If you came of age when the war in Vietnam was in the daily news, you may wonder how it all began. Would it surprise you to know that crucial decisions were made by both President Kennedy and President Johnson in 1963? That was the year that United States political and military policies in Southeast Asia took a sharp turn. Employing the research of John M. Newman and others, this course will examine how both of these presidents sought to deceive the American people in order to win an election. The gate to America’s great political and military disaster of the late 20th century is surveyed, which also includes an examination of the Bay of Pigs Incident, the Berlin Wall Crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
*This class is being recorded.