Episode 20C - George Ball: 10-Minute Profile

From Boomers to Millennials: A Modern US History Podcast

In this episode, we profile a little-remembered diplomat who served as a major voice of dissent against US involvement in the Vietnam War. George Ball was born into an upper-middle class Midwestern family, and he became a prominent Chicago lawyer. He became a political confidant of Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson during his two runs for the White House. Ball received one of the top spots in the State Department during John F. Kennedy's presidency. In that role, he promoted international trade and took a "dovish" view on foreign policy, recommending against US military interventions around the world. George Ball is most famous for urging JFK to end US military involvement in Vietnam. Kennedy remained indecisive on whether to increase or decrease the American presence in South Vietnam, up to the time of his death. Ball gave the same antiwar advice to Kennedy's successor Lyndon B. Johnson, but the new president rejected Ball's suggestions, & he instead listened to generals who favored a heavier American military involvement in Southeast Asia. The Vietnam War stretched into the 1970s, and the tragic conflict created millions of casualties. Even after leaving public life, George Ball continued to publish writings questioning the conventional wisdom of US foreign policy, up until his death in 1994.

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