Olan McEvoy
Research expert covering the European Union for society, economy, and politics.
Get in touch with us nowVietnam War: U.S. public opinion on sending troops to fight in Vietnam 1965-1973
The United States' war in Southeast Asia against the communist controlled North Vietnam was one of the key conflicts of the Cold War. At the onset of direct involvement by the U.S. military in the conflict in 1964, public opinion was strongly behind President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision to send troops to defend the U.S.-backed regime in South Vietnam.
As the war progressed and more U.S. military casualties were recorded, however, opinion began to swing against the war, with net opinion becoming negative for the first time in July 1967. The growing anti-war movement at home and media reporting on the activities of some U.S. service personnel and regiments, such as the My Lai Massacre, led to an increasingly negative outlook on the war overall. By the time of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, 31 percent more of Americans surveyed said they thought the war was a mistake, compared to those who thought it was the right course of action.
As the war progressed and more U.S. military casualties were recorded, however, opinion began to swing against the war, with net opinion becoming negative for the first time in July 1967. The growing anti-war movement at home and media reporting on the activities of some U.S. service personnel and regiments, such as the My Lai Massacre, led to an increasingly negative outlook on the war overall. By the time of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, 31 percent more of Americans surveyed said they thought the war was a mistake, compared to those who thought it was the right course of action.
