Alexander, Paul. “Thirty Years Later, Memories of My Lai Massacre Remain Fresh” South Coast Today, March 15, 1998. Found on
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/vietnam/mylai_survivor.cfm.
In this newspaper article, Paul Alexander looks back on the My Lai Massacre after thirty years had passed by. In his article he provides two primary source interviews with survivors of the massacre. Alexander explains that the events of the massacre have not been forgotten by the people of My Lai. The purpose of this document is to make sure Americans do not forget the atrocities that were committed and that vividly remain in the minds of the people of My Lai. The main bias in this source is against the soldiers who were members of the Charlie Company because Alexander fails to include their perspectives regarding the massacre. This article was extremely helpful to see the lasting effects of the massacre on both Americans and the Vietnamese.
Anderson, David L. Facing My Lai: Moving Beyond the Massacre. Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas, 1998.
This source combines journalists, novelists, historians, and a psychiatrist to make a book that is extremely diverse in content. It also includes writings by Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour, two major figures of the war. The contributors are address many questions that have been asked since the truth has come out, and they try to answer them in a way that will lead to a better understanding of what the meaning of My Lai is now. David Anderson was a sergeant when he served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He then moved on to be a professor of history and chair of the Department of History and Political Science at the University of Indianapolis. Because of this broad background, Anderson was able to write a book full of quality information. This source was helpful for getting good quotes to help further explain what people believed in during this time.
Ashmore, Harry S., and William C. Baggs. Mission to Hanoi; a chronicle of double-dealing in high places, a special report
from the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions,. New York: Putnam, 1968.
The authors of this source are Harry S. Ashmore and William C. Baggs. The main idea of this book is described as an “eye-opening account of how the United States has formulated and conducted its policies on Vietnam”. Ashmore is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor and author, while Baggs was the editor of the Miami News. The key bias in this source is that the two authors make it extremely clear that they do not approve of the president’s actions during the Vietnam War. The author especially believes that Johnson and Nixon had over idealized hopes for the country’s role in the war. This source was extremely helpful because it gave a completely different view on a subject that most sources took the same, opposite stand. This was used to give an insight on what some people thought about the president during the war.
Bilton, Michael. Four Hours at My Lai. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
In this source American and Vietnamese survivors are interviewed to provide detailed first-hand accounts of what happened during the massacre. Survivors of the massacre describe the atrocities they witnessed. American soldiers provide their perspective on what they were thinking during the massacre. Michael Bilton analyzes these primary sources to vividly describe the events of the massacre. This source was extremely useful because it contained many primary source quotes that illustrated the perspective of those involved.
Charlton, Michael, and Anthony Moncrieff. Many reasons why: the American involvement in Vietnam. New York: Hill and Wang,
1978.
The main idea in this book is to trace Americas growing involvement in Vietnam over the period of thirty years. It includes firsthand accounts about the decisions and mistakes that were made that brought America into war. Because there are so many firsthand accounts, this book is extremely well rounded and offers many different sides of the same story. Included in these accounts are statements from authority figures such as Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. The authors of this book are Michael Charlton and Anthony Moncrieff. Charlton worked for BBC’s Panorama for thirteen years and primarily focused on foreign affairs. He also was a regular presenter for the BBC current affairs program Newsday. Moncrieff also was employed at BBC, and edited several books. With such busy backgrounds, these authors have the skills and smarts to write a well informed book. This clearly explained what major figures thought during this time period of the war, and was it was great to get this kind of perspective.
French, Peter. Individual and Collective Responsibility: The Massacre at My Lai. Massachusetts: Schenkman Publishing
Company, 1973.
In this source Peter French focuses on the ethical issues associated with war crimes such as the massacre. He begins by exploring the factors that would allow human beings to commit atrocities, such as the My Lai Massacre. Peter French also analyzes the role the military and the government such play in taking responsibility for its actions. French explains that Calley was used somewhat as a scapegoat to take the blame away from the army. French believe the violence from the massacre should force Americans to look at their own humanity and morality. The author of this source includes an extensive bibliography, proving himself to be a reliable source. This book was helpful in understanding the ethical and moral impact the My Lai Massacre had on Americans.
Goldstein, Joseph, Marshall, Burke, and Jack Schwartz. The My Lai Massacre and its Cover-Up: Beyond the Reach of the Law?
New York: The Free Press, 1976.
This book thoroughly details both the events of My Lai and the cover-up in the Army chain of command which followed. The editors of this book raise ethical and powerful questions concerning the war crimes, the suppressed information, and the moral responsibility. This book also contains numerous pictures and maps to help better explain and demonstrate the attack itself. The authors of this book are Joseph Goldstein, Burke Marshall, and Jack Schwartz. Goldstein is the author of many books and is a professor at Yale University. Burke is also a professor at Yale, and was formerly Assistant Attorney General of the United States, where he was in charge of the Civil Rights Division. Because he was in this department, he was able to analyze these events very well. Schwartz was part of the U.S Army for four years, and he served in Vietnam. He is also a graduate of Yale. This book offers the perfect amount of facts and opinion, making it extremely well rounded.
