American Scandal - The Massacre at My Lai | Hunting Down Calley | 3

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

A soldier named Ron Ridenhour breaks the silence about Pinkville, writing a letter that alerts top officials in Washington to the rumors the Army tried to bury. His warning reaches investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, who sets out to uncover the truth about the My Lai massacre. As the military continues to evade responsibility, Hersh hunts down Lieutenant William Calley – the man accused of leading the slaughter.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to American Scandal on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-scandal/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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and may not be suitable for all audiences. It's April 20th, 1968, at a U.S. military base in South Vietnam. It's been just over a month since the massacre at Milai, and the men in Charlie Company who were there that day are all handling it differently. One of them is Private Charles. Butch Groover. He sits alone at a battered metal table in the mess tent, a half-empty beer sweating in his hand. His eyes are unfocused, fixed on nothing at all. Grover takes another swig, trying to drown out his thoughts when he hears a familiar voice.

Butch! Grover blinks out of his days as Ron Reidenhower steps by his side. Ridenhauer is a 22-year-old who shipped out to Vietnam at the same time as Gruevner did. He sits down. When was the last time we saw each other? Hawaii? Uh, yeah, good old Schofield Barracks. You still a door gunner? Yep, started in the 70th infantry. Then the 11th, about to head out to the 51st. Then got me moving around like no one's business. Well, it could be worse. Where'd they stick you? Still with Charlie Company? No, they're back near Donnie now. I got rotated out last month, which had been sooner. What do you mean? You haven't heard? About Pinkfield? I'm crawling with Via Kong, right? Yeah, well, there weren't any when we got sent in. You really haven't heard?

Rydenauer shakes his head. Groover glances around the mess hall and takes another drink. Oh, God, it was this village called Mili. Intel said everyone would be via Kong, but the only ones there were women and children, some old guys. Some folks got hit in the crossfire? No, I'm not talking about crossfire. I'm talking about lined up in ditches and then executed point blank. Jesus! I saw this one boy. God, he was tiny. Three, four years old, he was just standing there by the trail with these big eyes staring around like he just didn't understand. He didn't believe what was happening. Then the captain's radio guy opened up on him. Full burst, blew him away.

He can't be serious. You think I'd joke about something like this? No, I guess not. Man, it was so bad. One of the guys in our squad even shot himself in the foot just to get medabacked out of there. That's heavy. Why didn't he just refuse? Why didn't anyone stop it?

We were getting direct order. To shoot kids? From who? I didn't see this firsthand, but guys I trust did. They said Lieutenant Callie was ordering them to round up the villagers and shoot them. How many? I'm not sure. The village had to have been 300 or 400 people. I don't know if any of them made it out alive.

And command is just covering it all up. But there's got to be an investigation or something, right? Groover shakes his head. They're calling it a successful operation, Ron, successful operation. man, these are just women and kids. In the days that follow, Ron Ridenauer can't shake the story he heard from Butch Groover. The idea of innocent civilians being slaughtered for no reason needs at him night after night. And so he begins a quiet but relentless campaign to chase down witnesses, gather testimony,

and then blow the lid off a secret the U.S. Army would rather everyone forgot. Think about the most disturbing government secrets you've learned from history. Now imagine discovering one that begins in a hospital room and leads straight to classified military operations that were buried for decades. Listen to a redacted medical mystery, a special episode from Redacted and Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries, available now wherever you get your podcasts. It's your man, Nick Cannon. I'm here to bring you my new podcast, Nick Cannon at night.

Every week, I'm bringing out some of my celebrity friends and the best experts in the business to answer your most intimate relationship questions. So don't be shy. Join the conversation and head over to YouTube to watch Nick Cannon at night or subscribe on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. From Wondery, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American Scamble. The Milai Massacre was one of the most horrific war crimes in American history. Over the course of a single morning in March 1968, U.S. Army soldiers killed more than 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians. including women, children, and infants.

And then the cover-up began. Commanders filed false reports. Journalists were pressured to lie, and the official story painted an atrocity as a major victory. But not everyone stayed quiet. In the months and years after the massacre, there would be those who risked everything to expose what really happened. This is episode three, hunting down Cali.

