ABSTRACT

Of all the myths perpetuated about the Vietnam War, perhaps the most pervasive concerns the role of the American public. A commonly held view in the United States and elsewhere is that American public opinion ended the Vietnam War. This view suggests that as the United States became more deeply embroiled in the Southeast Asian conflict, and particularly after the 1968 Tet Offensive demonstrated that it was becoming a bloody stalemate, the disparity between positive US government statements about progress and the reality of the situation on the ground exacerbated a “credibility gap” that led to Americans opposing the war in increasing numbers. They saw it as an ill-conceived and immoral campaign and forced the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson to rethink its policies and begin withdrawing. Many figures across the political spectrum have done much to promote this

idea. Those on the political left who were heavily involved in the peace movements themselves often proclaim their success in ending the war. Curiously many conservatives concur, blaming especially the peace movements and media for, inter alia, undermining the American effort in Vietnam, providing the leadership of North Vietnam with comfort and propaganda, and rendering victory on the battlefield impossible. There is general agreement that this resulted in disillusionment among huge swathes of the American population and necessitated the effective resignation of one president, Lyndon Johnson, and the withdrawal of American forces under his successor, Richard Nixon. Such a view has largely been accepted by both policymakers and the general public alike in the years since Vietnam. This view is far from accurate, however. While many historical analyzes have taken issue with such clear-cut, sim-

plistic accounts, there remains among historians a fascination with the more radical figures who opposed US action in Vietnam. The vast majority of scholarship by historians about the social dimensions of the war in the United States tends to focus upon the impact of peace movements, student protests and draft resistance.1 Relatively little attention has been paid to American society more broadly and its influence on policymaking.2 This omission is serious because it has helped to foster the belief that the peace movements were crucial in ending the war. Indeed, the terms “public opinion” and

“peace movements” might even be said to be synonymous in many people’s minds, as if those who opposed the war by demanding peace were representative of and supported by the American public. In fact, peace movements largely did not reflect American public attitudes; a significant minority of the American population continued to support the war even as it generally became less popular and the methods of the more extreme groups alienated many people.3 It is therefore highly contestable as to whether the peace movements had any significant impact on the war and the way it was fought, and if they did it was because public opinion reacted against them.4