Hammer, Richard. One Morning in the War: The Tragedy at Son My. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1970.
In this book the author, Richard Hammer, provides a detailed account of the massacre. Beginning with the army’s first motivations behind the attack and ending with the failed cover-up, Hammer includes various primary sources to emphasize what occurred in My Lai. In order to write the book, Hammer traveled to Son My. Once in the village, he was able to receive first-hand accounts from survivors. Hammer depicts the horror and “slaughter by mass psychosis” which occurred at My Lai. A slight bias found in this source was against the United States Army. The author focuses on the perspective of the villagers and fails to equally include the motivations behind the army’s actions. This source was extremely useful in understanding the massacre. It not only described what occurred in the village, but also provided many primary sources that helped illustrate the horrible actions of the army.
Hersh, Seymour. Cover-Up: The Army’s Secret Investigation of the Massacre at My Lai 4. New York: Random House, 1972.
Seymour Hersh was the first reporter to publish details of the My Lai killings on November 12, 1969. In his articles he informed citizens of the details of the massacre. He included eye-opening quotes from interviews he conducted with three American soldiers who were present during the massacre. This excellent and thorough reporting is again demonstrated in this source. Hersh focuses on explaining how the army attempted to cover up what occurred at My Lai. A minor bias found in his book is against the actions of the army. He fails to focus on the reasoning behind the army’s decisions to cover up the massacre. Hersh’s book was extremely useful in understanding how the event was originally concealed from the public.
Hersh, Seymour M. My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and its Aftermath. New York: Random House, 1970.
This book offers nearly 50 accounts from the members of the Charlie Company. The author of his book, Seymour Hersh, traveled more than 50,000 miles to find and interview these men. Among these is an interview with Lieutenant William Calley. Hersh was the first to inform the world of Calley’s atrocities through a series of newspaper articles. Hersh has worked for many important people of his time, including Eugene McCarthy. He also worked for the Associated Press, but left after they would not publish an article of his, and won a special George Polk Memorial Award in February, for his reporting on the My Lai Massacre. Because of this award that he received, the reader knows that this book is going to contain plentiful and right information about the massacre. The main bias of this source is that Hersh never really offers his view on the subject; he leaves it to the people he interviews. This was useful in the fact that it gave the reader a clear view of what people thought and did during the massacre.
Just, Ward. Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1975. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 2000.
In this source articles from over fifty writers are combined to capture the bravery, brutality, joy and sadness associated with the Vietnam War. The book begins with early American intervention and ends with the fall of Saigon in 1975. This source includes several articles written during the time of the My Lai Massacre and the failure of its cover-up. A slight bias found in this source was against the soldiers of the Charlie Company. Many journalists focused on their horrible actions but failed to include their original motivations for entering the village. This book was extremely helpful in providing an overview of the major events of the war and the context surrounding the massacre. It was also helpful in understanding how the public reacted during the court trials of Medina and Calley.
Peers, William R. The My Lai Inquiry. New York: Norton, 1979.
This book is written by the man who led the investigation of the My Lai Massacre. The author believes the My Lai Massacre and cover-up not as an outgrowth of the Army’s principles and regulations but as a profound disregard of the high standards. The author, William Peers, was involved in three wars including the Vietnam War, and led the whole official inquiry. He is the co-author of the book Behind the Burma Road, and has contributed to both military and civilian periodicals. Because of this extensive background and the fact that he was heavily involved in the investigation, Peers is highly qualified and his book is the same. In the book he states that “he knows what happened- or didn’t happen- afterward”. Peers believes that the Massacre was “an illegal operation in violation of military regulations and human rights”. The main bias in the source is that Peers is completely against the Massacre, and he makes sure that his thoughts on the matter are very clear. This book was valuable because it is a firsthand account of what really happened. It is through the investigators own eyes and in his own words.
Sack, John. Lieutenant Calley. His Own Story: New York: The Viking Press, 1971.
This book is the only authorized autobiography about Calley. Almost the whole entire book is Calley’s own words. Sack talked to Calley for one hundred days, and he asked him near ten thousand questions. Sack stated that he wanted to elicit his past thoughts rather than to inspire newer ones or to insinuate his own. In this book, the truth about what really happened is told. It is said that “It is unlikely that America’s image of itself and its soldiers will survive the publication of his own account”. The author of this book, John Sack, went to Vietnam as a correspondent with an Army infantry company, and he even published a book about it. He is now a contributing editor for Esquire. This source was extremely helpful in the fact that it supplied numerous quotes from Calley himself about the massacre.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/vietnam/mylai_survivor.cfm.