It's November 1968, at a surgical hospital in Chulai in South Vietnam. Ron Ridenhauer walks down the narrow aisle between the beds searching for a particular face amid the wounded men. The air smells faintly of antiseptic and mildew, fluorescent lights flicker overhead, casting a cold sheen over the cots lined and cramped rows. Ridenhauer's army service is almost over.

He's due to ship out of Vietnam by the end of the year, but there's one person he needs to talk to before he leaves. He's been chasing rumors of a soldier who didn't join the killing at Milai, and now he thinks he's found him. Private first class Michael Bernhardt is propped up in bed on a sweat-stained pillow. His legs are raw and bandaged from jungle rot, a brutal infection that eats through the skin. Ridenauer pulls up a chair and introduces himself.

Then he explains why he's there, and without much prompting, Bernhardt starts to talk. At first, Bernhardt's voice is flat and detached. But his memories are vivid. He says he watched villagers herded like cattle and machine-gunned in ditches. He saw children shot at point-blank range. And he names, specifically Lieutenant William Calley, the man who had been giving the orders. And Captain Ernest Medina, who Bernhardt claims, came up to him after the massacre and warned him to keep quiet.

Bernhardt was terrified for his own life, so he nodded and agreed not to say anything. But now he knows he can't stay silent. Ridenhauer shakes his head. After he first spoke to Butch Groover six months ago, deep down, he had hoped Butch was wrong, that the chaos of the operation had twisted his memories. But since then, Ridenhauer had spoken to three other members of Charlie Company, and now Bernhardt.

They all say the same thing. Mely was a massacre, and it's been deliberately covered up. So even though Ridenhauer ships out the next month and returns home to Phoenix, Arizona, he doesn't forget what he's learned about Mili. Grover, Bernhardt, and the others trusted him enough to tell their stories. But they were all terrified to speak out while they were still in Vietnam and at the Army's mercy. But now that Ridenhauer is back on the relative safety of American soil,

he's determined that those responsible for the massacre are brought to justice. In March 1969, a full year after Milai, Ridenhauer sits down at his kitchen table, lays out his notes, and begins to write a letter. It's a five-page account of what he believes took place that morning in Vietnam. When he's finished, he sends the letter to more than two dozen officials in Washington. They include President Nixon, 23 members of Congress, the secretaries of state, and defense, the secretary of the Army, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Then he waits.

At first, nothing happens. Most of the recipients never even acknowledged the letter. But one takes it seriously. A congressman from Ridenauer's home state of Arizona reads the letter and is concerned enough to forward it to the Army's chief of staff, General William Westmoreland. Ridenauer then receives a letter in return from Westmoreland's office. It thanks him for bringing the Mili Matter to their attention and says it's now under investigation. Ridenauer feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

While he's horrified about what happened in Mili, he's still a loyal soldier. He hasn't taken his story to the press or leaked it anywhere else. He wants to believe that now the top rass is looking into the allegations, it means there will be proper accountability at last. And in late April, 1969, the Army Inspector General's office does launch a full inquiry. A veteran officer named Colonel William Wilson is asked to head up the investigation. His objective is simple, determine what happened on March 16, 1968, and whether it merits a criminal investigation. Over the course of the next month, Wilson speaks with all of the men. who gave their accounts to Ridenauer.

Then he meets with Charlie Company commander Ernest Medina, who gives his version of events. Captain Medina claims that the 11th Brigade's Colonel Orrin Henderson has already conducted an official investigation and found nothing wrong. But Wilson can find no trace of any such report. So he calls Colonel Henderson to Washington, D.C. to set the story straight. On May 26, 1969, Henderson sits down in the Inspector General's office across from Colonel Wilson.

The walls are blank and the lights are bright. It's not an interrogation room, but it feels that way. Henderson sits in a stiff, wooden chair, his officer's hat laid neatly on the table in front of him. Wilson thumbs through a thick folder of notes. The silence stretches between them. Then Wilson looks up and begins peppering Henderson with questions that are answered with practiced ease.

