LBJ's War

LBJ's War

A president bound for greatness. A ruinous Vietnam war. How did Lyndon Johnson lose his way?

Vietnam on TV

The Tet Offensive shocked the nation and permanently changed US attitudes toward the Vietnam War

Conflict

The North Vietnamese surprise attack on dozens of military sites in South Vietnam, including the US embassy in Saigon, had a seismic impact on the US public. While a military failure for the North, it was a huge propaganda success. Attitudes in the US towards the war and toward President Lyndon Johnson were never the same.

MLK LBJ White House 1963

Martin Luther King’s 1967 speech opposing the Vietnam War ended a historic partnership with Lyndon Johnson

Conflict
Sens. Morse and Fulbright

The 1966 Fulbright hearings on Vietnam parted the curtains on President Johnson’s conduct of the war

Conflict
LBJ 1965

The carrot and the stick: LBJ addresses the nation on the conflict in Vietnam

Conflict
USS Maddox

What really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964?

Global Politics
LBJ with Bundy

LBJ knew the Vietnam War was a disaster in the making. Here’s why he couldn’t walk away.

Conflict

The Vietnam War was a searing event in the history of the US. According to rarely heard audio recordings, President Lyndon Johnson expressed great misgivings about getting deeply involved in the conflict, but at every crucial juncture made the decision to do so. This series examines how and why that happened.