Scope and Contents

Just over four linear feet of photographs, legal documents, correspondence, handwritten notes, printed materials, and military records document the My Lai incident (16 March 1968) and the subsequent investigation and trial of the participants of the incident by the Department of Defense in 1969. The materials are dated between 1956 and 1973, with the majority of the documents from 1968 to 1972, and are divided into the following categories: legal documents, correspondence, handwritten notes, printed materials, military records, and photographs.

Included in these documents are witness statements of many of the participants at My Lai, which formed the basis of evidence the U.S. Army used to indict Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr. and others. Also included are legal documents of the court cases between the United States Government and members of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry and Department of the Army documents, which explain the procedures of the trial process in a military court of law during the Vietnam Conflict era.

The My Lai Collection has eighteen photographs taken by United States Army photographer Ronald Haeberle, some of which were subsequently published in Life magazine. Most of the pictures are quite graphic in their depiction of violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience. The remaining photographs were taken by Defense Department officials to document the My Lai investigation and other biographical information.

Biographical / Historical

On March 16, 1968, Company C/1st Battalion/20th Infantry under Captain Ernest L. Medina's command executed what was supposed to be another routine search and destroy mission against the village My Lai 4, believed to be a Viet Cong stronghold. Upon entering the hamlet with no resistance, 1st platoon's commander, Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr., ordered his men to round all of the civilians living there and to bring them to the center of the village. Lt. Calley then opened fire on the unarmed Vietnamese, summarily executing them. The rest of his platoon subsequently looted the hamlet, burned the huts, and shot all Vietnamese that were still alive. The massacre remained covered up until Ronald Ridenhour wrote a letter describing what he knew of the incident to President Richard Nixon and several congressmen and defense department officials in 1969. The letter prompted an investigation and the indictment of several officers and enlisted men on charges of murder and assault with the intent to commit murder. Lt. Calley was the only soldier to be found guilty while the others were either acquitted or had their charges dismissed.

Series

• Series - Legal Documents
• Series - Legal Documents
• Series - Correspondence
• Series - Printed Materials