(Friday, March 22, 1968, 5:38-6:06 p.m. EST; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — President Lyndon Johnson announced today at a news conference his intention to appoint Gen. William C. Westmoreland as Army Chief of Staff, replacing him as commander of American forces in Vietnam sometime before July 2, 1968.

Although the decision had been made in late 1967, it was widely seen in the media as a punishment for being caught off guard by the Tet Offensive.

On Apr. 10, 1968, Johnson designated Gen. Creighton W. Abrams as the next commander of American forces in South Vietnam.