Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Judged Vietnam Had Been a Mistake When U.S. Troop Withdrawals Began

As in the case of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, few among the public initially took a dim view of U.S. intervention in Vietnam — in March 1966, only about one-in-four Americans (26%) told a Gallup poll that they thought sending U.S. troops to Vietnam was a mistake — but as that involvement deepened and lengthened, the number taking that view increased more or less steadily, rising to more than half in August 1968 and to 60% by early January 1973 as the U.S. began withdrawal of most American troops.Read More