Associated Press. “Calley apologizes for role in My Lai massacre.” August 21, 2009. Found on http://www.msnbc.msn.com
/id/32514139/ns/us_news-military/t/calley-apologizes-role-my-lai-massacre/.
After forty years of silence, Calley finally apologized for his actions during the My Lai Massacre. This is a very recent article, published in 2009. This was meant for the world to see, because no one had ever expected this to happen. The purpose of this document is to inform its readers to learn what was going on when Calley apologized for his behavior. He spoke at a meeting at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus. In his apology, Calley explained that he regretted causing so much violence and emotional pain to be inflicted on the Vietnamese families. Calley proclaims, "There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry." This source was useful because it demonstrated that Calley did finally show remorse for the violence that occurred during the massacre.
Bigart, Homer . "Prosecution Says That Medina 'Chose Not To Intervene' at My Lai ." New York Times, August 16, 1970.
This article is telling its readers about Medina’s court case. It is by Homer Bigart and was published in the middle of August in the New York Times. This is the time period when people were being told what really happened in My Lai. Everyone involved was being questioned and no one knew the difference between fact or fiction. This case came as a shock to everyone, because no one thought Medina would do that. This is helpful because you get an inside look on the court case.
Everett, Arthur. "Lt. Calley Convicted." Dallas Morning News, March 30, 1971.
The author of this article is Arthur Everett, and it was published in the Dallas Morning News newspaper on March 30, 1971. The intended audience of this source is the citizens of Texas, but eventually this article would make it around the nation. It reports Leutienent Calley’s conviction for premeditated murder. This source provides ample amount of quotes that are extremely useful in helping to describe what his thoughts on his conviction were. It not only talks about the trial, it also describes the scene before and after Calley is in the court house. Some people are fully supportive of him, others are completely against him.
Hersh, Seymour. “Hamlet Attack Called ‘Point-Blank Murder.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 20, 1969. Found on
http://pierretristam.com/Bobst/library/wf-200.htm.
This source is one of the articles written by Seymour Hersh that helped to win him the Pulitzer Prize. In this article, Hersh reveals to the public the atrocities committed during the My Lai Massacre and also explains that the military had the evidence early on, lied about it, and covered the crimes up. In this specific article, Hersh includes three primary source interviews from soldiers who participated in the event. The main bias in this source is against the army’s actions. Hersh focuses on the horrible things the army did and fails to include their reasoning behind the violence. Hersh’s articles were an extremely helpful source. They provided key information regarding the events of the massacre as well as the attempted cover-up.
Johnson, Kathryn. “A My Lai in Every War.” Associated Press. March, 1971. http://www.newsinhistory.com/blog/my-lai-massacre-
lt-calley-convicted-murder
After his four month long trial, the longest in U.S. court-martial history at the time, Kathryn Johnson interviewed William Calley after he was given his first guilty verdict in his court-martial. In this interview Calley did not apologize for his actions. Instead, he explained that violence, like that which occurred in My Lai, happens in every war and stated that he hoped this event would open the eyes of Americans. The main bias in this interview is in favor of Calley’s actions. In his interview Calley attempts to justify his actions and fails to include the perspective of the Vietnamese who suffered because of his violence. This article was extremely helpful because it provided many quotes from Calley.
Johnson, Lyndon Baines. “Report on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.” August 4, 1964. Found on http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive
/speeches/detail/3998.
In August 1964, a US warship was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. After this incident occurred President Johnson addressed the nation and explained his plans for future US intervention in Vietnam. In response to this attack Congress decided to pass the Southeast Asia Resolution. This act all allowed President Lyndon Johnson to conduct military operations in the Vietnam without a declaration of war. On March 2, 1965, US aircraft began bombing targets in Vietnam and the first troops arrived. In his speech Johnson explains that protecting the peace means engaging in violence in Vietnam. The main bias in this source is against the North Vietnamese. Johnson’s speech fails to include their motivations behind the attack. This source was useful in understanding early US intervention in Vietnam that led up to the massacre.
Kamm, Henry . "Vietnamese Say G.I.'s Slew 567 in Town." New York Times, November 17, 1969.
The author of this article is Henry Kamm. It was published in the New York Times on November 17, 1969. This article was published to tell the public the truth about what happened during the My Lai Massacre. The public had been told many lies about the My Lai Massacre, which they had believed. They were told that it had actually been a great American Victory, when in fact it was a horrifying event. The key bias in this source is that it only explains what the American soldiers did that was horrible.
