Vietnam War Facts:
The Vietnam War left deeps marks on the American psyche, especially the soldiers, leading to the creation of a number of books and films exploring the war's social and emotional ramifications. Notable books include The Things They Carried and We Were Soldiers Once...And Young. Films include First Blood, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and Apocalypse Now.
The Pentagon Papers were a series of documents containing classified information on the progress and status of the war in Vietnam. They were released to The New York Times by Daniel Ellsberg, an employee at the Department of Defense, when he became convinced that the war was unwinnable.
The release of the Pentagon Papers to the public caused massive outrage, particularly over the news that the Kennedy administration had helped coordinate the military coup of 1963 and the assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, as well as the reports that U.S. bombing of the North had done little to negatively impact North Korea's resolve.
The HoChi Minh Trail ran from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam.