In this newspaper article, Paul Alexander looks back on the My Lai Massacre after thirty years had passed by. In his article he provides two primary source interviews with survivors of the massacre. Alexander explains that the events of the massacre have not been forgotten by the people of My Lai. The purpose of this document is to make sure Americans do not forget the atrocities that were committed and that vividly remain in the minds of the people of My Lai. The main bias in this source is against the soldiers who were members of the Charlie Company because Alexander fails to include their perspectives regarding the massacre. This article was extremely helpful to see the lasting effects of the massacre on both Americans and the Vietnamese.
Anderson, David L. Facing My Lai: Moving Beyond the Massacre. Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas, 1998.
This source combines journalists, novelists, historians, and a psychiatrist to make a book that is extremely diverse in content. It also includes writings by Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour, two major figures of the war. The contributors are address many questions that have been asked since the truth has come out, and they try to answer them in a way that will lead to a better understanding of what the meaning of My Lai is now. David Anderson was a sergeant when he served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He then moved on to be a professor of history and chair of the Department of History and Political Science at the University of Indianapolis. Because of this broad background, Anderson was able to write a book full of quality information. This source was helpful for getting good quotes to help further explain what people believed in during this time.
Ashmore, Harry S., and William C. Baggs. Mission to Hanoi; a chronicle of double-dealing in high places, a special report
from the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions,. New York: Putnam, 1968.
The authors of this source are Harry S. Ashmore and William C. Baggs. The main idea of this book is described as an “eye-opening account of how the United States has formulated and conducted its policies on Vietnam”. Ashmore is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor and author, while Baggs was the editor of the Miami News. The key bias in this source is that the two authors make it extremely clear that they do not approve of the president’s actions during the Vietnam War. The author especially believes that Johnson and Nixon had over idealized hopes for the country’s role in the war. This source was extremely helpful because it gave a completely different view on a subject that most sources took the same, opposite stand. This was used to give an insight on what some people thought about the president during the war.
Bilton, Michael. Four Hours at My Lai. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
In this source American and Vietnamese survivors are interviewed to provide detailed first-hand accounts of what happened during the massacre. Survivors of the massacre describe the atrocities they witnessed. American soldiers provide their perspective on what they were thinking during the massacre. Michael Bilton analyzes these primary sources to vividly describe the events of the massacre. This source was extremely useful because it contained many primary source quotes that illustrated the perspective of those involved.
Charlton, Michael, and Anthony Moncrieff. Many reasons why: the American involvement in Vietnam. New York: Hill and Wang,
1978.
The main idea in this book is to trace Americas growing involvement in Vietnam over the period of thirty years. It includes firsthand accounts about the decisions and mistakes that were made that brought America into war. Because there are so many firsthand accounts, this book is extremely well rounded and offers many different sides of the same story. Included in these accounts are statements from authority figures such as Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. The authors of this book are Michael Charlton and Anthony Moncrieff. Charlton worked for BBC’s Panorama for thirteen years and primarily focused on foreign affairs. He also was a regular presenter for the BBC current affairs program Newsday. Moncrieff also was employed at BBC, and edited several books. With such busy backgrounds, these authors have the skills and smarts to write a well informed book. This clearly explained what major figures thought during this time period of the war, and was it was great to get this kind of perspective.
French, Peter. Individual and Collective Responsibility: The Massacre at My Lai. Massachusetts: Schenkman Publishing
Company, 1973.
In this source Peter French focuses on the ethical issues associated with war crimes such as the massacre. He begins by exploring the factors that would allow human beings to commit atrocities, such as the My Lai Massacre. Peter French also analyzes the role the military and the government such play in taking responsibility for its actions. French explains that Calley was used somewhat as a scapegoat to take the blame away from the army. French believe the violence from the massacre should force Americans to look at their own humanity and morality. The author of this source includes an extensive bibliography, proving himself to be a reliable source. This book was helpful in understanding the ethical and moral impact the My Lai Massacre had on Americans.
Goldstein, Joseph, Marshall, Burke, and Jack Schwartz. The My Lai Massacre and its Cover-Up: Beyond the Reach of the Law?
New York: The Free Press, 1976.
This book thoroughly details both the events of My Lai and the cover-up in the Army chain of command which followed. The editors of this book raise ethical and powerful questions concerning the war crimes, the suppressed information, and the moral responsibility. This book also contains numerous pictures and maps to help better explain and demonstrate the attack itself. The authors of this book are Joseph Goldstein, Burke Marshall, and Jack Schwartz. Goldstein is the author of many books and is a professor at Yale University. Burke is also a professor at Yale, and was formerly Assistant Attorney General of the United States, where he was in charge of the Civil Rights Division. Because he was in this department, he was able to analyze these events very well. Schwartz was part of the U.S Army for four years, and he served in Vietnam. He is also a graduate of Yale. This book offers the perfect amount of facts and opinion, making it extremely well rounded.