Henderson admits that he conducted an informal investigation, but he repeats the official line that there was no civilian massacre. Instead, he insists that officers assure him that there was a brutal firefight that morning. When asked about helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, whose account contradicts that story, Henderson suggests that Thompson is young and emotional. Likely, he was simply overwhelmed by the chaos and confused by what he thought he saw. Wilson listens and takes notes, letting Henderson talk. But the longer the interview goes on, the more Henderson begins to contradict himself.

He eventually tells Wilson that there was actually another, more formal, inquiry into the claims of civilian casualties led by Lieutenant Colonel Frank Barker, but nothing came of that probe either. Unfortunately for Wilson, he can't ask Barker himself about it. Not long after the Mili operation, Barker was killed in an aircraft accident. And when Wilson goes looking for any record of Barker's supposedly formal investigation, he again finds nothing. Wilson doesn't say his suspicions out loud, though the implication seems clear enough. If there ever was a paper trail, it's been scrubbed. But Wilson isn't deterred.

He continues chasing down the men from Charlie Company, and all their accounts seem to point back toward the same man, the young lieutenant from first platoon, William Cali. Wilson knows that the ultimate responsibility for what happened in Milai will be far-reaching. But according to almost every soldier Wilson talks to, Lieutenant Callie was the one rounding up the villagers, ordering his men to kill them and pulling the trigger himself. So on June 5, 1969, Wilson formally identifies Cali as a suspect, and Cali is immediately ordered to fly back from Vietnam to the U.S. for questioning. A week later, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson picks him out of a lineup,

identifying him as one of the officers he confronted in Miline. And then, on July 16th, Wilson interviews Private Paul Meadlo. In a moment of grim clarity, Meadlo admits to what he did in Mili, confessing to killing unarmed civilians on Callie's orders, and with that, Wilson has all he needs. He submits his findings to the Army's Inspector General, who refers the case to the Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, making the Milai investigation now a full-blown

criminal inquiry. In August, the CID interviews former Army photographer Ronald Haverley. He and the reporter Jay Roberts were in Mili to document the mission. Afterward, they both fell in line with the official story and kept the truth to themselves. But when the CID shows up, Haberley makes good on the promise he made a year earlier that if anyone came asking for proof of what really happened, he provided. He hands over his trove of photographs, showing the bodies of Vietnamese civilians piled in ditches, and for the first time, the Army has hard evidence.

So a month later, 26-year-old William Calley is officially charged with six counts of premeditated murder. Although the Army suspects the number of his victims may be as high as 109, Publicly, they just release a vague statement that says Callie is being detained because of an ongoing investigation. That's enough to deflect the attention of most reporters, but not Seymour Hirsch. He's a 32-year-old investigative journalist in Washington, once a rising star at the Associated Press, but having left his job there now works for himself as a freelance reporter. And in October 1969, he's working in a cramped office on the eighth floor of the National Press Building. The walls are yellowed from years of cigarette smoke,

and Hirsch sits surrounded by notebooks. His head is down, working hard on a book about the Pentagon. But then the phone rang. Yep, this is Seymour Hirsch. Mr. Hirsch, I've got something for you. The caller is a young lawyer, new to Washington. A friend of a friend has given him Hirsch's number. He doesn't want his name involved, but he's got a tip.

The Army's about to court-martial a soldier down in front of him. Fort Benning and Georgia. They're keeping it quiet. Well, why's that? What, what for? 75 South Vietnamese shot dead. It could be more. Be it Kong? No, civilians, women and kids even. Hirsch opens a new notebook and grabs a pen. Well, who's the soldier? I don't know. They're keeping that under wraps. But he's at Fort Benning? Yeah, down in Georgia. Okay. What else? What can you give me? Any documents, dates? Anything solid? No, that's all I've got. It's all just a bunch of whispers right now. They seem pretty credible. Well, can I talk to anyone else who might know more?

