By Edward R Murrow to join cbs news, becoming part of the generation known as the murrow boys. For the mass 20 years, he has been they moderator of the kalb report and conducts interviews with wellknown public figures who often do not consent to public hourlong interviews, but they do with marvin kalb. Earlier this year, he interviewed at the National Press club, justices scalia and justice ginsburg. He followed that coup by interfering bob woodward and carl bernstein, drawing them out about the recollections of Washington Post editor ben bradley in what turned out to be the eve of ben bradleys death. Tonight, the press club turns the tables on marvin tell. On marvin kalb. As to distinguish members of the Club Interview him, they are bill klein, who was president of the club when the kalb reports begin in 1994 and was chair of the history and heritage committee, and kendall leckie, the commander of the clubs post and former Deputy Managing Editor at the washington Kiplinger Editors where he covered foreign and military affairs among other subjects. Tonight, im not going to turn over the floor to these three very distinguished guests, but first i will start with deal, can, and you take it from there. Thank you all for being here tonight as a guest of honor and thank you all for being here in person and via cspan. Thank you very much. As a journalism professor at the american universitys washington program, i would like to thank all of my students for coming tonight as well as the rest of you in the audience today. As the chairman of the clubs history and heritage committee, or elected to your little bit about the historical significance of the American Legion post. Founded on november 19, 1919 by club for support in the war, it was called the persian post in the blackjack post in honor of the American Expeditionary force commander general john blackjack persian, who was an associate member of the club. In world war ii, it hosted a series of campaigns that offered free hot dogs and beer and a little entertainment to servicemen. At one of those, then Vice President harry truman told his wife that he was going to the club. He was going to see the soldiers. He did not get in any trouble because back then it was an all mens club, what could go wrong . And a compass piano player, he said donna the upper apn oh entertaining the troops that day. Lauren bacall was there that day. Her agent knew it good thing when he saw one, hosted her on top of the piano, she draped her legs over, look downloading the harry. The photographers went wild. When that photograph appeared on the front page of every newspaper in the country the next day, his wife was not amused. 50 years later, when margaret truman, his daughter, spoke at the club and recounted the story, those truman women had no sense of humor. That became the iconic photo for the press club circulated to the media when Lauren Bacall died last summer. Follow none that great tradition, i turn this over to a current American Legion post commander, can do like he to tell us why were here tonight. Thank you very much. I cant top the harry truman story. I want to thank you marvin for joining us this evening. You have been a great friend to the National Press club for many years. The American Legion post has been a part of the National Press club for 95 years, actually as of this month, this is a 95th anniversary. It is one of local many partners in the vietnam war commemoration, which is a program authorized by congress and organized by the department of defense. It is a Multiyear Program key to the 50th anniversary of the war. As a partner of the post, conducting several programs each year to focus on the legacy of the war that to the lives of over 58,000 americans. This is the first of those programs. I want to thank Vice Commander of our post, tom young, for all the work he has done in setting ups tonight event. The commemoration recognizes the nearly 3 million men and women who served in vietnam. Some nine million served during that. Period, 3 million in country, including our president of the National Press club and we are delighted to also have him as a member of our post. The discussion of the impact of the war on postvietnam use of u. S. Military power is a great way to start our partnership program. There is no better to this there is no better person to discuss that issue than marvin cal. Marvin kalb. Cal. I should note that it is fitting that we are meeting in the murrow room of the National Press club, room named in honor of edward r. Murrow, who hired marvin kalb at cbs news. Would you start with the first question . Certainly. We are pleased to have with this martin kalb trade as you all know, i have worked with him for 20 years on the awardwinning kalb report. Marvin is both a great journalist and a great scholar at the International Correspondence of cbs news he was in the thick of what happened in the nixon and ford ministrations. Among his many books are haunting legacy, vietnam, and the american presidency from four to obama, and just recently, six months ago, the road to war, president ial commitments honored of the trade. Just to start us off marvin, can you put us in 1975 . What were you doing then as the war was coming to a rather disappointing and . End . First, let me thank the post and the National Press club for inviting me to speak about this very important subject. I want to start by saying that there are many better people than me to be doing this, but i am happy to do it. 1975, i was the chief