"Aggression from the North" Propaganda Poster, April 23, 1965

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Courtesy of National Archives, "Aggression From the North," U.S Information Agency, 23 April 1965

Description

A 1965 policy paper entitled "Aggression from the North" described the justification for America's intervention in Vietnam. It portrayed the war as an invasion by the North Vietnamese with Moscow pulling the strings. Critics insisted it was a civil war instigated by independent actors in the south. This "Aggression From the North" poster comes from a series of visual propaganda distributed by the U.S. Information Agency worldwide.

Transcript of "Aggression from the North" Propaganda Poster

Source-Dependent Questions

• What did the word choice used in the poster show about how the United States wanted to portray the country's involvement in the Vietnam conflict?
• Consider the images in the poster. Why would the United States feel it was important to share images of the Communist party attacking civilians? How did this poster refute the claims made in the 1963 memo?

Citation Information 

"Aggression From the North," U.S Information Agency, 23 April 1965. Courtesy of National Archives