Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics

The panel talked about the life and career of Melvin Laird. After his election in 1968, President-Elect Nixon asked Wisconsin Congressman… read more

The panel talked about the life and career of Melvin Laird.

After his election in 1968, President-Elect Nixon asked Wisconsin Congressman Melvin Laird to find him a secretary of defense. However, with the country at the peak of its involvement in Vietnam, no one wanted the job. After a long and frustrating process, Laird took the job himself, and during his term, deftly navigated the politics and peril attached to the war, overseeing Vietnamization, ending the draft, initiating troop withdrawals, and crafting an exit strategy.

Dale van Atta is the author of With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. close

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  • George C. Herring Professor University of Kentucky->History Department
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Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics

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Program ID:
204596-1
Category:
Public Affairs Event
Format:
Forum
Location:
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
First Aired:
May 11, 2008 | 12:04am EDT | C-SPAN 2
Last Aired:
May 11, 2008 | 4:15pm EDT | C-SPAN 2

Airing Details

  • May 11, 2008 | 12:04am EDT | C-SPAN 2
  • May 11, 2008 | 5:59am EDT | C-SPAN 2
  • May 11, 2008 | 4:15pm EDT | C-SPAN 2
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Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics

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