GBH Openvault

Vietnam: A Television History; America's Mandarin (1954 - 1963); JFK Confers with Lodge

Part of The Vietnam Collection.

08/15/1963

President Kennedy confers with new US ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, just before Lodge leaves to assume his post. Lodge told newsmen he thought the situation had improved over what it was a year ago, both in terms of ground gained from the Viet Cong and in propaganda. He says the policy of the US should be to help the South Vietnamese, and added that anything that hinders the military is bad, and he hoped that the religious situation would be improved when he arrived there.

Series

Vietnam: A Television History

Program

America's Mandarin (1954 - 1963)

Program Number

103

Title

JFK Confers with Lodge

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

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.

Duration

00:01:24

Asset Type

Stock footage

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Ambassadors

United States--Foreign Relations--1945-1989

United States--Foreign relations--Asia

Vietnam (Republic)

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Aerial Operations, American

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1902-1985

Locations

Washington, DC

Genres

Documentary

Topics

War and Conflict

Creators

Ellison, Richard (Series Producer)

Contributors

Lodge, Henry Cabot (Speaker)

Publication Information

CBS News

Rights Summary

Footage courtesy of CBS News Archive Rights Holder: CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com)

Citation

Chicago: “Vietnam: A Television History; America's Mandarin (1954 - 1963); JFK Confers with Lodge,” 08/15/1963, GBH Archives, accessed November 21, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E0C48D87538546D7AB6E0C15C4D486EE.

MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; America's Mandarin (1954 - 1963); JFK Confers with Lodge.” 08/15/1963. GBH Archives. Web. November 21, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E0C48D87538546D7AB6E0C15C4D486EE>.

APA: Vietnam: A Television History; America's Mandarin (1954 - 1963); JFK Confers with Lodge. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E0C48D87538546D7AB6E0C15C4D486EE