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On December 24, 1966, Harrison Salisbury became the first mainstream American journalist to report from North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. From his position behind enemy lines, the New York Times reporter revealed that America's bombing campaign was causing many more civilian casualties than the Johnson administration had acknowledged. Additionally, he challenged how Americans perceived their enemy by portraying North Vietnam's culture and political ideology as legitimate. Evaluation of governmental and public responses to his stories reveals the significance of these reports. They sparked controversy that undermined American and international confidence in the Johnson administration's credibility, decreased support for U.S. policies towards North Vietnam, and put increased pressure on the Johnson administration to increase efforts towards peace. This thesis analyzes those effects, the Johnson administration's complicated relationship to the journalist, and the broad debate among journalists over the proper boundaries of wartime reporting.