GBH Openvault

Vietnam: A Television History; LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965); Interview with Jack Valenti, 1981

Part of The Vietnam Collection.

04/23/1981

Jack Valenti served as a special assistant to President Johnson from 1963 to 1966. He discusses Johnson’s early attitude towards Vietnam and his effort to win support through the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. He describes Johnson’s deliberations over sending troops into Vietnam, escalating the war, and how to finance it. He recounts Johnson’s feeling that every military action in Vietnam would help to end the war. Finally, he reflects on Johnson’s character and recalls the “Daisy” commercial incident.

Series

Vietnam: A Television History

Program

LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965)

Program Number

104

Title

Interview with Jack Valenti, 1981

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

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.

Duration

00:36:58

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Presidents--Messages

Vietnam--Politics and government

Campaigns, Presidential

Vietnam (Republic)

Cabinet officers

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American

Advertising, Political

Vietnam (Democratic Republic)

Bombing, aerial

Vietnam--History--1945-1975

United States--Politics and government

Escalation (Military science)

United States--History--1945-

Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Tonkin Gulf Incidents, 1964

Genres

Documentary

Topics

War and Conflict

Creators

Ellison, Richard (Series Producer)

Contributors

Valenti, Jack (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; LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965); Interview with Jack Valenti, 1981,” 04/23/1981, GBH Archives, accessed April 23, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D03ABA08207B4B789A32611FFC34125E.

MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965); Interview with Jack Valenti, 1981.” 04/23/1981. GBH Archives. Web. April 23, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D03ABA08207B4B789A32611FFC34125E>.

APA: Vietnam: A Television History; LBJ Goes to War (1964 - 1965); Interview with Jack Valenti, 1981. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D03ABA08207B4B789A32611FFC34125E