Guide to the Path To

TEACHER’S GUIDE TO ACCOMPANY THE HBO FILM PATH TO WAR DEVELOPED BY TIME LEARNING VENTURES How the U.S. In This Guide • Advising the Became Embroiled President • TIME Capsules: 1965 and 1968 • Resources for In the Vietnam War Further Exploration “They only advised you, Mr. President. You decided. Against all your natural instincts, against the whole Domestic vs. foreign priorities of your life experience, you decided.” What were President Johnson’s hopes and —Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford speaking to L.B.J. about dreams for the U.S. domestic agenda? U.S. policy on Vietnam, in a scene from Path To War Which of these did he achieve? Which were overshadowed by the war effort? Why? he Vietnam War was a turning Candidate and Reindeer Games), Path To L.B.J.’s handling of the war point in American history: it not War stars Michael Gambon as L.B.J., Donald How did L.B.J. “sell” the Vietnam conflict to only marked the first defeat for Sutherland as Clark Clifford and Alec Bald- the American people? To members of Con- the U.S. military, but it also win as Robert McNamara; its running time gress? To himself? What limits did L.B.J. signaled a transformation in the is 2 hours, 45 minutes. As students watch impose on U.S. troops in Vietnam? Why? relationship between citizens the film, encourage them to take notes in Tand government. In the HBO film Path To answer to the following questions: At what The anti-war movement War, students can witness firsthand the moments in the film does U.S. policy on How and for what reasons did Americans process by which President Lyndon Baines Vietnam shift? Who seems to wield the most voice their opposition to U.S. involvement in Johnson made a series of fateful decisions influence on Johnson at these moments? Southeast Asia? Describe the actions that concerning U.S. involvement in Vietnam. How do advisers’ positions on the war Norman Morrison took. What was your Based on transcripts of secretly recorded change during the course of the film? reaction to Morrison’s act? Did you see it as conversations, diary entries, letters and an act of bravery or of cowardice? Why? interviews with key policymakers, the film After Viewing sheds fascinating light on the inner workings Path To War can spark an animated class Outcomes and legacies of the Johnson White House. discussion on a variety of topics. Subjects to How and when did the Vietnam War end? L.B.J. was a colorful character who explore with students include: What was the cost to the U.S., in human frequently made off-color remarks, and Path lives and dollars? In your view, how should To War does not shy away from portraying Setting the scene L.B.J. be remembered by history? Was he a this aspect of Johnson’s personality. The film Describe the mood of the opening scene. “tragic figure,” as some historians have also includes violent images of war. Accord- What distinguished Johnson’s performance argued? How do you think director John ingly, teachers may find it useful to preview in the 1964 election? What goals did L.B.J. Frankenheimer would answer this question? the film prior to assigning it to students. spell out in his inaugural speech? Before Viewing Image of L.B.J. To provide background on the Vietnam War, How is L.B.J. portrayed in the movie? PPaatthh TToo WWaarr you might distribute copies of the inTIME What do you see as his strengths and onon HBOHBO magazine created to accompany Path To War. weaknesses? What words would you Ask students: Based on the article on pages use to characterize his personality? In 2 and 3, what was the primary reason that your view, which specific scenes offer L.B.J. and previous Presidents believed the the greatest insight into L.B.J.? U.S. had a role to play in Vietnam? What outlook did each of the advisers profiled on The decision-making process pages 4 and 5 bring to the White House? What was the process by which the What are the key lessons to be drawn from President made decisions on Vietnam? the Vietnam War, as outlined on pages 6 and What role did his advisers play? How 7? Based on data on page 8, how did public much consensus do you see within the support for L.B.J.’s handling of the war shift? White House? How were differences aired? What is your reaction to Clark While Viewing Clifford’s statement, quoted above? Directed by John Frankenheimer (whose (For a worksheet on L.B.J.’s interac- previous films include The Manchurian tions with advisers, see page 2.) Premieres Saturday, HBO consents on a quitclaim basis to your making one videotape of Path To War for five years from airdate for educational May 18, 2002, 8PM / 7C purposes within the curriculum only. HBO reserves all rights of every