At the LBJ ranch in Texas, Walter Cronkite questions former President Johnson about the 1968 cessation of bombing over North Vietnam.
Begun in 1965,the bombing was supposed to cut down infiltration of South Vietnam and produce negotiations. The 36th President recalls that even though the results were not satisfactory, any decision to halt the bombing had to wait until the enemy launched a major attack and failed. Early in 1968, the Tet Offensive provided the right moment.
The President reviews former Secretary of State Dean Rusk's proposal in March, 1968 to stop the bombing without reciprocity. He also discusses recommendations by then Secretary of State Clark Clifford and others, including UN Ambassador Arthur Goldberg. An unofficial brain trust was also assembled to advise the President, who announced a partial bombing halt on March 31st, 1968.
Other topics include Senator J. William Fulbright's opposition to the President and public opinion concerning the war in Vietnam.
NOTE:
CBS NEWS presented the second in a series of Special broadcasts in which former president Lyndon Baines Johnson
presented his account of great events, issues and decisions.
This account was edited from several lengthy conversations with correspondent Walter Cronkite, filmed in the autumn of 1969 at the LBJ ranch in Texas.
