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Hearing History: Lyndon Johnson Escalates Vietnam

Posted by JOE WINDISH, Technology Editor in Politics, War.
Nov 22nd, 2009 | 11 responses

Bill Moyers offers up a fascinating hour of history that is a must listen/watch for those of us who are seriously interested in considering the question of what to do in Afghanistan. Whether we agree or disagree, advocate more troops or pulling them out, like Obama or despise him, using LBJ’s taped phone conversations and his own remembrances, Moyers’ look at Johnson’s deliberations as he stepped up America’s role in Vietnam is compelling history. From the program’s introduction:

Our country wonders this weekend what is on President Obama’s mind. He is apparently, about to bring months of deliberation to a close and answer General Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan. When he finally announces how many, why, and at what cost, he will most likely have defined his presidency, for the consequences will be far-reaching and unpredictable. As I read and listen and wait with all of you for answers, I have been thinking about the mind of another president, Lyndon B. Johnson.

I was 30 years old, a White House Assistant, working on politics and domestic policy. I watched and listened as LBJ made his fateful decisions about Vietnam. He had been thrust into office by the murder of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963– 46 years ago this weekend. And within hours of taking the oath of office was told that the situation in South Vietnam was far worse than he knew. [...]

Lyndon Johnson secretly recorded many of the phone calls and conversations he had in the White House. In this broadcast, you’re going to hear excerpts that reveal how he wrestled over what to do in Vietnam. There are hours of tapes and the audio quality is not the best, but I’ve chosen a few to give you an insight into the mind of one president facing the choice of whether or not to send more and more American soldiers to fight in a far-away and strange place.

Granted, Barack Obama is not Lyndon Johnson, Afghanistan is not Vietnam and this is now, not then. But listen and you will hear echoes and refrains that resonate today.

I’ve just finished listening. I’m struck by the similarities with our situation today, most especially the truth that there were no, there are no, good answers. But a decision was made. The program gives some solid insight into that process. I urge you to see this program.

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11 Responses to “Hearing History: Lyndon Johnson Escalates Vietnam”

About bill moyers journal, vietnam, pbs | Find me About says:

November 22, 2009 at 1:27 pm

[...] Bill Moyers offers up a fascinating hour of history that is a must listen/watch for those of us who are seriously interested in considering the question of what to do in Afghanistan. Whether we agree or disagree, advocate more troops or pulling them …Read Original Story: Hearing History: Lyndon Johnson Escalates Vietnam – The Moderate Voice [...]
Peacethinker says:

November 22, 2009 at 1:27 pm

I love Bill Moyers, he's terrific… he's retiring next year at 75 and I'll miss him very much. He has always been a voice of reason, conscience, intelligence… I don't know him personally, but he seems a very decent human.

I added a link to this from my site: http://vitalmuser.ning.com/

Specific link: http://vitalmuser.ning.com/forum/topics/johnson…
Tweets that mention Hearing History: Johnson Escalates Vietnam | The Moderate Voice -- Topsy.com says:

November 22, 2009 at 2:43 pm

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vey9 says:

November 22, 2009 at 5:30 pm

“I’m struck by the similarities with our situation today, most especially the truth that there were no, there are no, good answers. “

I heard this on the podcast last night and I was surprised at the similarities. I was hoping someone would post about it. Thanks!
JSpencer says:

November 22, 2009 at 10:05 pm

I caught part of the program, and it was excellent. The questions LBJ was wrestling with in 1964 could have ended that terribly wrong war 10 years early if they'd been answered correctly. The man was truly tormented it seems, but should have listened to his own conscience more than the advice from outside.
keelaay says:

November 22, 2009 at 11:14 pm

I'm not so sure I agree with the “answered correctly” analysis. The “no good answers” response I think is closer to the mark.. especially considering the high stakes in 196x and the Monday morning QB perspective from all thereafter. Four days… forty years. Makes no difference. We cannot honestly put ourselves in LBJ's shoes with rear view mirrors in our sunglasses. I am not arguing that LBJ made the correct decisions, just that the “it was so obvious and wrong” declarations that pervade both left and right analysis these days is unfair and naive. The issues, challenges, and potential consequences these men had to confront — for better and for worse — were more than any of us likely will have to face in our lifetimes. And the answers were far from black and white… or even gray. I respect all those that are elected as public servants to make such daunting and harrowing decisions. Best of luck, God be with them…
spirasol says:

November 23, 2009 at 3:14 am

I watched. I listened. My jaw dropped. Now this is journalism's finest hour. Impressive indeed. I who lived through it, but never saw in the way this story unfolds what really happened, now only existing as mere fragments in my mind.

I wonder too, as a former presidential advisor, if Moyers wasn't both empathizing with Pres. Obama, but also trying to get his ear………..Psss………..it would be powerful historical advice.
spirasol says:

November 23, 2009 at 4:39 am

……..as the Moyers show has continued to effect me in waves……..another question arises, brought out in the program, having to do with the reasons why Pres. Johnson said “Yes.”

A lot of the discussion seemed to be about “backing down, ” running away” and other such euphemisms for cowardice, loss of pride, shame, embarrassment and the global consequences of such action. There is a lot of testosterone in the upper ledges of decision making, and I found myself wondering about gender and decision making at the highest levels. Also about the level of American maturity, which seems to be quite low. We try to raise our kids to understand the courage it takes to admit we were wrong, we misunderstood, we made a mistake, ………..and that the first step to addressing it is to admit it, than we can get on with the business of correcting it.

What does it mean that America cannot make a mistake or even consider that it is fallible? History proves otherwise, so who does it serve to maintain this fiction? The principles in play about how we want to raise human beings don't seem to have application when we speak of us as a group. The group that reduces all to saving face and protecting our image seems to be the group that so many agree with. In other words, our personal narratives seem to be out of sync with our national narratives. To reduce it to my understanding, the former requires humility and strength of character, and the latter seems to be more certain, unrelenting, righteous, unapologetic among other descriptions. Did anyone else notice these discrepancies?
JSpencer says:

November 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Keelaay, this isn't all Monday morning quarterbacking, there was plenty of information available at the time pointing out why Vietnam would be a mistake for the US, and there were plenty of people who knew it and were talking about it by the mid 60's. The wrong choices were made and as usual in the case of bogus wars, the sacrifices were made by those who trusted the ones who made the choices.
Tin sáng th? t?, 24.11.2009 « Voland1980’s Blog says:

November 23, 2009 at 11:23 pm

[...] Hearing History: Lyndon Johnson escalates Vietnam (Moderate Voice). L?ng nghe l?ch s?: Lyndon Johnson leo thang [trong chi?n tranh] Vi?t [...]
keelaay says:

November 23, 2009 at 11:46 pm

I'm not apologizing for LBJ. Have read many revealing biographies of him and Karnow's account of Vietnam. Clearly the Vietnam war was a catastrophe. I'm just saying that the stakes were higher than presented in most arguments. Yes plenty were advising against the war contemporaneously as has been the case with nearly every war. The choices and consequences were not black and white. LBJ was tormented by the war and it destroyed his presidency and his liberal agenda. And your right, the solders never get to decide, except through their own votes on election day.