Diplomatic Correspondent for cbs. I was based here in washington. I was absorbed with the fact that in my own lifetime there were there had been three major events that affected this country in a profound way. One was the depression. I know i look 39, but im really 84. [laughter] the depression was a very large part of my life as a kid. Then there was world war ii. My brother went off to war. My brotherinlaw went off to war could we all knew as a nation that we were involved in a war that we had to win. Then, there was watergate. And then, there was the vietnam war. Two other massive events affecting the way in which this country up to today thinks about going to war, the way we go to war, the commitment by president or congress, never since 1941, both have led American Forces to fight, an important issue. In 1975, this great country, United States of america, on april 30 was ignominiously defeated by North Vietnam. My god, how could that conceivably have happened . It did not make any sense. A great nation is not defeated by a country composed of what we used to disparagingly call little men and black pajamas. How can they beat United States of america . But they did. It raised profound questions for the military. Many did not want to acknowledge that they had participated in a lost war. But they had. What you do about that . What impact does that have on the military . What impact does that have upon the political system of the country . I country that always thought of itself as predetermined to win wars. We dont lose them. In world war ii, we called for Unconditional Surrender and we got it. It was as if it was coming to us. And, after 1975, there were Big Questions to be answered, the likes of which we are still very much involved in today. Marvin, one of the first issues that i covered when i first started covering congress in the early 1970s was the war powers resolution of 1973. Excuse me. Forgive me. It was a long time ago. No, no, no. I thought you were getting into the resolution of congress in 1964, giving johnson the right to fight and self it now. Youre talking about the next one. Please. It was probably the most direct legislative reaction to the war in vietnam. Of course, it was designed to prevent the kind of Mission Creep that got us into vietnam. It passed overwhelmingly. It was vetoed by president next and. Nixon. His veto was overridden. It was a very popular piece of legislation. The resolution remains on the books, but has been virtually ignored by our commerce and president s. I would like you to talk about what happened. In 1973, again, i stand corrected. In 1973, remember that the war between United States and North Vietnam formally came to a close in january, late january, 1973. Theoretically, we were at peace. The war continued. On both sides there were violations. The American People were fed up with the war. There were very few people who still supported fighting on behalf of South Vietnam against the North Vietnamese. With people and open rebellion against the war, with the war itself a distinct political liability for many of the people running for office, they wanted to get us out. The resolution that formally got us out in 1973 of course never did. It was violated almost from the date that it was signed. The white house was never in favor of it. So the white house tried to endow it all with an illegitimacy, but the congress was up in arms because it had passed this resolution, wanted it signed into law. What the resolution said was that within six months the United States would stop sending all military supplies to selfie a noun South Vietnam, would stop providing them with military assistance of all kinds, that, the assumption went, would in the war. Would end of the war. Because they could not fight without american support and that was correct. On that resolution was passed, South Vietnamese lost in the north the enemies one. Of thes not the intent legislation but that was the result of the legislation. About the system that was set up to require congress to take a vote when our troops were committed overseas in a foreign conflict. And fuzzyeen ignored repeatedly and is a relevant issue today. Why do you think congress is ,illing to allow any president there have been multiple president s involved in this issue, to basically ignore . That law let history. When the United States was attacked by the japanese, there was no question that the president was going to ask congress for a declaration of war. That is written into the u. S. Constitution as one of the president s powers. One of the issues of United States of how it works when the issue is defending the American Forces abroad to fight in a war. We fought in the korean war. We had numerous small wars leading up to the beginning of the vietnam war. 1964, in 1964, lyndon b. Johnson had in his pocket for the better part of the year a resolution by congress authorizing him to have absolute authority over sending American Forces abroad. On august 2, an incident took place in the gulf of tonkin. At that time, six or seven north enemys torpedo boats North Vietnamese tokyo boats attacked an american destroyer. It was late at night and stormy. Commander herick was a commander and sent to mcnamara that they were being attacked. Torpedoes were being launched and he wanted help. And the uss, the Aircraft Carrier was nearby. Planes went to the defense. On one of those planes, a man named james stockdale, who became a Vice President ial candidate later on, he was a pilot at that time. He