No, I can't get anyone else involved. And keep my name out of it, too, okay? They're keeping this all quiet for a reason. There's a lot of people who don't want this getting out. Seymour Hirsch sits frozen in his chair for a moment. The phone still gripped in his hand. His mind is already racing. He's covered the Pentagon a good deal in the past.

He knows how stories can be buried if the authorities want them to be. But a court-martial for mass murder seems like a whole different ballgame. Hirsch finally drops a receiver back into its cradle, then rises from his chair, yanks on a battered overcoat, and grabs his notebook off the desk. He should forget about this phone call and focus on his book. He doesn't have a budget for this story or an editor interested in buying it. But he has something more important to him than any of that.

He has a lead, and his gut is telling him to follow it. Accidents happen daily. but there's nothing routine about the damage they cause. The right personal injury lawyer understands the physical and emotional challenges you face following an injury. While we can't take away your pain, learners experienced trial lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal issues on your recovery journey. When you suffer an accident, get the care and compensation you deserve with a learner's lawyer. Visit learnerspersonalinjury.ca today. That's learnerspersonalinjury.ca.ca.ca. The town of Agda in France is famous for sun, sand, sea and sex.

But lately, life on the coast has taken a strange turn. The town's mayor, a respected pillar of the community, has been arrested for corruption. His wife claims he's been bewitched by a beautiful clairvoyant. Then there's a mysterious phone calls that local people have been getting. I am the Archangel Michael. The whole town has been thrown into. chaos. As the mayor is unable to carry out his duties, I would like to address you all. Legal proceedings have been initiated. Join me, Anna Richardson and journalist Leo Schick for the

Mystic and the Mayor as we investigate a story of power, corruption and magic. Binge all episodes of The Mystic and the Mayor exclusively and ad free right now on Wondry Plus. Start your free trial in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or the Wondry app. After getting a tip about a potential war crime in Vietnam, investigative reporter Seymour Hirsch starts digging. He goes to the usual places first, checking the military's reporting system, the public records, anything filed and forgotten that might point to trouble. But there's no sign of a massacre or any mention of misconduct at all.

So he digs deeper, scouring through court records and news reports, but still he comes up empty. Then Hirsch gets lucky. He's in the Pentagon chasing down military records when he bumps into an army general. They know each other from Hershey's days at the Associated Press, before the general injured his knee and got pulled from the field. They've always been on friendly terms, and now they trade jabs and rib each other in the hallway. Hirsch jokes that the general shot himself in the knee just to get promoted, And the general fires back that he heard Hirsch didn't leave the AP, but got fired. The two men laugh, but Hirsch is already steering the conversation where he needs it to go.

And when the laughter dies down, he mentions that he's heard some nasty rumors about a massacre in Vietnam. The mood shifts suddenly, and the general shakes his head. He places his hand about knee height and then tells Hirsch, that guy, Callie, he didn't shoot anyone higher than this. He just shot little kids. He deserves everything he gets. Hirsch freezes. This is not just confirmation that some sort of massacre did take place. He's now also got a name. After he rushes home, Hirsch calls in all his favors,

trying to find out who exactly this Cali might be. When Hirsch follows up with a contact in a congressional office, they warn him to stay away from the story. They say Cali is just a kid who lost it on the battlefield, and it's not worth trouble. But Hirsch doesn't listen. Instead, he pokes around some more, and eventually he finds out the name of Cali's lawyer. George Latimer isn't just any defense attorney. He's a World War II veteran and a highly respected former judge on the U.S. Court of Military Appeals, the highest court in the military justice system.

Now in his late 60s, he's a partner in a law firm in Salt Lake City. So Hirsch calls Latimer up, but doesn't confront him with what he knows about the massacre. He thinks he needs to win Latimer's trust, so he makes his pitch carefully. He tells Latimer that he's heard Callie's being railroad. that the army is using him as a scapegoat. This strategy works. Latimer bites and says, yes, he's defending Cali, and yes, it is a miscarriage of justice.

