After running out of time during our discussion on the Vietnam War and the Ken Burns documentary, Michael Swanson and I recorded this short extra. We talk about the South Vietnamese community that settled in Washington DC during and after the war, China and Vietnam’s economic competition, CIA agent Donald Gregg and his connection to DC Madame Henry Vinson, and Bank of America’s funding of Ken Burns.
Michael Swanson, the author of The War State, joins me for an in-depth discussion of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Vietnam documentary series. I begin the conversation by discussing my own fascination with the Vietnam War. I talk about the influence my father has had on my understanding of the war, touching on his experiences with the army when he was drafted in 1969. Michael and I then dive into the film itself. We look at some of the serious flaws and aspects that the we felt were left out with the film including the CIA and drug trafficking.
