co, Premier Ky, Secy of State Rusk, Lt Gen William W. Momyer, USA Gen Jean E. Engler, USMC Lt Gen Lewis W. Walt, USMC Lt Gen Victor H. Krulak and USA Lt Gen Jonathan O. Seaman. 10) Scenes of the five men to be decorated and Pres Johnson pinning the DSC on USA Lt Martin Hammer and Silver Star on Capt Nolan. 11) MLS USA Gen Westmoreland speaking. 12) MCU of Pres Johnson listening and delivering address to troops. 13) MLS of Pres Johnson awarding the DSM to USA Gen Westmoreland.

Series

Vietnam: A Television History

Title

President Johnson Visits Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam

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

Duration

00:10:20

Asset Type

Stock footage

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Rites and ceremonies

Rusk, Dean, 1909-1994

Color guards

Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Military decorations

Distinguished Service Medal (U.S.)

Nguyaen, Cao Ky

Walt, Lewis W., 1913-1989

Nguyen, Van Thieu, 1923-2001

Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973

Engler, Jean E. (Jean Evans), 1909-

Krulak, Victor H. (Victor Harold), 1913-

Distinguished Service Cross (U.S.)

Vietnam (Asia) nation

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1902-1985

Bands (Music)

Momyer, William W. (William Wallace), 1916-

National liberation movements

Silver Star

C-137 (Transport plane)

Nationalism and communism

Seaman, Jonathan O. (Jonathan Owen), 1911-

Westmoreland, William C. (William Childs), 1914-2005

Inspections

Locations

Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam

Genres

Documentary

Topics

War and Conflict

Creators

Ellison, Richard (Series Producer)

Publication Information

NARA

Rights Summary

Public Domain Rights Holder: NARA

Citation

Chicago: “Vietnam: A Television History; President Johnson Visits Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam,” 10/01/1966, GBH Archives, accessed December 3, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_6C63128FFE244DAB96D585E18262B828.

MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; President Johnson Visits Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam.” 10/01/1966. GBH Archives. Web. December 3, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_6C63128FFE244DAB96D585E18262B828>.

APA: Vietnam: A Television History; President Johnson Visits Cam Ranh Bay Airforce Base, Vietnam. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_6C63128FFE244DAB96D585E18262B828