Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981

thumbnail of Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981
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This record is featured in “Vietnam: A Television History Interviews Collection.” This record is featured in “GBH Archives Open Vault.”
Series
Vietnam: A Television History
Raw Footage
Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-15-k649p2xh7b
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Description
Series Description
This 13 part series covers the history of Vietnam from France's colonial control, through the 1945 revolution, to the 1975 U.S. evacuation from Saigon and the years beyond. The series' objective approach permits viewers to form their own conclusions about the war.
Raw Footage Description
Harry McPherson served as Special Counsel to LBJ from 1965 to 1969 and was Johnson's chief speechwriter from 1966 to 1969. McPherson begins the interview by recalling the conflicted mood at the White House following the Tet Offensive. The optimism found in military cables and official information clashed with televised images showing the nation that the war was resulting in massive loss of human life and that a prisoner could be shot at point-blank range. He also talks about the concerns LBJ had that the Vietnam War might escalate into a world war and that the goal was not to destroy North Vietnam but rather to keep them contained and not overthrow the government in South Vietnam. He ends the interview with a personal sketch of President Johnson, a complex and tragic figure.
Date
1981-04-23
Date
1981-04-23
Asset type
Raw Footage
Subjects
United States--History--1945-; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American; Military history, Modern--20th century; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Media type
Moving Image
Embed Code
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Credits
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings

Identifier: cpb-aacip-c8e028e89dc (unknown)
Format: video/mp4
Generation: Proxy
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Citations
Chicago: “Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981,” 1981-04-23, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 18, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-k649p2xh7b.
MLA: “Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981.” 1981-04-23. American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 18, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-k649p2xh7b>.
APA: Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Harry McPherson, 1981. Boston, MA: American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-k649p2xh7b