kind. Both the teacher’s guide and any videotape made of the film are intended for the sole use of educators, administrators and their students and may not be rebroadcast, recablecast or repackaged, nor may they be sublicensed, distributed, given or sold in whole or in part to any other person or institution. Your use of the teacher’s guide and this film constitutes your agreement to comply with these terms. Advising the Path To War takes viewers inside the White House to show the debates that occurred as President Lyndon Baines President Johnson and his team of advisers struggled to formulate U.S. policy on Vietnam. Select one of these debates, listed below, for closer examination. As you watch the selected scene, take notes in the chart on this page to indicate what advice each counselor gave the President. (If you need more space, use the back of this sheet; note that not all advisers are present for each scene.) After completing the chart, use your notes to answer the questions at the bottom of the page. Scene 1: L.B.J. and advisers in the Scene 2: L.B.J. and advisers in the Scene 3: L.B.J. and advisers in the Cabinet Room debate Operation Rolling Cabinet Room discuss Program of Cabinet Room consider whether to Thunder • February 1965 Expanded Military and Political Moves pause the bombing of Vietnam • Opening line: McNamara says, “It’s for Vietnam • July 1, 1965 December 1965 over the border in North Vietnam. Opening line: Johnson says, “But Opening line: CIA briefer says, “The There are about 6,000 troops based wouldn’t we lose credibility throughout North Vietnamese have never known there. It’s an isolated facility…” the world if we give up?” anything but war.” When scene occurs: 20:23 into film When scene occurs: 52:30 into film When scene occurs: 78:17 into film ADVISER ADVICE TO L.B.J. Donald McNamara, Secretary of Defense Dean Rusk, Secretary of State George Ball, Undersecretary of State General Earle Wheeler, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Bill Moyers, Press Secretary Clark Clifford, Private Counsel For Discussion or Writingla play in Vietnam? How much dissent was evident 1. In your view, which of the advisers in the scene you within the scene you analyzed? selected presented the wisest counsel to L.B.J.? With 3. How did L.B.J. respond to the advice he received in whom do you disagree most strongly? Why? this scene? Based on later scenes within Path To War, 2. To what extent did the President’s advisers agree what were the consequences of this decision for the among themselves on the proper role for the U.S. to U.S.? For North and South Vietnam? For L.B.J.? 22 Copyright ©2002 Time Inc. This page may be photocopied for use with students. capsules February 19, 1965 January 5, 1968 A Look Down A Depression of the That Long Road National Spirit o the members of the doubt that in the National Security Council, past had rarely been seated around the coffin- articulated or even T shaped table in the Cabinet A felt crept into the Room of the White House, President American consciousness in 1967: Lyndon Johnson said with quiet anger: Is the U.S., after all, as fallible in “I’ve gone far enough. I’ve had its aims and unsure of its answers enough of this.” And so, in response to as any other power? Can—and a murderous series of Communist should—the Vietnam War be won? attacks against U.S. military forces and Can the nation simultaneously installations in South Vietnam, the allay poverty, widen opportunity, President last week gave the orders that sent American eradicate racism, make its cities habitable and its and Vietnamese warplanes on bombing raids in North laws uniformly just? Or will it have to jettison urgent Vietnam. Targets of these raids included communications social objectives at home for stern and insistent systems, supply dumps and guerrilla staging areas. commitments abroad? For 15 months, Johnson had refused to change course, It was increasingly clear that the attainment of all despite the steadily deteriorating situation in South Viet- these elusive goals would require, above all, a quality nam. To retreat, he said, would be “strategically unwise that Americans have always found difficult to cultivate: and morally unthinkable.” To expand the war might get patience. Yet, as the National Committee for an Effec- the U.S. into a fight “with 700 million Chinese.” On the tive Congress declared last week, with no exaggera- very eve of the current crisis he reiterated to an associate tion intended, “America has experienced two great his determination to “go neither north nor south.” internal crises in her history: the Civil War and the Two days before the U.S.

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