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Oct 2024
1h 15m

508. America in '68: Nightmare in Vietna...

Goalhanger
About this episode

"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 that year’s presidential election. The seemingly never-ending Vietnam War had already made LBJ hugely unpopular with his progressive base. But now, facing challenges from Eugene McCarthy, the ambiguously anti-war senator from Minnesota, and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, heir to the Kennedy throne, Johnson had decided to bow out. And now, as the war slowed for a moment, the Democrats would have to decide on the best candidate to take on a certain Richard M. Nixon… 


Join Tom and Dominic in the first episode of our six part series on America in 1968, as they look at the stories of Lyndon B. Johnson, Eugene McCarthy, and how the Vietnam War would come to define them both.


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Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

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