Episode 2475 – The Movement and the “Madman”

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PBS Documentary on Nixon’s “Madman Theory”

Professors Zachary Jacobson, Irwin Gellman, Carolyn Eisenberg discuss the PBS Documentary on Nixon’s “Madman Theory”

Episode 2474 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the PBS program The Movement and the “Madman.” Listen to the program organized by Andy Pham the features professors Zachary Jonathan Jacobson, Irwin F. Gellman and Carolyn Eisenberg discussing the PBS program. The producers of the program interviewed a number of researchers and historians, including Professor Eisenberg who is a contributor to this podcast episode.

The documentary tells the story of how the intensity of the U.S. anti-Vietnam War movement forced President Richard Nixon to abandon plans to escalate the conflict in the fall of 1969 and instead implement his “madman” theory, approving a secret alert of U.S. nuclear forces around the world to project the idea that he was “crazy” and force adversaries to back down.

 “The Movement and the ‘Madman’” was directed by Stephen Talbot. He drew on contemporary footage and interviews with former government officials and antiwar activists, including former Henry Kissinger aides Morton Halperin and Anthony Lake; former RAND analyst Daniel Ellsberg; Sam Brown, one of the organizers of the 15 October Moratorium; and Susan Miller-Coulter, a coordinator of the March Against Death in Washington, D.C.

To unravel the intricate story of the October alert, the authors place it in the context of nuclear threat making and coercive diplomacy during the Cold War, from 1945 to 1973,

The PBS program The Movement and the “Madman” Premieres March 28, 2023. Check your local listings for show times. The program producer feels that it will provide Vietnam Veterans an opportunity to reflect on the Vietnam War and how it affected their lives.

Listen to episode 2475 and discover more about the PBS program The Movement and the “Madman.” Listen to the program organized by Andy Pham the features professors Zachary Jonathan Jacobson, Irwin F. Gellman and Carolyn Eisenberg discussing the PBS program.