AllMovie

This documentary, part of the 20th Century With Mike Wallace series from CBS News and the History Channel, depicts how the mess of the Vietnam War began, from the days before the fighting started. Narrated by series host and CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace, this episode begins with the conflict in French Indochina shortly after the end of World War II and leads up to the time when the U.S. sent vast amounts of troops to Southeast Asia. 20th Century With Mike Wallace features an interview with former Associated Press Bureau Chief in Saigon Malcolm Brown, who was right there to witness the increasing tensions between the North and South Vietnamese and the U.S. officials who came to monitor the situation. There is also an interview with historian George C. Herring, who has written many books on the Vietnam War years, specifically on the U.S. policies that led to the war.