Why Vietnam? (1965)
Overview
Released in 1965, "Why Vietnam?" was produced by the U.S. Department of Defense to aid public acceptance of the Vietnam War and to indoctrinate Vietnam-bound draftees. Structured in the rhetorical tradition of the "Why We Fight" films, it draws historical parallels to World War II, depicts U.S. military activity in Vietnam, and presents official interpretations of the conflict’s origins. Later criticism by historians highlighted the film’s selective use of evidence and its distortion of key historical facts, revelations that were further underscored by disclosures in the Pentagon Papers.
Cast
Adolf Hitler
Self (archive footage)
Lyndon B. Johnson
Self (as Lyndon Johnson)
Robert McNamara
Self
James Arness
NarratorRecommendations
Naqoyqatsi
The Class of ‘92
Night Will Fall
Directed by John Ford
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Fuck
More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead
Sidney
As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
A Plastic Ocean
My Mom Jayne
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
In the Realms of the Unreal
Heart of a Dog
Iverson
A Decade Under the Influence
McQueen
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye