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Fulbright Hearings William Fulbright was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. He had begun to question the Vietnam war in 1966. But in 1971 he considered wider proposals and advice to end the war in Vietnam.
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During the hearings, 22 people gave evidence. Some were politicians, some pro and some anti war. More importantly much of the hearings were filmed on television. Some TV producers even resigned when certain interviews were not aired.
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One of the witnesses was John Kerry – a Vietnam Veteran. His statements caused a huge outcry, specifically when mentioning their Winter Soldier Investigation that had been carried out by veterans.
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The Winter Soldier Investigation revealed further problems in Vietnam. Shockingly, that My Lai was not a one off and that this was official war policy. Over the three days, about 100 veterans and 16 civilians gave graphic, disturbing testimony detailing their war experiences. Many other war crimes and atrocities were revealed that had occurred with full approval by senior officers.
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The Hearings produced further protest against the War and legitimised previous protests. The May Day protests in Washington lasted for several days & were different to previous protests. 35,000 protestors were met by a combination of the army, police & national guard of about 10,000. Eventually 12,000 were arrested but it was a huge issue with the Nixon administration. The protests unnerved the administration and arguably speeded up US withdrawal from Vietnam.