So Hirsch tells Latimer that he'll be out west soon and asks if he can stop by the office to discuss the case in person. Latimer agrees, and in late October, 1969, Hirsch makes his way to Utah. So Wednesday morning, around 10 a.m., when Seymour Hersch strolls into the last. law office of George Latimer in Salt Lake City. Latimer sits behind a polished oak desk, and Hirsch approaches holding out his hand.

Mr. Latimer, pleasure to meet you, sir. Hirsch, is it? Yeah, sit, please. It's a beautiful office you've got here. Makes my old AP desk look like a broom closet. Well, well, thank you. And I appreciate you seeing me. I wanted to talk about your client, Lieutenant Callie. I hear they're keeping him at Fort Benning. Latimer peers over his thick rimmed glasses. Well, you know, I can't discuss specifics, Mr. Hirsch. No, of course not. But let me ask you this. I've heard the Army offered him a plea bargain that included jail time. Is there any truth of that? The government makes offers. That doesn't mean we accept them. So you said no? I told them never. That boy was just doing what he was told. They're trying to make an example out of him. But it's the senior officers who should be on trial here, not Cali.

Her shifts in his seat, raising to ask his next question. Well, I've been hearing some numbers. I've been told Cali might be responsible for the death of over 150. civilians. Latimer flushes with anger. Want 50. Now that's a lie. Latimer pushes back from his desk and steps over to a filing captain. He rifles through a drawer before pulling out a single piece of paper. If you want to know what he's being accused of here, this is what they say he did. Latimer slaps a paper on his desk. It's a charge sheet. Hirsch leans forward to read it.

Premeditated murder of 109 Oriental human beings? That's very specific. It's also unproven. Latimer pulls the charge sheet back toward him, but not completely out of sight. Hirsch tilts his head and starts discreetly copying it onto his notepad, reading upside down while pretending to listen as Latimer goes on. You have to understand he's a lieutenant, Mr. Hirsch, just 24 years old. Boy, really, following orders in a war that makes no sense. What happened in that village was a tragedy.

There's no doubt of that. No one would deny it. But we can't let the full weight of it fall on one young officer. Not when everyone up the ladder knew what was happening. Hirsch looks up. So you think senior officers knew about this? Knew about it, they practically encouraged it. Seymour Hirsch doesn't ask too many follow-up questions. He doesn't want to run the risk of George Latimer telling him their conversation is off the record.

Instead, he shakes the lawyer's hand and turns on his heels, knowing exactly where he's off to next. On November 11, 1969, Seymour Hirsch heads to Georgia. He's convinced that Lieutenant William Cali is being hidden somewhere on the Fort Benning base while he awaits his court-martial. Fort Benning is an open facility, so gaining access isn't a problem. But the base is huge, almost the size of New York City. Between the training facilities, residential blocks, and the airfield, there's a lot of places to hide someone. But Hirsch is not deterred. He's been a reporter for a long time, finding people is what he's good at.

He starts by bluffing his way into several military prisons, figuring they'll be keeping Cali in one of the holding facilities where they house soldiers awaiting trial, but he can't find him. So he stops by the military's legal offices and asks for Cali there. The sergeant at the desk tells him to stay right where he is. For a moment, Hirsch thinks he might be getting somewhere. But in fact, this sergeant is under strict orders to alert a colonel if anyone comes asking about William Cali. The last thing Hirsch wants is to get kicked off base before he can

figure out where Callie is, so he bolts from the office before the sergeant can detain him. But he's no closer to finding Callie. He keeps searching and eventually gets a tip from a GI who handles Callie's mail. That leads him to Callie's personnel file, and in that, Hirsch finds a local address. By the time Hirsch reaches the condo listed in the file, it's nearly 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He's been on the move all day and is a bit exhausted, but he knows it'll be worth it if he can finally find Callie. But he doesn't. A group of young army officers lives at that address, but Cali isn't one of them. They say he moved out weeks ago. Hirsch sighs. He feels like he's hitting one

dead end after another. Seeing his tired and disappointed face, the officers invite him in for a drink because he looks like he needs one. Hersh accepts and over a glass of cheap bourbon, one of the officers reveals Callie's new location. He's bunking in quarters usually reserved for more senior men. Hersch quickly says his goodbyes and heads over to this new address. It's a complex of two-story buildings with its own tennis court and swimming pool. With no other clues to go on, Hirsch just begins knocking on doors. After several hours, without success, it's getting late and he's about ready to call it a night. But as he heads across the parking lot to his car, he hears a shout from the building behind him.