Nixon, Richard. “Speech on Vietnamization" November 3, 1969. Found on http://vietnam.vassar.edu/overview/doc14.html.
Richard Nixon was elected president after the nation was shocked by the Tet Offensive. In order to deal with the nation’s outrage, he developed his own plan for ending US involvement. On November 3, 1969 Nixon addressed the nation and explained his plans for future action in Vietnam. He hoped to strengthen the Army of the Republic of Vietnam so that it could fight the war by itself in this process known as Vietnamization. United States troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam was given more responsibility. A bias found in this speech is unsurprisingly in favor of American intervention. Nixon does not include the perspective of those opposed to helping the southern army at all. This speech was extremely useful in understanding the role Nixon desired to play in Vietnam.
Ridenhour, Ron. “Letter to Congress.” March 29, 1969. Found on http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/vietnam
/ridenhour_letter.cfm.
Ronald Ridenhour, a soldier in the American Army, had heard five eyewitness accounts of the My Lai Massacre. He sent a letter to President Nixon, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many members of congress. This letter was an extremely helpful source because it demonstrated the pressure various soldiers and reporters put on the government to reveal the truth about what happened at My Lai. This letter also displays that many members of the army were taken aback by the stories they heard about the massacre, revealing that even the army was shocked by its own actions.
Thompson, Hugh. Personal Account of Massacre. September, 1971. Found on http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history
/vietnam/h_thompson.cfm
In this source, Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot, gives his firsthand account of the massacre. He describes the orders they were given to invade “Pinkville”, another name for My Lai. After witnessing the horrible crimes that were occurring, Thompson refused to participate in the violence. He told his commanding officer, “If this damn stuff is what's happening here, you can take these wings right now 'cause they're only sewn on with thread." This source was useful because it illustrated that the soldiers who participated in this massacre still displayed some signs of humanity.
U.S. Department of the Army Report. “Report of the Department of the Army of Review of the Preliminary Investigations into the My
Lai Incident” March 14, 1970.
This source is the official preliminary report of the Army’s investigations into the My Lai Massacre. In this detailed account, the actions of the Charlie Company are analyzed. All officials who were associated with the massacre are investigated and their role in the matter was investigated. This source was interesting to see what steps the army took to find out the truth after the cover-up failed. The main bias in this source is that it fails to include firsthand accounts from the Vietnamese who survived the massacre.
/id/32514139/ns/us_news-military/t/calley-apologizes-role-my-lai-massacre/.
After forty years of silence, Calley finally apologized for his actions during the My Lai Massacre. This is a very recent article, published in 2009. This was meant for the world to see, because no one had ever expected this to happen. The purpose of this document is to inform its readers to learn what was going on when Calley apologized for his behavior. He spoke at a meeting at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus. In his apology, Calley explained that he regretted causing so much violence and emotional pain to be inflicted on the Vietnamese families. Calley proclaims, "There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry." This source was useful because it demonstrated that Calley did finally show remorse for the violence that occurred during the massacre.
Bigart, Homer . "Prosecution Says That Medina 'Chose Not To Intervene' at My Lai ." New York Times, August 16, 1970.
This article is telling its readers about Medina’s court case. It is by Homer Bigart and was published in the middle of August in the New York Times. This is the time period when people were being told what really happened in My Lai. Everyone involved was being questioned and no one knew the difference between fact or fiction. This case came as a shock to everyone, because no one thought Medina would do that. This is helpful because you get an inside look on the court case.
Everett, Arthur. "Lt. Calley Convicted." Dallas Morning News, March 30, 1971.
The author of this article is Arthur Everett, and it was published in the Dallas Morning News newspaper on March 30, 1971. The intended audience of this source is the citizens of Texas, but eventually this article would make it around the nation. It reports Leutienent Calley’s conviction for premeditated murder. This source provides ample amount of quotes that are extremely useful in helping to describe what his thoughts on his conviction were. It not only talks about the trial, it also describes the scene before and after Calley is in the court house. Some people are fully supportive of him, others are completely against him.
Hersh, Seymour. “Hamlet Attack Called ‘Point-Blank Murder.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 20, 1969. Found on
http://pierretristam.com/Bobst/library/wf-200.htm.
This source is one of the articles written by Seymour Hersh that helped to win him the Pulitzer Prize. In this article, Hersh reveals to the public the atrocities committed during the My Lai Massacre and also explains that the military had the evidence early on, lied about it, and covered the crimes up. In this specific article, Hersh includes three primary source interviews from soldiers who participated in the event. The main bias in this source is against the army’s actions. Hersh focuses on the horrible things the army did and fails to include their reasoning behind the violence. Hersh’s articles were an extremely helpful source. They provided key information regarding the events of the massacre as well as the attempted cover-up.
