logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
58m 57s

177. The Vietnam War: Lyndon Johnson, Am...

Goalhanger
About this episode

With the death of JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson took over the Presidency and immediately had to wrestle with America’s relationship with Vietnam after the killing of Diem. Right from the start he prophesised that it would be his downfall and so it was. He consistently resented it and the distraction it was from his domestic agenda, the Great Society. Over his five years in charge, LBJ Americanised the war, committing more and more troops to Vietnam, and initiating massive bombing campaigns known as Operation Rolling Thunder, putting America into a quagmire. But was this inevitable? Would JFK have done things differently? Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Fredrik Logevall to find out.


Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Alice Horrell

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jul 7
270. The Day The Brits Burned The White House (Ep 4)
Why did Washington invade Quebec? How did the US fail to take the Canadian territories during the Revolutionary Wars? And why did the British burn the White House? Anita and William are once again joined by Maya Jasanoff to discuss how the American Revolution birthed Canada. ---- ... Show More
53m 15s
Jul 2
269. Colonising Canada: The Truth Behind ‘The Last of The Mohicans’ (Ep 3)
Is there any truth in the film 'The Last of The Mohicans' and how did the French and Indian War that it's based on change the make-up of Canada? Why was the Seven Years War the first truly global war? What is the connection between the forced removal of the Acadians in Canada and ... Show More
59m 58s
Jun 30
268. Colonising Canada: Why Does Quebec Speak French? (Ep 2)
How did beaver fur and codfish turn a failed French attempt at colonisation into a success? What is the historical context behind Quebec as a French-speaking region of Canada? Did Indigenous leaders cleverly manipulate French settlers into fighting their tribal wars? William and ... Show More
53m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
508. America in '68: Nightmare in Vietnam (Part 1)
"Tonight I want to speak to you of peace in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.”On the night of Sunday, 31st of March 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson, after announcing an end to the bombing of North Vietnam, stunned the world by revealing he would not seek the democratic nomination for ... Show More
1h 15m
Oct 2024
The Vietnam War
The battle for Vietnam waged between the communist-ruled North of the country, and the US-backed south, lasted almost 20 years, from 1955. It spilled over into neighbouring countries, and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 3.8 million people - half of them civilians. It was a ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2024
512. America in '68: The Chicago Riots (Part 5)
The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago, and the incumbent president, Lyndon B. Johnson, has pulled out of the race. Anti-war protestors are flooding the streets of the city, and Johnson continues to press on with the war in Vietnam. Bobby Kennedy’s assassination has tur ... Show More
1h 11m
Nov 2024
510. America in '68: The Killing of Robert Kennedy (Part 3)
“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another” As Attorney General during JFK’s presidency, Bobby h ... Show More
1h 6m
Jan 2025
When a President Drops Out: What Biden Can Learn from 1968 (From the Honestly Archives)
*This episode originally ran on July 4, 2024 on Honestly with Bari Weiss*  On our nation’s 248th birthday, Joe Biden faced the wrath of a thousand pundits. The whole world watched the elected leader of the world’s oldest republic befogged, slack-jawed, and mentally vacant in a de ... Show More
40m 42s
Nov 2024
513. America in '68: Nixon's Great Comeback (Part 6)
“Nixon now! Nixon now! More than ever we need Nixon now!”It's the 5th of November 1968, and Richard M. Nixon is on tenterhooks, alone in his dark hotel room. He watches as the final states are called in the presidential election. Will he fall at the same hurdle as he did in 1960? ... Show More
59m 45s
Jan 2025
John F Kennedy
The second of nine children from a well-to-do family in New England, John F Kennedy fought his way up to become the most powerful man on the planet. After claiming a narrow victory in the 1960 election, Kennedy and his glamorous wife, Jacqueline, led the country on a wave of opti ... Show More
1h 1m
Dec 2024
How the Vietnam War Broke Our Trust in Government
December 1, 1969. Millions across America are tuned in to the same TV broadcast. They see a bland stage with some government workers behind desks. But there's also a large, plastic container filled with small blue capsules. In each of these capsules, a birth date. The order in wh ... Show More
30m 56s
Oct 2018
E14: The Vietnam war with Noam Chomsky
Podcast episode about the Vietnam war with Noam Chomsky, and Mrs Van, a member of the Vietnamese Women's Union. We look at the geopolitics of the conflict and its human cost. Support this podcast and get early access to episodes and other benefits here on patreon: https://patreon ... Show More
41m 21s