went over the area is down and he fired away at folks and he thought he may have hit but two and sank two, but he knew that 4 others were badly hit. He went back thinking he had done a good job. An American Ship was being attacked by the North Vietnamese , he came to their defense and shot it up and went home and had a good nights sleep. Lyndon johnson at that time was ready to take his resolution out of his pocket and gave it to his friends on congress and say give me the authority to go to war. He was very unhappy as a former master of the senate where he felt he got to know america and very unhappy that harry truman in 1945 had promised leadership of the congress that if he ever had to go to war, he would inform them in advance and seek their approval. He did none of that. He went to the u. N. Instead. Only by a fluke of the russian delegate being absent did he get the resolution passed. Johnson said he would not make that mistake again. But he still did not do it because he was in the middle of a president ial race. He wanted to look like a man of peace but firm. He sent another destroyer. The two American Ships were there, and lo and behold, two days later, the commander sent reports to the pentagon saying the North Vietnamese are back and they are firing at us. But none of the torpedoes hit. After a while, he began to wonder, could it be there is no attack at all . It is Something Else . And he put his ships into sharp turns and the radar picked up blips off the ocean water hitting the side of the vessel. And i think they are called skunks or bogeys, but they are not torpedoes. He sent a message to washington saying i think i am totally wrong. There is nothing happening here. Even though there was nothing happening according to the american commander on the scene, Lyndon Johnson had the idea that they attacked me on august 2, they are attacking me again. Later on he said, it is probably those i do not quote him directly. [laughter] he said he did not think to clean up the language that these navy boys got quite right. But, he said this is my moment. And he called in the leadership of the congress and gave them the resolution he wanted. The republican leader was a guy named halleck on the house, and he said mr. President , it is for you to write the resolution and for us to approve it. And johnson said, you have to be very clear what the resolution says. It gives the president that absolute, uncontested right to use American Military force and in defense of American National interest. He didnt say in Southeast Asia and he certainly did not save vietnam. It was sort of across the globe. Question and by the way, the following day congress voted on this. The vote was 882 in the senate and 4160 in the house. Very important point here can you imagine that kind of vote today . Unimaginable. There was still in those years a belief on the part of both parties that when he foreign to foreign policy, and certainly to war, both of us had to get together in the interest of the country. That does not exist today. It may exist in rhetoric, but that does not exist in action. And Lyndon Johnson at that time, the following day right after, called in a group of reporters. I remember very clearly. He said, i want you all to be aware that what the congress did today was provide all, all, all authority to the president. He said the word all three times. He wanted to build it into the psyche of the nation that the president had the right to go to war whenever and however he chose. Since that time, in every war the u. S. Has fought, it has been as a result of a president ial backed in most cases by a congressional resolution but no , longer a declaration of war. We have put that out of the historical vocabulary. Lyndon johnson talked at the time about why he did not ask for a declaration of war. It is very interesting. He said during world war ii, the when there was a declaration of war, the entire nation was asked to contribute to a victory and in that case, an Unconditional Surrender of the enemy. It was a National Commitment and johnson and nixon and ford, did not matter whether democratic or republican, the president does not want to be in a position of asking the country for a total engagement. You always want to way out and be a limited war. What is happening now in the ukraine, for example, could very well be only a limited war. But it does have the capacity to avo. Sarah we do not know because we cannot read the future. For example, article five of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization says an attack on one is an attack on all. If putin decided tomorrow morning to move a small regiment of the army up to the border of estonia, where 23 of the people are ethnic russian and so ethnic russians hounded to death by people who do not like us or the russian language or religion, i cannot allow that to happen you have to use it. What with the United States do . If estonia asks us and invokes article five, what would the u. S. Do . What with the president do . Will he be consistent with five . Would he back away from it . I do not know. It all goes back to the precedent that Lyndon Johnson said in 1964. The other side of the war and i was struck in reading or in the short timeframe between nixon and resignation, who wanted peace for honor the lucky one it and the collapse of vietnam now, it is a fools errand to ask a hypothetical question. That has never stopped me. With the vietnam war have come out any different . It is a good hypothetical. My gut feeli