Good evening. I hope youll excuse all this. But ive been taking some time off from my job to look into something important to all of us. That seems to be pretty well confused. What i mean is missiles, High Performance airplanes. Why do we have so many . Why do we need both . Where are we going with all of this . A fellow asked me that question in london not very long ago. You know, its not a simple question. And i couldnt give him a simple answer and thats the reason for all this homework. It seems to me that weve got to understand just what were building, how each of these missiles and airplanes add to our deterrent strength and why weve developed them and what they do. Id like to tell you what i wish id been able to tell that fellow in london not very long ago. Some of you may remember i was a bomber pilot in world war ii. That was back in the air force inventories was a relatively simple one. There was long range heavy bombers like this one. I flew one of these. Old b24. As a matter
Call it the thud or the lead sled. It was the f105 thunder chief, and during the veietnam war, it was a workhorse. Im oliver north and this is war stories. Between 1961 and 73, over 3,000 aircraft like this one were shot down or destroyed in southeast asia. 1968, the last year of Rolling Thunder and 652 men piloting these planes lost their lives. From march of 65 to october of 68, air force navy and marine airmen dropped nearly a half million tons of bombs. Rolling thunder was far from a triumph. As youll see and hear, orders straight from the white house forced the men flying these missions to fight with one hand tied behind their backs. And those restrictions inevitably cost american lives. Join us tonight as we pay tribute to the heroes of operation Rolling Thunder. Took this huge hit. Every warning light came on. Nothing to do. Could this war have been won . Of course it could. It could have ended any time we wanted it to. In 1965, vietnam was divided and at war. The south was demo
It is their war. They are the ones you have to win it or lose it. We can help them, give them equipment, send our men out there as advisors, but they have to win it, the people of vietnam, against the communists. [explosions] the explosion of events has given the ring of anachronism and ancient history. These are u. S. Soldiers, fighting on vietnams front lines. They are giving their lives, they are not just giving their advice. To a degree never foreseen by candidates, we hold the destiny of vietnam in our hands, and it holds hours. , 14,000american troops american dead, 50 billion american dollars later 50 later, american dollars their war is not for them to win or lose, it is ours as well. It has become the most divisive and 100 years of american history. It is is it a war we are winning . Can progress be measured . To the match the effort . These are the subjects of these broadcasts tonight. This special report where we stand in vietnam, is brought to you by western electric, the m
] unfire events hasosion of given me ring of an anachronism. U. S. Soldiers fighting on vietnams front lawns lines. They are giving their lives, they are not just giving their advice. To a degree never foreseen by candidates, we hold the destiny of vietnam in our hands, and it holds hours. Hours. And it holds ours. 500,000 american troops, 14,000 american dead, 50 billion american dollars later, their war is not for them to win or lose, it is ours as well. It has become the most divisive and 100 years of American History. Is it a war we are winning . Efforts . Can progress be measured . Do the results match the efforts . These are the subjects of these broadcasts tonight. This special report where we stand in vietnam, is brought to you by western electric, the manufacturing and supply unit of the bell system as their continuing coverage of important events. Where we stand in vietnam is reported by the Saigon Bureau of cbs news, and by chief correspondent charles collingwood. Charles th
Vietnam, against the communists. [explosions] charles the explosion of events has given the ring of anachronism and agent history to those words four years ago of john f. Kennedy. These are u. S. Soldiers, fighting on vietnams front lines. They are giving their lives, they are not just giving their advice. Doing to a degree never foreseen by kennedy, we hold the destiny of vietnam in our hands, and it holds hours. 500,000 american troops, 14,000 american dead, 50 billion american dollars later, their war is not for them to win or lose, it is ours as well. It has become the most divisive in 100 years of American History. Is it a war we are winning . Can progress be measured . Do the results match the effort . These are the subjects of this broadcasts tonight. This cbs news special report where we stand in vietnam, is brought to you by western electric, the manufacturing and supply unit of the bell system as part of their continuing coverage of important events. Where we stand in vietnam