It's one of Cali's neighbors. He calls out that the man Hirsch is looking for has finally come home. Hirsch stuffs his car keys back in his pocket and turns around to race back to the complex. He finds Lieutenant William Cali standing outside. Hirsch introduces himself and the two men shake hands. Then Hirsch explains that he's a journalist

who's come to Georgia to get Callie's side of the story. Callie likes the sound of that, and he invites Hirsch upstairs to his apartment. There, they sit down over beers and start talking on the record. When he first started looking for Cali, Hirsch expected to find a kind of monster, but instead he discovers that the pale-faced Cali is fragile, defensive, and clearly afraid. With little prompting, he launches into his version of what really happened in Vietnam, an implausible tale of heroism under fire, full of dramatic shootouts and communist ambushes.

He talks and drinks for hours. Hirsch just listens and encourages him. But as Callie drinks into the dawn, his voice slurs and his story begins to unravel, growing more contradictory and less credible. Eventually, Hirsch decides it's time to go. But before he leaves, Callie insists that Hirsch speak with his commanding officer, Captain Ernest Medina. Medina was the one in charge of Charlie Company, and Callie insists that he was the one who gave the orders at Milai.

Cali grabs his phone and dials his former captain's number, positive that Medina will back up his story. But when Medina answers, and here's what Callie is asking, he flatly denies everything. He says he has no idea what Callie is talking about, then hangs up. Callie stares at the phone in his hand, the dial tone droning. He looks stunned, because in that moment it seems to Hirsch that Callie has finally realized something. His commanding officers are not going to back him up, and he's going to be the one left holding a bag for what they all did in the village of Milan. How hard is it to kill a planet?

Maybe all it takes is a little drilling, some mining, and a whole lot of carbon pumped into the atmosphere. When you see what's left, it starts to look like a crime scene. Are we really safe? Is our water safe? You destroyed our time. And crimes like that, they don't just happen. We call things accidents.

There is no accident. This was 100% preventable. They're the result of choices by people, ruthless oil tycoons, corrupt politicians, even organized crime. These are the stories we need to be telling about our changing planet. Stories of scams, murders, and cover-ups that are about us, and the things we're doing to either protect the Earth or destroy it. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early. and ad-free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The American Dream, success and contentment achieved through hard work and sacrifice. But you're an American scandal listener, so you understand that there's a dark side to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I'd like to invite you to take a step even further into that darkness with another podcast I produce, American Criminal. Hosted by my friend Jeremy Schwartz, American Criminal Unpacks the Stories that Defaults find eras, revealed corruption, or exposed the deep-seated cracks in the American dream, like the Menendez brothers, who made headlines for murdering their parents for money, revenge, or was it self-defense? Or Sante Kimes, whose greed took her from insurance fraud to cold-blooded

murder. We cover gangsters, jewel thieves, crypto fraudsters, political assassins, sex cults, and killers. Whatever the case, whoever the criminal, you don't know the whole story until now. Subscribe to American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. or at Americancriminal.com. After tracking Lieutenant William Callie down to his hiding spot on Fort Benning, journalist Seymour Hirsch believes he secured the scoop of a lifetime. Now he just has to get the story out. But that won't be easy.

His interview with Callie is explosive, and anyone who publishes it will likely. feel the wrath of the White House and the Pentagon, as well as their lawyers. But Hirsch has no intention of softening the allegations. He wants a publisher with the guts to run the story as is. Hirsch starts with the big names first. But the editors at Life and Look Magazines both turn him down. His contacts over at the New York Review of Books are more interested,

but they want to shape the piece into something overtly anti-war, and Hirsch refuses to editorialize. He's not trying to score political points with this. he believes the horror of Milai can speak for itself. So in the end, he gives up on the national publishers, and he takes the story to a smaller outfit called Dispatch News Service. Based in Washington, they've only been up and running for a year, and their editor is just 23 years old.

