The Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago and, immediately, a conflict erupts over the party’s Vietnam platform. An antiwar faction led by Senators Eugene McCarthy (D-Minnesota) and George McGovern (D-South Dakota) advocated unconditionally halting the bombing of North Vietnam; negotiating a mutual withdrawal of U.S. and North Vietnamese forces from South Vietnam; encouraging the Saigon regime to open negotiations with the National Liberation Front; the acceptance of a coalition government; and the reduction of U.S. combat operations in the South. The other faction endorsed the Johnson administration’s handling of the war, applauding the president’s efforts to scale down U.S. commitment and begin peace talks.
This Day In History: August 26
