Losing the War for U.S. Public Opinion During the Vietnam War

The North Vietnamese communists, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh had a sophisticated media and propaganda strategy. Through the historical method, this paper describes and analyzes how the United States lost the war for American public opinion to the North Vietnamese. Realizing they were not likely to win on the field of battle against American forces, the North Vietnamese communists opened up a new front on American soil. The weapons were propaganda and agitation, with the soldiers being American citizens fighting a propaganda war for Vietnam who supported a world of communism. The anti-war movement undermined public support for the Vietnam War through the mass media, the alternative press, and protests. This work examines connections between the U.S. anti-war movement and communist organizations and recommends courses of action the United States should take to win the war for public opinion in the future.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.