Untold History of the United States: Chapter 7
JOHNSON, NIXON & VIETNAM:
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
PROGRAMME LENGTH
1 hour
SCREENING DETAILS
Monday 05 October at 9.30am EST/ NZ
Oliver Stone’s series is intended to ‘upset’ most people’s view of recent and
contemporary World and USA history. There is a focus on USA foreign ‘policy’ in the
Cold War generally, and Indochina particularly, and the impact this had on USA
domestic and foreign relations. The program finishes with an apparent digression into
USA activity in South and Central America.
This program will potentially challenge most who are studying or have studied the
conflict in Indochina or USA history in the 1960s and 1970s. There is a rather
rambling narrative style to the presentation but it is packed with information and
perspective.
Students will have to listen carefully to pick up all the nuances and the thread of the
argument. However the effort will be worth it because examining and analysing
Stone’s perspective should elicit a discourse that will liven up any classroom for the
better.
Dr Denis Mootz
Previewing recommended.
Coarse language.
STAYING FOCUSED.
This is the data collection stage of the activity.
The detailed questioning is designed to ensure that students decode the visual and aural materials
presented to them in the video.
The video programs can be stopped at the end of each section. This will allow students to share and
discuss answers.
Introduction.
Note the images of the introduction. Implications?
Which country is identified as the greatest ‘purveyor’ of violence in the world? Why? Context?
Implications?
Act 1.
How did Lyndon Johnson change Kennedy’s policy in Vietnam? Result?
Note Johnson’s ‘primitive’ view of world politics. Implications? Result?
What was the “Mann Doctrine”? Implications? Result?
How did Brazil “suffer” under this policy? Result?
In what sense did the “dominoes” start falling across South America? Result?
Note events in the Dominican Republic in 1965. Result?
Note Johnson’s remark about a “communistic pattern”. Implications?
Note events in Greece in 1965. Result?
Why did Asia provide the greatest challenge to USA policy?
Note events in China in 1964.
How did the President of Indonesia antagonise USA? Result?
Note the CIA comment on mass murder in Indonesia.
Note the conclusion from McGeorge Bundy about Vietnam and Indonesia. Implications?
Act 2.
What examples did USA have for Vietnamese resistance to invasion? Implications?
How did the USA expect to defeat Vietnam?
When did USA escalate its activities in Vietnam?
Note the role of USA Secretary of State Robert McNamara.
Note USA’s covert activities in Vietnam.
Note the comment on “pathological” lying and its more recent correlation from Iraq.
What event of August 1964 further escalated the war in Vietnam? Result?
Note Johnson’s landslide ‘peace’ election victory in 1964. Result?
What was the “free fire zone”? Implications?
Note the weapons used by USA in Vietnam.
Note how the war had snowballed from to the end of 1967.
Why did Johnson continue to act as if there was no war? Result?
Note details of the bombing of Vietnam. Result?
Note details of the “fortified village” policy. Result?
Why did murder of civilians become commonplace in Vietnam?
Note the impact of the war on the government of South Vietnam.
Why was there opposition on USA university campuses? Result?
How did Johnson react to domestic opposition?
Note the role of the CIA in surveillance. Result?
Why was Martin Luther King Jnr a target of the CIA?
Note the race riots of 1967 in USA. Implications? Result?
Note McNamara’s removal in 1967. Implications?
Note the “extraordinary” changes in 1968.
Note details of the Tet Offensive. Result? Implications?
What did Johnson announce in 1968? Implications?
Note the Chinese response.
Note Johnson’s later comment on losing a war.
Note the comment on USA “fear of weakness”. Implications?
Act 3.
What role was the FBI playing in domestic affairs in the USA? Result? Implications?
What most worried Hoover? Result?
Why did J Edgar Hoover target Martin Luther King Jnr? Result?
Note the response to King’s death.
Note the high profile opponents of the war in Vietnam.
Why did Robert Kennedy capture the imagination of the USA? Result?
Note the worldwide opposition the war in Vietnam. Result?
What role did television play in this ‘war’ in the USA?
Note the comments on the politics and career of Richard M. Nixon. Implications?
What was Nixon’s election ‘platform’?
What was Nixon’s “secret plan” for ending the war in Vietnam?
What did Nixon deliver? Result?
Note the role of Henry Kissinger.
Note Kissinger’s comment on a “breaking point”. Implications? Result?
How did Nixon ‘vietnamise’ the war? Result?
What was the “mad man” theory? Result?
Note Nixon’s actions against Cambodia.
Note the event at My Lai. Result?
How the USA public react to this event? Implications?
What prevented Nixon from using nuclear weapons? Result?
Why did Nixon make a display of nuclear strength against the USSR? Implications? Result?
Note the comment by Ho’s successor about USA nuclear threats.
Note how the Vietnamese planned to win this war. Implications? Result?
Note Nixon’s obsession with the movie “Patton”. Implications?
Act 4.
Note USA activity in Cambodia in 1970. Result?
How did the anti-war campaign escalate in 1970? Result?
Why did the bombing of North Vietnam increase?
Note how Nixon justified his actions?
How did the USA activity in Cambodia finally affect the country? Result?
Why was ‘discipline’ becoming a problem among USA troops in Vietnam? Result?
When did the USA begin bombing Laos?
How did Nixon increase the impact of bombing in 1971? Result?
Note the result of the 1972 Presidential election in USA. Implications?
Note the twelve day Christmas bombing of North Vietnam.
What peace terms were agreed upon in 1973? Result?
How successful was the “vietnamesation” of the war? Result?
When did the war actually end?
Who did Nixon blame for USA defeat?
Note details of Nixon’s “Watergate” scandal and fall from grace. Result?
