Vietnam War

Daniel Ellsberg's Moral Courage Was Unsparing, Even of Himself

by Erik Baker

Turning against Vietnam wasn't Daniel Ellsberg's great moral achievement. That was his realization that he had to choose between moral conviction and maintaining his place in the ranks of elite decisionmakers. 

"Salts" are Part of Labor's Fight to Organize. They were once Part of the Antiwar Movement

by Derek Seidman

Taking a job with the covert intention of organizing the workplace is a time-honored labor tactic that's back in the news. Some dedicated activists in the 1960s "salted" the U.S. military in the hopes of building an antiwar movement within the ranks. 

How a Little-Known Anti-Vietnam Protest Reverberates Today

by Gary B. Ostrower

A 1968 disruption of an ROTC ceremony at Alfred University in 1968 involved just 15 students and 2 faculty. It won't be remembered with Berkeley or Columbia in the annals of student protest, but it made a significant impact on the legal requirements placed on universities' policies for dealing with student protest. 

As a Massachusetts Museum Exhibits Parts of "Hanoi Hilton," Survivors Reflect

Salvaged remnants of the POW camp have been reconstructed by the American Heritage Museum in Massachusetts. 

The Documents Daniel Ellsberg Didn't Leak

While famous for leaking the Pentagon Papers in 1971, the researcher and activist has revealed that he had another stash of secret papers—about American nuclear war planning—that he felt a duty to publicize. He never did release them, but is committed in his last days to work against nuclear war. 

50 Years Later: Eyewitness to the Last Day of US Military Command in Vietnam

by Arnold Isaacs

In this excerpt, a journalist observes the tragicomic exit of the last US military command in Vietnam 50 years ago on March 29, 1973.

Review: The Unfinished Business of "Double V"

by Eric Foner

Eric Foner considers recent books on racism in the military in World War II and in Vietnam. 

No Golden Anniversary for the Paris Peace Accords

by Arnold R. Isaacs

While the West observes January 27 as the anniversary of the agreement, it was already January 28 in Vietnam when the accords took effect, a telling symbol of the disjunction between American and Vietnamese views of the conflict and its stakes that contributed to their tragic failure. 

50 Years After the Paris Accords: How the US Lost, then Won, in Vietnam

by Robert Buzzanco

As Vietnam becomes increasingly integrated into global capitalism, the temptation to identify a long-term victory for American interests in southeast Asia should be tempered by awareness of the massive human cost paid by the Vietnamese. 

Why the POW-MIA Flag Now Flies Over America

by John Thomason

The mandate to fly the black banner over many government buildings across the nation reflects the organized power of a New Right faction that crafted a myth of soldiers left behind to air broader cultural grievances about militarism, masculinity, and a supposedly wayward nation. 

Don Luce, Activist Against Vietnam War, Dies at 88

Luce helped expose the torture and human rights abuses carried out by the government of South Vietnam, and campaigned against the war after being expelled from South Vietnam as an aid worker. 

Farewell, Brother Staughton

by Carl Mirra

Staughton Lynd was always in the trenches fighting for a better world, and for that he remains a “admirable radical” and, for that matter, a beautiful person.

Russian Soldiers' Calls Home Echo Moral Injury Testimony of Vietnam Vets

by Elise Lemire

Translations of intercepted calls from Russian soliders in Ukraine reveal guilt, shame, anger, and loss of faith in national institutions and leadership that echo the testimony of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Will these veterans help launch resistance to Russian militarism? 

After 50 Years, the Truth About the Vietnam Peace Agreement Remains Elusive

by Arnold Isaacs

In October 1972, Henry Kissinger declared "peace is at hand" in Vietnam. Why, then, did the United States continue bombing North Vietnam? Official deception still colors American foreign policy and military strategy today. 

Screaming Past Each Other at Christmas: Debating the End of the Vietnam War

by Ryan Reft

In December 1972 the United States launched a massive bombing campaign, notionally to force the North back to the bargaining table and secure an "honorable" peace. The fierce debate between Anthony Lewis and Robert Conquest over the merits of that reasoning would resonate for years. 

A Columbia Prof. Fact-Checked the New Vietnam-Era Film "The Greatest Beer Run Ever"

Although it tells the story of American protagonists, Prof. Lien-Hang Nguyen worked with the producers to ensure accuracy and avoid stereotyping in the depiction of Vietnamese characters in the film; she susggests that there are many more Vietnamese stories to tell. 

1968: A Year of Dashed Hopes

by Walter G. Moss

While people seek to confront life's challenges with hope and courage and banish fear and doubt, some years, like 1968, don't make that easy. 

Ukraine Evokes Past "Eve of Destruction"

by Richard Aquila

In 1960s America, popular songs gradually roused the conscience of many Americans against the war in Vietnam. What forces might make Russia (as well as Ukraine and the west) push away from the brink of unthinkable acts mass destruction? 

What Did We Do in Indochina? Robert Buzzanco Interviewed

"There’s widespread politically useful misinformation about the war. And there’s also widespread liberal apologetics for the war."

When Eartha Kitt Disrupted the Ladies Who Lunch

In 1968, real life imitated "Batman" as the Catwoman actress broke the veneer of politeness at a luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson to denounce the war against Vietnam. But while Catwoman always got away, Kitt's career was destroyed for a decade.