Reaction To My Lai Massacre And Trial Of Lt. Calley Flashcards
What did the public initially think about the massacre?
Didn’t know what to believe
What did the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Peers inquiry do?
Investigated the events and whether there was a cover up
What did CBS do on 5th December?
Showed the photos to public
How did public react to photos?
Huge outcry
How many civilians did CID find dead?
347
What did Peers Inquiry discover?
Calley, while ordering the massacre, was following orders of superiors to say that the massacre was known about and to be covered up at a high level
Who weren’t charged for the cover-up?
High-ranking officers
What happened on 29th March 1971?
Calley convicted of killing 22 civilians and sentenced to life in prison
How did defenders of Calley react to his sentence?
Believed it was unfair that Calley was the only one to stand trial and that the army was making him take the blame for senior officers
How did opposers to Calley react to his sentence?
Felt that ‘acting under orders’ wasn’t a good enough excuse
What did Nixon promise to do on 3rd April 1971?
Review the Calley case. On appeal, sentenced reduced to 20 years, but Calley let out after three and a half years under house arresr on his military base