Note the comment on the failure of the “Domino Theory”.
Act 5.
Why did the USA intervene in Chile in 1970? Implications? Result?
Note details of the tactics used by USA backed agencies to destabilize Chile. Result?
How did the UN respond to Chile’s complaint against USA activities? Result?
Note details of the Pinochet regime and the “caravan of death”.
Note the war against the left in Argentina. Result?
How did the Pinochet regime manage to survive?
Note details of the CIA backing of the Chilean regime and its assassination squads.
Implications? Result?
What was revealed about CIA activities in 2007? Result? Implications?
Note the comments on rising standard of living and relaxation of moral codes. Implications?
Why was there a boom in USA manufacturing? Result? Implications?
Why did inflation grow?
Why did the national debt rise?
Why was there increased corruption in USA?
Note the description of the impact of wartime corruption on Vietnam. Result?
Why was there rising unemployment and stagnating wages in older northern USA cities?
How did OPEC “punish” USA? Why? Result?
Note the connection to the financial crisis of 2008.
In what sense was USA a “paper tiger” in the 1970s?
When did the USA regain its sense of world dominance?
Note Noam Chomsky’s conclusions about the war in Vietnam.
Note Robert McNamara’s final estimation of the USA impact on Vietnam.
What is the point of the “Rambo” film clip?
When did USA “recognise” Vietnam?
What is the “Vietnam Syndrome”?
What do USA youth know about Vietnam and the Vietnam War?
Note the comments by Presidents Reagan and Clinton on the war. Implications?
Note the reference to “sanitised” history.
Note the reference to the “Greatest Generation” and its hubris. Implications? Results?
Note the comments on “side-stepping” morality. Implications? Result?
Whose side does the USA still take in any conflict?
Note the comment on the “up-coming” Presidency of Ronald Reagan.
EXTENSIONS.
Useful, interesting, challenging, books, sources and websites will provide materials to supplement and
complement the History presented in the video program.
The data collected here should be used in the notemaking below.
Some useful Internet sites:
Vietnam War: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://vietnam.vassar.edu/index.html
http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam.asp
http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm
http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au
http://www.vietnampix.com/intro.htm
http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/vietnam.html
Laos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laotian_Civil_War
http://legaciesofwar.org/about-laos/secret-war-laos/
http://olive-drab.com/od_history_vietnam_laos.php
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/laos-vietnam-war-us-bombing-uxo
Cambodia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian–Vietnamese_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_Campaign
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29106034
Anti Vietnam War Protest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_the_Vietnam_War
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam-war/protests-against-the-vietnam-war/
John F Kennedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/kennedy_vietnam.htm
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnfkennedy
http://www.jfklibrary.org/
Lyndon B Johnson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
http://www.shmoop.com/vietnam-war/lyndon-b-johnson.html
http://presidentialrecordings.rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/essays?series=Vietnam
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/biographys.hom/lbj_bio.asp
http://m.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/lyndonbjohnson
Richard M Nixon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3464
http://www.shmoop.com/vietnam-war/richard-m-nixon.html
http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1969_detente/ending_the_vietnam_war.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/nixon-prolonged-vietnam-war-for-political-gainandjohnson-knew-about-it-newly-unclassified-tapes-suggest-3595441/
Gerald Ford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford
http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/#/exhibit/38/
Martin Luther King Jnr: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs216.html
http://scribblguy.50megs.com/king.htm
Robert Kennedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_assassination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmc2EzkRDkI
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~dlewis/
Gulf of Tonkin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-resolution
CIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_activities_in_Vietnam
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csistudies/studies/vol53no4/intelligence-in-public-literature-1.html
USA & Latin America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America–United_States_relations
http://www.zompist.com/latam.html
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/cuba/1980-02-01/united-states-and-latin-america-vital-interests-andinstruments-power
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/south-america/1964-07-01/us-policy-latin-america
NOTEMAKING.
This is the collation stage of the activity. Students need to organise the field of information and begin to
explore its context.
Directions and /or Inquiry questions are provided for notemaking / summary exercises that
will follow the viewing of the video.
The materials / data for the summaries have been collected above.
The activity could be done in teams, groups, or by individuals, or as a class with teacher direction.
1. Draw up a timeline / chronological chart of the events described and discussed in this program.
2. Note details of the war in Indochina.
3. Note details of the impact of the war on Vietnam.
4. Note details of the impact of the war on Laos.
5. Note details of the impact of the war on Cambodia.
6. Note details of the impact of the war on USA.
7. Note details of the USA strategy for winning the war in Indochina.
8. Note details of the foreign policy of Lyndon Johnson.
9. Note details of the foreign policy of Richard Nixon.
10. Note details of the domestic policy of Lyndon Johnson.
11. Note details of the domestic policy of Richard Nixon.
ISSUES & INQUIRY.
Key issues and inquiry questions that have been raised by the video are addressed at this stage for
discussion and research.
1. What aim did Lyndon Johnson have in his domestic policy? Result?
2. Why were protesters and activists in USA labelled as “communists”?
PROBLEMS of EVIDENCE.
Questions of reliability and validity of the perspectives, evidence and sources presented in the video
program need to be considered, tested and researched.
1. How did USA exploit the Gulf of Tonkin “incident”?
2. Why couldn’t the USA “win” the war in Indochina?
COMMUNICATING.
The key issues and inquiry questions are potential topics for debate, essay writing, reports, historical
recount and explanation.
1. Write a REPORT on USA domestic problems in the 1960s and 1970s.
2. Prepare notes (both sides) for a DEBATE of the proposition that
USA should have kept to itself after WW2 and solved its own domestic problems.
3. How did the spread of communism post WW2 affect USA foreign and domestic policy in the
1960s and 1970s?