- Defeatism turned to horror as details of My Lai leaked out.
- Vietnamese propaganda reports massacre and complaints as a number of soldiers were ignored or covered up for 18 months.
- Seymour Hersch broke story November 1969.
- Photographs taken by Ron Haeberte, official US army photographer, who had also taken graphic colour photos on a secret second camera.
- Lieutenant William Calley, who led the massacre, was court martialed for murder March 1971.
- After 3 days he was put on house arrest instead.
- 79% disapproved of Calley's court martial.
- 20% refused to accept that what he had done was wrong.
Massacre destroyed vestige of 'moral right' that Americans may have felt about the war. US public confused and distressed - how could so many good US boys be able to do such a thing. Returning Vietnamese soldiers found themselves stigmatised as 'baby killers'.
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