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Anti-Vietnam war protest

Updated Jan 21, 2025
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Anti-Vietnam war protest
Anti-Vietnam war protest and demonstration in front of the White House in support of singer Eartha Kitt.
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takes great courage to do that
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The "White House Incident"
On 18[18] January 1968,[19] during Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, Kitt encountered a substantial professional setback after she made anti-war statements during a White House luncheon.[20][21] Kitt was asked by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson about the Vietnam War. She replied: "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot."[12] During a question-and-answer session, Kitt stated:

The children of America are not rebelling for no reason. They are not hippies for no reason at all. We don't have what we have on Sunset Blvd. for no reason. They are rebelling against something. There are so many things burning the people of this country, particularly mothers. They feel they are going to raise sons – and I know what it's like, and you have children of your own, Mrs. Johnson – we raise children and send them to war.[22][23]

Kitt's remarks reportedly caused Mrs. Johnson to burst into tears.[6] It is widely believed[24] that Kitt's career in the United States was ended following her comments about the Vietnam War,[25][26] after which she was branded "a sadistic nymphomaniac" by the CIA.[10] A defamatory CIA dossier about Kitt was discovered by Seymour Hersh in 1975. Hersh published an article about the dossier in The New York Times.[27] The dossier contained comments about Kitt's sex life and family history, along with negative opinions of her that were held by former colleagues. Kitt's response to the dossier was to say: "I don't understand what this is about. I think it's disgusting."[27] Following the incident, Kitt devoted her energies to performances in Europe and Asia.[28]

"I didn’t know what was going on. I only found out later, in 1974, from Jack Anderson and Seymour Hersh" — Eartha Kitt[29]

In February 2022, Catwoman vs. the White House,[30][31] The New Yorker short documentary, directed by Scott Calonico used photos, clippings and footage to show how Kitt disrupted the White House luncheon, taking Lyndon B. Johnson to task
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