The Vietnam War

This website hosts about 49 programs related to the Vietnam War. Most of these programs were recorded during the American upheaval over the war, in the mid-to-late 1960s. This was at the peak of controversy and protest. One of the programs focused on this war is selected randomly on the right side of this page. On this site, you’ll many key speakers represented, mostly as guests on radio programs.

To find all the Vietnam-related programs, go to our Audio Programs page and use the search system drop-downs:

Subject: look for Vietnam, War, or any other subject you wish.

Selected Speakers: find speakers like Andy Borg, Daniel Brewster, William Corson, Sanford Gottlieb, F. Edward Hebert, Hubert Humphrey, Pat Kawood, James Keys, Dean Kelly, David Kraslow. James Lawson, William Lederer, Stephen Ledogar, Stuart Loory, Don Luce, and John Mecklin.

Title: type in the word, Vietnam.

Description: type in the word, Vietnam.

The Vietnam War, as it was known in the U.S, occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1, 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. 

During the course of the Vietnam War, a large segment of the American population came to be opposed to U.S. involvement in South Vietnam. Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam.

Direct U.S. military involvement ended on August 15, 1973. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year.

Randomly-chosen Vietnam War-Related Program:

The Draft: How Does it Work Today, and Should it Be Changed?

Speaker(s): Louis Hershey, Del Shields (host)

Description: Lieutenant General Louis B. Hershey (1893-1977) was a public school teacher who also served in the Indiana National Guard, In 1920, he changed careers when he joined the U.S. Army, eventually rising to the rank of General. Hershey was one of only three generals in the history of the U.S. Army to have served as a general during three major conflicts. In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt promoted him to brigadier general and named him executive officer of the Selective Service System. The next year, Roosevelt named him director of the Selective Service and he remained in that position until 1970. Hershey said there were a few thousand draft resisters in the country - not a large percentage, but they get plenty of public notice. He called those who burned their draft cards as misguided. He stated that, instead of Selective Service, he would like to have universal military training for all young men, but he said Congress would never agree to that. People wanted to know about the deferments for teachers and graduate students, and how to extend a deferment in college if you don't complete the program in four years. Hershey told a caller that he had testified before Congress hundreds of times, but they don't often do what he suggests. A draft counselor wanted to know why young men don't know much about the rules and regulations of the draft. Hershey explained that college students can be deferred until the age of 24, and no one would be taken after the age of 28. At the time, the country was looking at the possibility of creating a lottery system, but the law did not allow it. A draft lottery was instituted a year later, in December 1969.

Length: 59:12
Recording Date: November 14, 1968
Recorded at: WRVR Radio Studio, New York City