But unlike the other outlets, they agree to publish Hershey's story without any edits, and it goes out on November 13, 1969. Dispatch News copyrights the story and takes full legal responsibility for the allegations Hersch makes. That opens the door for other newspapers to run the story, including the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Washington Post, which publishes an edited version of the report on its front page. But not everyone jumps on board. The New York Times doesn't run the story, nor do any of the major television networks. They're more cautious because

there's no hard proof in Hersch's article to back up the allegations, and the Pentagon isn't giving any comment either. Still, that doesn't stop people from hearing about the story. The public is split in their reaction. For anti-war protesters, it's proof of everything that is wrong with America's involvement in Vietnam. But for those who still support the war, it's an unfair attack on U.S. troops doing their best in an impossible situation. Many military men come forward to defend Kali, and top politicians question Hershey's motives in even publishing the story. Even some fellow journalists accuse him of sensationalism. For many of them, it seems the idea that U.S. soldiers could carry out such an atrocity

is just too painful or unpatriotic to accept. But despite the backlash, Hirsch isn't finished with the Milai story yet. Other soldiers who served along Lieutenant Callie and Charlie Company come forward with another name and a new lead, private first class Paul Meadlow. He is a farm kid who apparently followed Callie's orders and mowed down scores of Vietnamese villagers. Hirsch knows that if America is going to face up to what happened at Mili,

it can't be reduced to a single villain or one rogue lieutenant. so Hirsch now heads to the Midwest to the quiet town of New Goshen, Indiana, looking for the bigger truth. Hirsch glances down at the address scrawled in his notebook as he drives down a long stretch toward a ramshackle family farm. He parks his rental car out front. A woman comes out to greet him, and when Hirsch explains why he's come, she points him to a second, smaller home on the property. Hirsch makes his way into a kitchen where Paul Meadlow is pouring himself a coffee

with his soft face and glasses he doesn't look much like a killer and glances up at Hirsch Can I pour you a cup? I just made it Yeah sure thanks and I appreciate you letting me come by Well not much else going on around here It's peaceful, that's for sure Well I guess I needed some of that

Here you go Edelow hands Hirsch a cup of coffee You both take a seat at the kitchen table Okay well Well, why don't we start kind of easy? Tell me about yourself. You're 22 now, right? Married?

Yeah. Before I even went out to Vietnam, we've got two kids. A two-year-old boy, and we just had a daughter. Wow. Congratulations. Thanks. They keep me granted, you know, when I start remembering things. Yeah, I can imagine.

My wife, she doesn't ask too many questions. I think she's scared to know. That's pretty common. What have you been doing since getting home? Well, I've gotten myself a job at the factory. It's not the easiest. I've still got this. Meadlo pulls up his pant leg, showing a prosthetic.

Yeah, mind me asking how that happened? Yeah, sure. My lieutenant ordered us to go down an uncleared path, and mine exploded. Blew my foot right off. I spent months in an Army hospital in Japan, but it'll never be right. And would the lieutenant who gave you that order be William Cali by any chance? Yes, it would. You're not his biggest fan?

It is a miracle. That guy didn't get us all kill. Meadlow looks down. I thought it was a sign when the mine went off. A sign? A sign of what? I just remember thinking maybe it was God punishing us for what we did. You mean it, Mele? Meadle nods. But then I thought, why me and why not Cali for Christ's sakes? Well, he's getting court-narshaled now. I guess that's something. You don't sound sure. I mean, what does it matter now? Folks either don't believe it or don't want to hear it. They're just going to let him get away with everything. Just sweep it all under the

the rug. Well, maybe, maybe not. I mean, if you're loud enough, they won't be able to ignore you. You really think so? I know. If you're ready to tell me what happened that day. Paul Meadlow eventually gives Seymour Hirsch an on the record eyewitness account of what he did at Meilin. And once he starts talking, he doesn't want to stop. Soon after his interview with Hirsch, Meadlo agrees to repeat his story on national television. In an appearance on CBS news, Meadlow confesses to killing women, children, and even babies. His interview strips away any lingering doubt the public may have about what happened at Mili. His flat, haunting voice forces Americans to confront the massacre not as a rumor but as a reality.

