Case Study on the My Lai Massacre - How Representative Is the My Lai Massacre as Evidence of American Experience in Vietnam?

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concerning the conduct of American soldiers and Calley was put on trial for war crimes. At

trial Calley maintained that all he was guilty of was, “following orders”₂₀much of the public too

considered him merely a “scapegoat of the American military”₂₁.

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₁₃ Sanders, V. The USA and Vietnam 1945-75,Hodder and Stoughton, 2000, p89

₁₄ www.nsbvc.msn.com/id/4978918

₁₅ Original report from Col. Oran K. Henderson, on the events he had witnessed at My Lai, www.174ahc.org/mylai-0.3.htm (full version in appendix 1)

₁₆ www.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai

₁₇ www.museum.tv/archives/etv/V/html/V/vietnamonte.htm

₁₈Seymour Hersh won the American Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism because of his breaking news on the My Lai massacre, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai

₁₉ www.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai

₂₀ www.courttv.com/greatesttrials/mylai/trial.htm ₂₁ Belknap, M. The Vietnam War on Trial: The My Lai Massacre and Court-martial of Lieutenant Calley, 2002, University Press

C. Evaluation of sources

[pic 1]The strength of official reports is that they

are primarily for internal use and not for

public consumption; therefore they are

often a direct and reasonable account of

given events.

Eyewitness accounts should suggest

value, however occasionally ‘truth’ is

deliberately misleading, as is the case with

this report. Peter Liddle suggests that,

“The purposes of a letter, the

circumstances under which it was written,

the man who wrote it, the person to whom it was written”₂₃ are the many subjective factors

that have to be considered when determining the relevance of sources. The fact that this

report was written as a result of the incriminating charges discredits its content, reflecting a

lack in objectivity. Henderson is clearly omitting details to protect his own position; his

emotional and pro-active involvement clearly reflects his agenda, believing in power above

reason. Yet it has a unique value, a dark insight into the potential destruction of ‘truth’.

Henderson’s report gives us an insight into the power of authority, his position allowed him to

abuse truth.

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₂₂ Original report from Col. Oran K. Henderson, on the events he had witnessed at My Lai, www.174ahc.org/mylai-0.3.htm

₂₃ Liddle, P. The 1916 Battle of the Somme, 2001, Wordsworth editions, p14

Photography stands alone as a Source 2₂₄[pic 2]

medium, the purpose of photos

being to capture a single moment

for eternity. A photographer is

restricted, only able to work within

the confinements of reality,

perspective can change, but never

content, a significant strength.

‘The camera never lies’ is an idiom used to reflect the ‘truthful’ nature of photography; often “passing for in contrivable proof that something has happened”₂₅. Differently, Brian Harrison argues that the camera is used by a person who, “is influenced by contemporary ideas about what ought to be photographed”₂₆ This highlights a reduction in objectivity, limiting photography’s value as a historical source.

Photographs of, “authorised and official operations”₂₇ were the job of army photographer Ronald Haeberle during the massacre. The origin of this picture is his personal collection₂₈, never intended for public consumption. His conscious eye as a photographer did not prevent him from capturing these moments at My Lai, knowing that they reflect events of such a highly incriminating nature he kept them private. Therefore reflecting their ‘truthful’ nature and an undeniable strength of this photo as a source. The emotive strength of pictures is not restricted; their engagement with the audience and their ability to create empathy, gives pictures a reliability and strength that other sources lack.

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₂₄ www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:My_Lai_massacre.jpg

₂₅ Sontag, S. On Photography, Peguin Books, 1977, London, p5

₂₆ Harrison

₂₇ www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:My_Lai_massacre.jpg

₂₈ Ronald Haeberle had two cameras on the day of the massacre, one was an Army standard;

one was his personal camera, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:My_Lai_massacre.jpg

D. Analysis

Historically, Vietnam and My Lai offer a warning about the nature of warfare, particularly in

terms of ‘search and destroy missions’ and the resulting treatment of civilians. With hindsight

the American approach in Vietnam and particularly their inability to ‘win the hearts and minds

of the people’ is a major factor in the conclusion and subsequent loss in Vietnam.