This set of four lectures examines the 21-year history of the apex event of the Cold War: America’s war in Vietnam. Spanning 4 presidencies, the war pulled in China, the Soviet Union, and most countries in Southeast Asia – along with a generation of American leaders, soldiers, families and young people. One of the most divisive conflicts in US history, the war marked a key turning point in Americans’ relationship with presidents, news reporting, protest movements, and the country’s role in the Cold War. The lives of key figures such as Ngo Din-diem, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Thomas Hayden, Daniel Ellsberg, and William Westmoreland intersected with notable events such as the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the Tet Offensive, the Kent State Massacre, and the fall of Saigon.
