10/13/17 Robert Freeman reviews Ken Burns’s Vietnam War

Robert Freeman joins Scott to discuss his article "Why the US Lost the Vietnam War." Freeman outlines the history of U.S. intervention in Vietnam dating back to the end of World War 2, details the political context in the United States immediately preceding and during the Vietnam War, and explains why Ken Burns's Vietnam War is historical fiction. Robert Freeman writes about economics and education. He is the author of The Best One-Hour History series which includes World War I, The Vietnam...

10/13/17 Marjorie Cohn on the whitewashing of Agent Orange in Ken Burns’s “Vietnam War”

Marjorie Cohn joins the show to discuss her recent article, "The Vietnam War is Not History for Victims of Agent Orange." Cohn elaborates on her major criticism of the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary—his lack of coverage of agent orange. Cohn describes many of the awful results of agent orange exposure, how the United States has denied opportunities for victims to seek justice, and above all, why it remains a pressing issue to this day. Marjorie Cohn is a professor emerita at Thomas...

9/20/17 Jeff Stein reviews Ken Burns’s “The Vietnam War”

Jeff Stein joins the show to discuss his latest article "Vietnam War: New Ken Burns Documentary Dismisses the Origins of the Futile, Disastrous Conflict" critiquing Ken Burns's latest documentary series "The Vietnam War." Stein reflects on his time in Vietnam as an army intelligence case officer and reviews and critiques Burns's documentary series, which he says is well worth watching, but is not without its flaws. Stein then explains why French colonialism in Vietnam created a false premise...