Vietnam War
A woman named Leitha Van De Grift wrote to Harold T. (Bizz) Johnson on April 15, 1970. She was opposed to the Vietnam War that was taking place at this time, but she did not condone how protesters and demonstrators were expressing their distress with the government. Her letter sounded concerned but still very respectful as she addressed multiple controversies pertaining to the Vietnam War. Some of the affairs mentioned in her letter included the Moratorium, the demonstrations and protests of the war, and the My Lai Massacre. Johnson’s response to Mrs. Van De Grift explained that he wanted peace with Vietnam as well, but he also wanted a peace that would last and this had the potential of taking longer to come to an agreement upon. He also asserted his worries about the violent behavior of the Vietnam War protesters.
In her letter, Mrs. Van De Grift, mentioned some national events that took place during the war that today’s reader might not understand.
- The first ambiguity revealed in her letter referred to a national student strike referred to as the Moratorium. Moratorium, as described by dictionary.com, is a suspension of activity, which in this case referred to the suspension of classes. During the Moratorium, students organized marches and demonstrations, did not attend class, and held “we won’t go” petitions, in an attempt to portray their contempt for the war, it’s draft, and the poor economic status the nation was left in due to the war. Twelve days preceding Mrs. Van De Grift writing in to Johnson, on April 3, 1970, Nixon disclosed to the nation that the military would once again begin the bombings in Vietnam, only adding fuel to the student striker’s fire (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith, pars. 1).
- The second ambiguity presented in Mrs. Van De Grift’s letter made reference to the protests going on. Protests began after the military began the bombings in Vietnam in 1965. These liberal protesters were made up of mostly students and artists all in opposition of the war. Increasing casualties, cost, men called to service, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s opposition elevated tensions. More than 100,000 protesters congregated at the Lincoln Memorial on October 21, 1967. 30,000 of these protesters advanced to the Pentagon to be affronted by soldiers, leading to the arrest of hundreds of protesters (History.com Staff, pars. 1).
- The last ambiguity brought up in the letter was the My Lai Massacre. At this point in the war, the energy and attitudes of the soldiers were at an all-time low due to the Tet Offensive (History.com Staff, pars. 2). The Tet Offensive was a sequence of attacks on numerous South Vietnamese cities by North Vietnam (U-S-History.com Staff, pars. 1). On March 16, 1968, Charlie Company was set lose by a Lieutenant William L. Calley to destroy the village of My Lai. All of its residents were considered opposition, and troops were given orders to kill all its inhabitants. This was done so in a brutal, unjust, and cruel manner that would now be considered excessive and unnecessary. Throughout the entire search-and-destroy process, there was no return fire aimed towards United States troops (History.com Staff, pars. 2-3). It was not until eighteen months later that this event and its details were revealed to United States citizens. Once brought to light, this event was later investigated and numerous soldiers were held responsible (Hersh).
- Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith. “Student Strike of 1970 Files, 1968-1971 : Biographical and Historical Note.” Student Strike of 1970 Files, 1968-1971 : Biographical and Historical Note. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/smitharchives/manosca31_bioghist.html
- Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/moratorium
- History.com Staff. “Vietnam War Protests.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
- http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests
- “Anti Vietnam War Protest -.” YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. https://youtu.be/Bk09F1fTs1E
- History.com Staff. “My Lai Massacre.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
- http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/my-lai-massacre
- Hersh.”My Lai Massacre.” YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. https://youtu.be/VWchy6ykNnQ
- U-S-History.com Staff.”Tet Offensive.” Tet Offensive. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
- http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1862.html
