Walter Cronkite Rising through the journalistic ranks, Walter Cronkite became the preeminent media figure of the 1960s and 1970s as correspondent and anchorman for CBS Television. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1916, Cronkite was a correspondent for United Press in World War II and joined CBS in 1950, serving as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," 1962-81. Cronkite was extensively watched and respected, and his coverage and reporting of Vietnam was seen as both reflecting and influencing American public opinion.
On September 2, 1963, in a prime-time interview with Cronkite, President John Kennedy was disapproving of the South Vietnamese government then headed by Ngo Dinh Diem and said that changes needed to be made in South Vietnam. However, Kennedy said, "I don't agree with those who say we should withdraw. That would be a great mistake. We must be patient. We must persist." In the following years, Cronkite did not publicly question this position, and his coverage was generally uncritical of Johnson administration policies. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, though, Cronkite made his first visit to Vietnam since 1965. Upon his return, Cronkite delivered a solemn assessment on February 27, saying that it seemed certain "that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in stalemate." Rejection of the administration's confident forecasts by Cronkite, who had been called the "most trusted man in America," sent shock waves through the government, according to George Christian, President Johnson's press secretary. Cronkite's comments particularly upset Johnson, who viewed it as a turning point in American attitudes toward the administration's Vietnam policies. David Halberstam later wrote that Johnson said that "if he had lost Walter Cronkite he had lost Mr. Average Citizen," and this development helped to stiffen Johnson's decision not to run for reelection.
Vietnam War at Amazon
Vietnam War on DVD at Amazon
Vietnam War Kindle Books
VietnamWar.net
The Literary Hootch, Part 1
The Literary Hootch, Part 2
The Literary Hootch, Part 3
Vietnam War Destinations, Part 1
Vietnam War Destinations, Part 2
Vietnam War Destinations, Part 3
Vietnam War Destinations, Part 4
Vietnam War History, Part 1
Vietnam War History, Part 2
Vietnam War History, Part 3
Vietnam War History, Part 4
Vietnam War Research Material, Part 1
Vietnam War Research Material, Part 2
Vietnam War Research Material, Part 3
Vietnam War Research Material, Part 4
The French in Vietnam
Vietnam War Battles, Campaigns, Offensives, Operations, Programs
Vietnam War Aircrafts
Vietnam War Documents, Speeches, Papers
Vietnam War Cities, Districts, Installations, Places, Provinces
Vietnam War Weapons and Equipment
Vietnam and U.S. Presidents
Vietnam War Humor
Vietnam Religions
The Media: Vietnam War
U.S. Allies in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War Antiwar
Political and Government Figures Involved in the Vietnam War
Trips to Vietnam
The Vietnamese: Vietnam War
Women and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War Films
Vietnam War Fiction Books
Vietnam War Books by Women Writers
Vietnam War Short Story Books
Vietnam War Screenplays
Military Leaders in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War Memorials
Vietnam War Battalions, Brigades, Corps, Divisions, Organizations, Units
Vietnam War Poetry
The Wall: Vietnam War
Vietnam War Quiz
Vietnam War Quotations
Vietnam War Books, Part 1
Vietnam War Books, Part 2
World War II Films (Part 1)
World War II Films (Part 2)
Memories Are Like Clouds
A Saigon Party:
And Other Vietnam War Short Stories
VietnamWar.net
http://www.vietnamwar.net
