During the first year of office for President Richard Nixon (1913-1994; see entry in volume 5), the prospects for ending America's involvement in the Vietnam War (1954-75) had not improved. The U.S. military had been engaged in combat in the Vietnam War since 1965; over five hundred thousand troops were stationed there when Nixon took office in January 1969. Protest demonstrations against the war in American cities and on college campuses had become commonplace and were growing larger each month.

In early November 1969, President Nixon addressed the nation on the war in Vietnam. He wanted to ensure that Americans understood the situation there, the progress of peace talks, and the prospects for the withdrawal of American troops; he also wanted to address the growing unrest at home as reflected in antiwar protests. Americans were intensely divided over the war: some wanted an immediate withdrawal...