Hammer, Richard. One Morning in the War: The Tragedy at Son My. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1970.
In this book the author, Richard Hammer, provides a detailed account of the massacre. Beginning with the army’s first motivations behind the attack and ending with the failed cover-up, Hammer includes various primary sources to emphasize what occurred in My Lai. In order to write the book, Hammer traveled to Son My. Once in the village, he was able to receive first-hand accounts from survivors. Hammer depicts the horror and “slaughter by mass psychosis” which occurred at My Lai. A slight bias found in this source was against the United States Army. The author focuses on the perspective of the villagers and fails to equally include the motivations behind the army’s actions. This source was extremely useful in understanding the massacre. It not only described what occurred in the village, but also provided many primary sources that helped illustrate the horrible actions of the army.
Hersh, Seymour. Cover-Up: The Army’s Secret Investigation of the Massacre at My Lai 4. New York: Random House, 1972.
Seymour Hersh was the first reporter to publish details of the My Lai killings on November 12, 1969. In his articles he informed citizens of the details of the massacre. He included eye-opening quotes from interviews he conducted with three American soldiers who were present during the massacre. This excellent and thorough reporting is again demonstrated in this source. Hersh focuses on explaining how the army attempted to cover up what occurred at My Lai. A minor bias found in his book is against the actions of the army. He fails to focus on the reasoning behind the army’s decisions to cover up the massacre. Hersh’s book was extremely useful in understanding how the event was originally concealed from the public.
Hersh, Seymour M. My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and its Aftermath. New York: Random House, 1970.
This book offers nearly 50 accounts from the members of the Charlie Company. The author of his book, Seymour Hersh, traveled more than 50,000 miles to find and interview these men. Among these is an interview with Lieutenant William Calley. Hersh was the first to inform the world of Calley’s atrocities through a series of newspaper articles. Hersh has worked for many important people of his time, including Eugene McCarthy. He also worked for the Associated Press, but left after they would not publish an article of his, and won a special George Polk Memorial Award in February, for his reporting on the My Lai Massacre. Because of this award that he received, the reader knows that this book is going to contain plentiful and right information about the massacre. The main bias of this source is that Hersh never really offers his view on the subject; he leaves it to the people he interviews. This was useful in the fact that it gave the reader a clear view of what people thought and did during the massacre.
Just, Ward. Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1975. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 2000.
In this source articles from over fifty writers are combined to capture the bravery, brutality, joy and sadness associated with the Vietnam War. The book begins with early American intervention and ends with the fall of Saigon in 1975. This source includes several articles written during the time of the My Lai Massacre and the failure of its cover-up. A slight bias found in this source was against the soldiers of the Charlie Company. Many journalists focused on their horrible actions but failed to include their original motivations for entering the village. This book was extremely helpful in providing an overview of the major events of the war and the context surrounding the massacre. It was also helpful in understanding how the public reacted during the court trials of Medina and Calley.
Peers, William R. The My Lai Inquiry. New York: Norton, 1979.
This book is written by the man who led the investigation of the My Lai Massacre. The author believes the My Lai Massacre and cover-up not as an outgrowth of the Army’s principles and regulations but as a profound disregard of the high standards. The author, William Peers, was involved in three wars including the Vietnam War, and led the whole official inquiry. He is the co-author of the book Behind the Burma Road, and has contributed to both military and civilian periodicals. Because of this extensive background and the fact that he was heavily involved in the investigation, Peers is highly qualified and his book is the same. In the book he states that “he knows what happened- or didn’t happen- afterward”. Peers believes that the Massacre was “an illegal operation in violation of military regulations and human rights”. The main bias in the source is that Peers is completely against the Massacre, and he makes sure that his thoughts on the matter are very clear. This book was valuable because it is a firsthand account of what really happened. It is through the investigators own eyes and in his own words.
Sack, John. Lieutenant Calley. His Own Story: New York: The Viking Press, 1971.
This book is the only authorized autobiography about Calley. Almost the whole entire book is Calley’s own words. Sack talked to Calley for one hundred days, and he asked him near ten thousand questions. Sack stated that he wanted to elicit his past thoughts rather than to inspire newer ones or to insinuate his own. In this book, the truth about what really happened is told. It is said that “It is unlikely that America’s image of itself and its soldiers will survive the publication of his own account”. The author of this book, John Sack, went to Vietnam as a correspondent with an Army infantry company, and he even published a book about it. He is now a contributing editor for Esquire. This source was extremely helpful in the fact that it supplied numerous quotes from Calley himself about the massacre.