American Propaganda in the Vietnam War:
As President Eisenhower said: “Public opinion wins wars.” This reflects America’s approach to propaganda in the Vietnam War. The primary focus of American propaganda during the war was to improve public opinion by salvaging America’s image. In the autumn of 1967, the US government under President Lyndon Johnson began the propaganda campaign often referred to as the “Optimism Campaign”.
This campaign gave 600 journalists access to military leaders and troops in Vietnam and enabled news outlets to relay information about the controversial war to the American public, however, the government imposed stringent guidelines regarding the information the media were allowed to release. The American government controlled the primary sources of information and focused on military success rather than failures. The Military Assistance Command officers in Vietnam, complying with orders that estimates of the North’s strength must be shown to be decreasing, reported that the North’s strength had depleted to 225,000 men in January just before the large scale Tet Offensive. In actuality, communist forces were far larger than disclosed. Years after this propaganda campaign, the same officers were asked again to estimate the scale of enemy forces in January 1968 and they deliberated it to be at least 287,000 men.
Furthermore, in all public statements given by government officials, language with any negative connotations was censored so as to not hurt public opinion. Famously, during the Vietnam War, the United States coined the term “collateral damage” to describe killed or wounded civilians in an attempt to reduce humanity and pathos by the American public. These propaganda techniques, which concealed the truth of affairs in Vietnam, did partially work as displayed by the “Gallup Poll” which asked participants “Do you think the U.S. and its allies are losing ground in Vietnam, standing still or making progress?” The proportion of those who answered “making progress” increased from 35% in July 1967 to 50% in December 1967.
Despite the government’s campaign efforts, President Johnson had to deal with opposition to the Vietnam War from the public. Propaganda could only do so much, and when protests broke out in the mid-sixties, Johnson tried to quash any dissenters by directly sending people to confront protesters. Beginning in 1965, anti-war protests on college campuses began to attract attention. The first of these protests occurred in the University of Michigan in March of 1965. Other universities also replicated their own resistance movements. In response to these protests, the government sent out “truth squads” in attempts to dispel the protests. However, this was largely ineffective as the protests had picked up momentum and a large proportion of American citizens agreed with the movement.
America also harnessed propaganda to target their enemies in North Vietnam by harming their morale. America heavily bombed North Vietnam during the war, they then released millions of leaflets to its citizens stating that the bombing would cease if they surrendered. Over four days in February 1966, 20 million leaflets were dropped over North Vietnam in a huge propaganda campaign. The US also dropped radios on North Vietnam which were programmed to only broadcast South Vietnamese stations to inundate the public with pro-South messages. They wanted to sway public opinion in favour of the capitalist South. Another method which was utilised was the unloading of toys, clothing and food over North Vietnam to show its citizens that the South’s alliance with America was propitious. It is debated whether these methods of propaganda were effective as they did not precipitate surrender.
Here are some examples of leaflets the US dropped over North Vietnam:
This leaflet shows an image of the My Dac Bridge which was attacked and destroyed on 22 April 1965. It says: “Compatriots of the North coming south to threaten and conquer our people should realise: If Communist North Vietnam continues its warlike invasion of the South, then we must continue bombing every part of North Vietnam.” This widely distributed leaflet has a clear and threatening message to the North Vietnamese which would evoke desperation and instil fear because the Americans heavily bombed North Vietnam and it was clear that they would not stop until they surrender.
The leaflets did also take a softer approach instead of fear-mongering by promising a better future if North Vietnam surrenders:
For example, this leaflet shows peaceful scenes and says: “If Communist North Vietnam stops its destructive warfare in the South, then the land will be peaceful and prosperity will be achieved in both South and North Vietnam. There will be improvements and prosperity everywhere. It will allow every young man and woman to be well educated. It will permit everybody to be well provided with food throughout the year.” In such desperate times for the citizens of Vietnam, this leaflet would have greatly appealed to them and their wish for a better future.
Vietnamese Propaganda in the Vietnam war:
Vietnamese propaganda was very different to American propaganda, its purpose predominantly was to raise morale and explain the nationalist cause to the Vietnamese people. North Vietnamese artists were essential in spreading Communist ideology to the front line to inspire soldiers and reach Vietnamese people in both the North and South. The main form of propaganda was posters and many artists from Vietnam went to the USSR to study Soviet propaganda. Drawing inspiration from that, the artists created many motivational posters appealing to the public’s sense of nationalism.
A recurring symbol in propaganda posters during the Vietnam War was Ho Chi Minh who played an integral role in Vietnam’s struggle for independence against Japan and subsequently France. Many people regarded him as a father-like figure and he was commonly referred to as “Uncle Ho”.
The poster below depicting Ho Chi Minh amongst lotus flowers translates to: “I am waiting for my country”. This message alongside a greatly revered leader would have motivated the public to fight against the US for their country. Moreover, the bold red and gold colours in this poster are emblematic of Communism and highlight Ho Chi Minh in a star resembling a halo, further presenting him as a great leader. The imagery of lotus flowers which is present in many posters would have inspired a sense of pride and nationalism amongst the North Vietnamese as it was the national flower of Vietnam.
The poster above depicts a young woman holding doves with the flag of the Vietcong in their beaks. The message says: “ Victory is ours”. This image is one of the most widely renowned pieces of propaganda in the Vietnam war due to its striking imagery. It presents an idealistic future for Vietnam of peace which the doves represent. The fact that the flag of the Vietcong is in the doves’ beaks shows the belief that the North Vietnamese’s plight was a noble cause for eventual peace and reunification. Lastly, the bold message would have inspired action from many civilians and given them hope for the war.
Comments