Press Kit: Remembering Vietnam - Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War
This exhibition presents both iconic and recently discovered National Archives records related to 12 critical episodes in the Vietnam War. They trace the policies and decisions made by the architects of the conflict and help untangle why the United States became involved in Vietnam, why it went on so long, and why it was so divisive for American society.
Exhibit Press Releases
- The National Archives Marks Vietnam War Exhibit Opening with Special Programs
- National Archives Opens Groundbreaking Vietnam Exhibit November 10, 2017
Exhibit Promotional Video
“Remembering Vietnam: Twelve Critical Episodes in the Vietnam War” promotional video
Crewmen of the amphibious cargo ship USS Durham take Vietnamese refugees from a small craft in the South China Sea, 1975. National Archives, General Records of the Department of the Navy. View in National Archives Catalog.
President John F. Kennedy stands at lectern; map of Laos at left reads "Communist Rebel Areas, 22 March 1961." State Department Auditorium, Washington, D.C. National Archives, JFK Presidential Library & Museum.
Flying under radar control with a B-66 Destroyer, Air Force F-105 Thunderchief pilots bomb a military target through low clouds over the southern panhandle of North Viet Nam. 7/14/1966, National Archives, Records of the U.S.I.A. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Bombs fall from an A-4C Skyhawk bomber on the Truong Quang Tin Railroad bridge during an air strike over North Vietnam, 9/16/66. National Archives, General Records of the U.S. Navy RED 28335
President Johnson’s draft response to Mr. and Mrs. Keck, June 14, 1967. Russell Keck’s parents sent long letters to President Johnson expressing anger and grief at losing their son. His draft reply, with many revisions, shows his struggle to respond. National Archives, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum
President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara at a cabinet meeting, 2/7/1968 National Archives, Johnson Library
Navy Hospital Corpsman D. R. Howe treats the wounds of Private First Class D A. Crum ‘H’ Company 2nd Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment during Operation Hue City, 2/6/68 National Archives, Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
American POWs leave Hanoi, 2/12/1973, National Archives, Records of the US Marine Corps
Communism Means Terrorism,” United States Information Agency Poster, 1954, National Archives, Records of the U.S. Information Agency.
Tusk Lamp
Caption: Gift of State from Ngo Dinh Diem to President Eisenhower, November 14, 1954
National Archives, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
Metz Medal of Liberation, August 24, 1945
During his official visit to Washington in 1945, French President Charles de Gaulle presented President Harry S. Truman with this medal to thank the United States for its help liberating France from German occupation. During the visit, Truman told de Gaulle that the U.S. would not oppose a return of French authority in Indochina.
National Archives, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
Hard hat presented to Nixon, May 8, 1970
“Hardhats” facing off against entitled “hippie” youth became a dominant image from the Vietnam era. The reality was more complex. While working class Americans were divided in their opinions of the war, they were less supportive of the war than their more privileged compatriots, skeptical of its aims and souring on its pursuit of them. Thousands of workers came to participate in antiwar activities through their unions. Many more thousands of workers came to oppose the war through their direct experience fighting in Southeast Asia.
National Archives, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
CIA model of “Hanoi Hilton,” undated
The CIA sometimes produced models for POW rescue missions. These miniatures helped operational planners to understand the target, in this case, the Hoa Lo prison camp. Built by the French in the 1880s to house political prisoners, the Americans held there—including Lieutenant Commander (later Senator) John McCain—called it the “Hanoi Hilton.” Despite attempts, no American POW successfully escaped or was rescued from a North Vietnam prison.
National Archives, Records of the Central Intelligence Agency
Prologue article
A New Exhibit at the Archives Helps Us See the Causes and Impact of the War
Resources
Finding Aid to Textual and Electronic Vietnam War Records at the National Archives
Finding Aid to Records about Vietnam War Era American POWs and Missing in Action
Education Lesson Plan: The War in Vietnam: A Story in Photographs
State-Level Fatal Casualty Lists for the Vietnam War
Vietnam and the Presidency Conference at JFK Presidential Library & Museum, 2006
Vietnam War Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum, 2016
Vietnam Conflict Exhibit and Resources from the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum
Military Records Requests
Interview with Ambassador Bui Diem, South Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S., 1965-1972
Interview with Jeff C. Anthony, U.S. Marine Corps, 1967-1976
Interview with Duong Van Mai Elliot, author, The Sacred Willow
Interview with Rufus Philips, CIA Agent, 1954-1963
Remembering Vietnam is free and open to the public, and will be on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, through January 6, 2019. Presented in part by the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family, Pritzker Military Museum & Library, AARP, FedEx Corporation, and the National Archives Foundation. Additional support provided by the Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, The Eliasberg Family Foundation, Inc., and HISTORYⓇ.