After his return from South Vietnam, Walter Cronkite gave what is described as WE ARE MIRED IN STALEMATE commentary.
In which he said "To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."
To read entire transcript Walter Cronkite Broadcast
When President Johnson heard of Cronkite’s comments, he was quoted as saying, “That’s it. If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.”
When I visited Mr. Cronkite some 20 years plus after our meeting in South Vietnam, I asked if our meeting in any way led to his commentary. He said no. I was related to Walter on my mother's side of family.
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