Johnson, Kathryn. “A My Lai in Every War.” Associated Press. March, 1971. http://www.newsinhistory.com/blog/my-lai-massacre-
lt-calley-convicted-murder
After his four month long trial, the longest in U.S. court-martial history at the time, Kathryn Johnson interviewed William Calley after he was given his first guilty verdict in his court-martial. In this interview Calley did not apologize for his actions. Instead, he explained that violence, like that which occurred in My Lai, happens in every war and stated that he hoped this event would open the eyes of Americans. The main bias in this interview is in favor of Calley’s actions. In his interview Calley attempts to justify his actions and fails to include the perspective of the Vietnamese who suffered because of his violence. This article was extremely helpful because it provided many quotes from Calley.
Johnson, Lyndon Baines. “Report on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.” August 4, 1964. Found on http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive
/speeches/detail/3998.
In August 1964, a US warship was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. After this incident occurred President Johnson addressed the nation and explained his plans for future US intervention in Vietnam. In response to this attack Congress decided to pass the Southeast Asia Resolution. This act all allowed President Lyndon Johnson to conduct military operations in the Vietnam without a declaration of war. On March 2, 1965, US aircraft began bombing targets in Vietnam and the first troops arrived. In his speech Johnson explains that protecting the peace means engaging in violence in Vietnam. The main bias in this source is against the North Vietnamese. Johnson’s speech fails to include their motivations behind the attack. This source was useful in understanding early US intervention in Vietnam that led up to the massacre.
Kamm, Henry . "Vietnamese Say G.I.'s Slew 567 in Town." New York Times, November 17, 1969.
The author of this article is Henry Kamm. It was published in the New York Times on November 17, 1969. This article was published to tell the public the truth about what happened during the My Lai Massacre. The public had been told many lies about the My Lai Massacre, which they had believed. They were told that it had actually been a great American Victory, when in fact it was a horrifying event. The key bias in this source is that it only explains what the American soldiers did that was horrible.
Nixon, Richard. “Speech on Vietnamization" November 3, 1969. Found on http://vietnam.vassar.edu/overview/doc14.html.
Richard Nixon was elected president after the nation was shocked by the Tet Offensive. In order to deal with the nation’s outrage, he developed his own plan for ending US involvement. On November 3, 1969 Nixon addressed the nation and explained his plans for future action in Vietnam. He hoped to strengthen the Army of the Republic of Vietnam so that it could fight the war by itself in this process known as Vietnamization. United States troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam was given more responsibility. A bias found in this speech is unsurprisingly in favor of American intervention. Nixon does not include the perspective of those opposed to helping the southern army at all. This speech was extremely useful in understanding the role Nixon desired to play in Vietnam.
Ridenhour, Ron. “Letter to Congress.” March 29, 1969. Found on http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/vietnam
/ridenhour_letter.cfm.
Ronald Ridenhour, a soldier in the American Army, had heard five eyewitness accounts of the My Lai Massacre. He sent a letter to President Nixon, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many members of congress. This letter was an extremely helpful source because it demonstrated the pressure various soldiers and reporters put on the government to reveal the truth about what happened at My Lai. This letter also displays that many members of the army were taken aback by the stories they heard about the massacre, revealing that even the army was shocked by its own actions.
Thompson, Hugh. Personal Account of Massacre. September, 1971. Found on http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history
/vietnam/h_thompson.cfm
In this source, Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot, gives his firsthand account of the massacre. He describes the orders they were given to invade “Pinkville”, another name for My Lai. After witnessing the horrible crimes that were occurring, Thompson refused to participate in the violence. He told his commanding officer, “If this damn stuff is what's happening here, you can take these wings right now 'cause they're only sewn on with thread." This source was useful because it illustrated that the soldiers who participated in this massacre still displayed some signs of humanity.
U.S. Department of the Army Report. “Report of the Department of the Army of Review of the Preliminary Investigations into the My
Lai Incident” March 14, 1970.
This source is the official preliminary report of the Army’s investigations into the My Lai Massacre. In this detailed account, the actions of the Charlie Company are analyzed. All officials who were associated with the massacre are investigated and their role in the matter was investigated. This source was interesting to see what steps the army took to find out the truth after the cover-up failed. The main bias in this source is that it fails to include firsthand accounts from the Vietnamese who survived the massacre.