The uncensored war
6/9/202618 min
As the U.S. escalated its intervention in Vietnam in the 1960s, the media's coverage ramped up too. Soon, the war permeated the homes of millions of Americans — by television, radio and newspaper. This week, we hear about what happened during the Vietnam War, and how the stories made visible during that time, forever transformed the way America engages with warfare.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:25
[upbeat music] This is America in Pursuit, a limited-run series from NPR and Throughline. I'm Rund Abdelfatah. Each week, we bring you stories about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the US that began 250 years ago. Since these words were first penned, the vision of America has been determined by people testing these ideals against the realities of everyday life. And in the mid to late 20th century, the Vietnam War put those ideals to the test. The war forced Americans to confront questions about governmental power, the realities of warfare, and what happens to democracy when citizens disagree with their leadership.
Speaker 3· Soundbite1:10
[helicopter blades whirring] This is what the war in Vietnam is all about.
Speaker 4· Soundbite1:15
American soldiers hiking their way through the sweaty jungles of South Vietnam, searching for an elusive enemy.
Susan Carruthers· Guest1:21
And of course, by 1967, 1968, it's a staple of the nightly news on, on television.