Dear Senator Smith: Small-town Maine Writes to Senator Margaret Chase Smith about the Vietnam War, 1967-1971Eric Robert Crouse In the years 1967-1971, Senator Margaret Chase Smith was the only female member of the Senate and her reputation of integrity and independent thinking attracted the attention of those seeking to understand and voice their opinion on the Vietnam War experience. Dear Senator Smith is an edited collection of letters that shed light on the far-reaching and polarized tensions that exploded on the scene during Lyndon Johnson's government and continued into Richard Nixon's administration. These letters written by ordinary people living in Maine touch on class, race, gender, foreign policy, patriotism, and dissent and provide valuable insight on the impact of the war on the home front, the threat of communism, and the strength of the anti-war movement. By going beyond the circle of political and anti-war elites, Dear Senator Smith shows how ordinary small-town Americans upheld or protested Cold War ideology, offered new paradigms, and generally experienced the new challenges that correlated with the battles being fought both in Southeast Asia and on the home front. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
A Note on Letter Methodology | 15 |
THE JOHNSON YEARS 19671968 | 17 |
A Growing War | 21 |
A Worried Nation | 49 |
Rising Opposition | 83 |
THE NIXON YEARS 19691971 | 117 |
Nothing New under the Sun | 121 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
action administration agree American antiwar appear armed become believe bombing boys bring Cambodia cause Communism Communist concerned Congress continue course Dear Senator Smith demonstrations draft Editor's note elected enemy express face feel female fight forces foreign give going hope involvement issue Johnson killed leaders letters living Maine majority male March matter means military moral never Nixon North opinion opposed peace political position possible present President Press problems protest question reason recent represent response seems sent Sincerely situation Skowhegan South Vietnam Southeast Asia stand stop talk Thank thing thought tion troops truly understand United University Viet Vietnamese views vote week wish withdrawal write wrong York young