A Statistical Companion to “The Vietnam War”
By: Charles Franklin
Tags: Vietnam

A Statistical Companion to “The Vietnam War”

In September 2017 PBS broadcast “The Vietnam War” by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick over the course of two weeks. During that time I tweeted a series of statistical graphics illustrating the war, keeping to the year or years covered in each night’s episode. I had expected more response to the documentary and to my tweets during this period. The actual response to my tweets was not negligible but it was certainly not substantial. Perhaps the era has in fact passed and those of us old enough to have lived it, in both civilian and military roles, have moved on while new generations understandably lack an emotional connection to the war. In some ways this is probably a good thing.

Nonetheless, I have had a few requests for the graphics, and so I’m posting them here as an accessible archive. Teachers or others who may want the graphics for class purposes are welcome to download them from here.

I’ll proceed here as I did in the tweets, day by day and episode by episode. There is some redundancy in my tweets from one day to the next, but I’ll preserve that here simply to provide the complete set of graphics along with the text of each tweet.

“The Vietnam War” episodes and original broadcast dates

1858–1961, 9/17

First time opinion asked about Vietnam, September 1963, Harris Survey. 72% favor US involvement.

Gallup Vietnam tracking question, first asked August 1965. 24% mistake, 60% not. Re-asked January 1973. 60% mistake, 29% not.

US Vietnam deaths per day, 1961–1975.

2. 1961–1963, 9/18

My chart of US troop deaths in Vietnam overlaps days prompting @cfwells to ask how many days had zero deaths. From 1966–1969, none.

French Indochina war as background to US in Vietnam: Considerable doubt: Send troops 22%/No 68% Send Air/Navy/no troops: 36/No 52 May 1954

US experience in Korea as background to Vietnam.

In 1954, soon after Korea, a majority, 58%, supported use of tactical nukes if US sent troops to Indochina.

Kennedy felt he couldn’t lose Vietnam to communists but as of 1955 public was dubious it could be avoided 13 good chance 42 fair 24 not much

In September 1963, shortly before he was killed, 72% favored Kennedy’s policy in Vietnam, despite deaths of advisors.

In 1963, 123 US troops were killed in Vietnam.

3. 1964–1965, 9/19

Tonight on PBS, The Vietnam War covers 1964–65 as US troops begin to deploy. US deaths rise 909% in 1965, but it is barely the beginning.

PBS’s Vietnam War reaches 1964–65. 212 US dead in ’64 rose to 1,928 in ’65, which saw the 1st day of more than 100 troops killed, 11/17/65

4. 1966-June 1967, 9/20

Tonight The Vietnam War covers Jan 1966-June 1967. Things are getting much more serious.

5. July 1967-December 1967, 9/21

Tonight The War in Vietnam reaches the 2nd half of 1967. By the end of the year, more than 11,000 US troops will die. It will get worse.

6. January 1968-July 1968, 9/24

Tonight The Vietnam War reaches 1968 & the Tet Offensive. Total deaths: 16,863. See Wikipedia for the 3 offenses: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive …

1968 was the peak year for US troop casualties in Vietnam, 16,863 deaths.

When teaching about Vietnam war it’s hard to convey the toll for current students. One way was to count deaths on a single date, my birthday

Another look at the intensity of casualties in Vietnam. The number of days per year with *no* deaths. From 1966–1970: one day.

There were many incredible journalists who covered the Vietnam war, often in the field with troops in combat. I wanted to be Larry Burrows.

Here are a few of Larry Burrows’ iconic photos.

Burrows died in a helicopter crash in Laos, Feb 10, 1971. This remnant of his camera was eventually recovered.

Public opinion on Vietnam war.

7. June 1968-May 1969, 9/25

Approval of Johnson’s handling of Vietnam. I’m most surprised by how high “Don’t know” was and remained over 10%.

Would Nixon or Humphrey do a better job handling Vietnam? Quite a shift over the summer. About 15–20% said no difference.

What the public hoped Nixon would do about Vietnam, December 1968.

Vietnam deaths of US Troops, 1968 and 1969. Almost 1,000 deaths per month in 1969. That was an improvement.

A plurality say Vietnam war as a mistake by November 1967, growing to an increasing majority in 1968 and 1969. 1/3 said it wasn’t.

Several people have asked for this chart of cumulative US troop deaths in Vietnam.

8. April 1969-May 1970, 9/26

1969. Nixon doesn’t find a quick way out of Vietnam, but the US death toll trends down over the year. There is still no day without a death.

PBS TheVietnamWar says Gallup in 1969 found “most said Vietnam was a mistake” True, but that reached a majority in early 1968-not new in ‘69

Even as anti-war protests grew in 1969, more approved than disapproved of Nixon’s handling of the war that year and for most of his 1st term

Nixon’s overall approval held above 50% most of 1969–1972.

9. May 1970-March 1973, 9/27

The Vietnam War reaches 1970–73. US losses wind dramatically down as Nixon withdraws ground forces.

Nixon holds net positive approval for handling Vietnam. +12 around Kent State & Cambodian incursion. Tighten to even w 1971 Laotian failure

10. March 1973 on, 9/28

.@greenfield64 on LBJ awareness Vietnam would be disaster but unable to see way out http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/27/vietnam-war-documentary-ken-burns-missing-transcript-215652 … Text: http://prde.upress.virginia.edu/conversations/9060283/notes_open …

The cost of The Vietnam War: 58,069 American lives. Far more Vietnamese lives.