Why did Noam Chomsky publicly oppose the Vietnam War in 1964?

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Noam Chomsky wearing glasses and a dark sweater, looking slightly to the side during an interview. — Noam Chomsky American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky, 2010.

Noam Chomsky began his public opposition to the Vietnam War in 1964 because he felt a moral obligation to speak out against the U.S. role in the conflict, which he characterized as an invasion.1

Chomsky viewed this military intervention as part of a broader pattern in which the United States utilized its power to consolidate economic control over developing regions. As a member of the intellectual class, he believed it was his responsibility to act as a moral agent by providing ordinary citizens with the truth about matters of human significance, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their government's actions. He argued that intellectuals and the media often failed this duty by concealing the true aims and consequences of U.S. foreign policy to protect elite interests.1