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Books > History > American history > From 1900
When former president Lyndon B. Johnson opened the LBJ Presidential
Library in May 1971, he proclaimed, "It's all here, the story of
our time-with the bark off." Accordingly, he wanted his library to
reflect not only the triumphs of his administration, but the
failures, too-and he wanted us to learn from them to build a better
future for our country. In keeping with President Johnson's vision,
the LBJ Library took a substantive, unvarnished look at the Vietnam
War, with the goal to shed new light on the war and the lessons it
provides. The passage of years offers greater perspective on the
complexities of a war that altered not only our history but our
perception of ourselves as a nation. The result was the Vietnam War
Summit, an intensive three-day conference in April 2016 that
brought together policy makers, scholars, reporters, photographers,
musicians, and importantly, those who were on the front lines of
the war and the antiwar movement. In conjunction with the
conference, the library displayed a half-scale replica of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Twice each day during the summit, ceremonies recognized Vietnam War
veterans. A War Remembered features photographs and documentation
from the Vietnam War Summit, but also includes a number of historic
photographs from both the LBJ Library and the Briscoe Center for
American History, offering a diverse perspective on the conflict
that defined a generation.
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