And with every new revelation about the Milai massacre, public shock and outrage grow, and attention turns to the Pentagon. Many Americans suspect the military's top brass is trying to conceal the truth, that the full story has yet to emerge. So in Washington, there are hastily arranged meetings about how to respond and how the Army can recover from this crisis. Saying nothing is no longer an option, as the public's faith in the military is wavering. Congress is now demanding answers as well, so something has to be done.

On November 26, 1969, Secretary of the Army Stanley Reeser heads to Capitol Hill. The Senate Armed Services Committee has summoned him for a hearing on the massacre allegations and he's determined to use this opportunity to finally take charge of the story. A hush falls as he takes his seat in the center of the room. A row of photographs lies face up on the long table before him. They're the pictures that Ronald Haberley took in Mili. They show houses of flame, terrified women clutching their children, and dead bodies piled in dishes.

Rieser clears his throat and begins a lengthy statement. With a deliberate and unwavering tone, he admits the truth. American soldiers committed mass murder in Mili. The army failed to stop it, and then they failed to investigate it properly. But then, Reeser says that all changes now. He tells the senators that a new, comprehensive, and independent inquiry has been ordered. It is to be led by Lieutenant General William R. Pierce, a 55-year-old combat veteran with no ties to the division involved in the massacre and no tolerance for half-truths.

In front of the senators, Secretary Reeser stresses that Peir's mission is not not just to establish the facts of what happened on the ground, but also to judge the adequacy of the investigations and reviews that followed. In other words, he is to establish whether there was a cover-up. After Secretary Reeser's appearance before the Senate hearing, he knows the press and public will seize on the peers' inquiry as a turning point. For the first time, the U.S. military is acknowledging that its troops committed mass murder in Miline. But what Reeser doesn't yet know is exactly how deep the rot goes

and how close this new investigation will come to unraveling the army from within. From Wondering, this is episode three of the massacre at Mili for American skin. In our next episode, Lieutenant William Calley stands trial for the murder of more than 100 civilians at Mili. As the nation watches, the courtroom becomes a battleground over duty, obedience, and who should bear the responsibility for the costs of war. If you're enjoying American Scandal, you can unlock exclusive seasons on Wondry Plus. Binge new seasons first and listen completely ad-free when you join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a survey at Wondry.com slash survey.

If you'd like to learn more about the massacre at Mili, we recommend the books Mili, Vietnam, 1968, and The Descent Into Darkness by Howard Jones. Cover-up by Seymour Hirsch, and The Forgotten Hero of Mili, the Hugh Thompson story by Trent Andrews. This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Trishon Perak, sound design by Gabriel Gould, supervising sound designer Matthew Phila, music by Thrumb. This episode is written and researched by Alex Burns. Fact-checking by Alyssa Jung Perry.

Managing producer Emily Burke. Development by Stephanie Jens. Senior producer Andy Beckerman. Executive producers are William Simpson for airship, Jenny Lauer Beckman, Marshall Louis, and Aaron O'Flaherty for Wondering. In 1925, 18-year-old Howard Hughes inherited a fortune, and he wasted no time putting it to use.

With a million dollars burning a hole in his pocket, he headed west, determined to conquer America's booming new capital of entertainment, Hollywood. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, host of Wondry Show business movers. We tell the true stories of business leaders who risked it all, the critical moments that define their journey, and the ideas that transform the way we live our lives. In our latest series, Howard Hughes clashes with Hollywood's power players as he fights to see his name in lights. But Howard has deep pockets and even deeper ambitions, and he revolutionizes the movie business by breaking rules and spending big, because for Howard, the best way to level Hollywood's playing field is to explode the entire industry.

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