Burns & Novick's The Vietnam War #3

Episodes 8-10 aired and covered events from April, 1969 on. The series is now complete. All episodes are now online here. The film was very well done. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it deeply saddened me a few times. Thank you, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and many others involved.

Episode 8 topics include:

-President Nixon starts withdrawing US troops but escalates bombing

-North Vietnam's treatment of POW and South Vietnamese

-Woodstock

-Hispanics in US Army

-Fragging by US soldiers

-Ho Chi Minh dies and his successor Le Duan repeats his mission -- unification of Vietnam under one party rule by the Communist Party

-Start of lottery for draft

-Weathermen violence, more protesting

-North Vietnam leaders portray US as nothing but cruel invaders

-My Lai incident hits the media

-Antiwar protests increase, plight of vets

-Negotiations in Paris 

-US troops enter Cambodia, which reignites antiwar movement

-Kent State incident, followed by more campus protests

-Post traumatic stress disorder.

Episode 9, May 1970-March 1973, topics include:

-Treatment of vets after they come home from Vietnam

-Trial of Lt. Calley and others for My Lai

-North Vietnamese coerce prisoners of war to make antiwar statements and call USA a criminal nation

-Vietnam vets against the war, John Kerry testifies before Congress

-May Day tribe, Rennie Davis

-Pentagon Papers, which revealed US gov't leaders knew South Vietnamese were very weak and how strong the enemy was. 

-Documents stolen by Daniel Ellsberg and leaked to press

-Nixon formed "plumbers" to get info on Ellsberg and his co-operatives

-Use of defoliage Agent Orange 

-Rigged election in South Vietnam

-Nixon's great concern about war with the upcoming 1972 election

-Negotiations between US and North Vietnam, US withdrawal and POWs

-One POW, Dr. Kushner,  critical of Kerry testimony

-Dr. Kushner's wife had exceptional views, which North Vietnamese expolited

-1972 invasion by North Vietnam supported by USSR, China

-ARVN collapsing, US resumes bombing, which was very successful

-Huge loss of other Vietnamese lives didn't matter to North Vietnamese leaders

-Nixon orders land mines in water around Hanoi to halt incoming supplies. USSR protested but did nothing.  

-Famous photo of naked South Vietnamese girl  running after bombing

-Wife of POW Kushner speaks at 1972 DNC, supports and nominates McGovern.

-McGovern lied about intervening in peace negotiaions 

-Watergate breakin

-Jane Fonda in Hanoi denouncing POWs for war crimes and USA for aggression and atrocities

-1972 Republican National Convention. Nixon wins reelection

Episode 10
-POWs invited to White House.
-March 1973 last American troops left Vietnam, except a few Marines to guard the American embassy. Brutal civil war between North and South resumed.
-John Dean testifies about Watergate breakin.
-Russia and China more reliable allies to North Vietnam. South Vietnam too poor to alone withstand North Vietnam takeover. ARVN soldiers abandoned their duties. President Thieu resigned and fled country.
-Many South Vietnamese tried to escape Vietnam, expecting the worse from the North.
-North Vietnam established re-education camps.
-China invades North Vietnam.
-Post-traumatic stress disorder
-Vietnam Memorial. Many liked but one vet calls it a black scar.
-In 1985 a USA vet visits Vietnam. Economy regaining prosperity and people welcomed him. USA wanted accounting of POWs/MIAs and Vietnam refused. They relinquished in 1994 and USA lifted embargo.
-Another vet's return trip.
-What became of people interviewed for the film.