the vietnam war 1954 - 1975
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The Vietnam War 1954 - 1975
Background to the War
z The French lost control to Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh forces in 1954 at battle of Dien Bien Phu
z Peace Conference :GenevaP Vietnam was divided at 17th
parallelO Ho Chi Minh: leader of nationalist
forces controlled the NorthO Ngo Dinh Diem: French-educated,
Catholic. Claimed control of the South
Background to the Warz A date was set for democratic elections
to reunify Vietnam
z Diem backed out of the elections, leading to military conflict between North and South
U.S. Military Involvement Begins
z Dictatorial rule by DiemP Diem’s family holds all powerP Wealth is hoarded by the eliteP Buddhist majority persecutedP Torture, lack of political freedom prevail
P The U.S. aided Diem’s governmentP 675 U.S. Army advisors sent by 1960.
Early Protests of Diem’s Government
Self-immolation by a Buddhist Monk
U.S. Military Involvement Begins
z Kennedy increases military “advisors” to 16,000
z 1963: zDiem’s unpopularity worries JFK
zUS supports military coup d’etatzARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)
zARVN overthrew the government on November 1, 1963.
z Diem and his brother are murdered (Nov. 2)
Johnson Sends Ground Forces
z Remembers Truman’s “loss” of China Domino Theory revived
I’m not going to be the president who saw Southeast Asia go the way China went.
Johnson Sends Ground Forces
z Advised to rout the communists by Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara
z Tonkin Gulf Incident 1964(acc. to Johnson, the attacks were unprovoked)
z Tonkin Gulf ResolutionP “The Blank Check” *P A joint resolution of Congress P What is a Joint Resolution?
P Gave Johnson authorization for war - without a formal declaration of war
U.S. Troop Deployments in Vietnam
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
1961 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968
U.S. Troops
The Ground War 1965-1968
z No clear territorial goals for the US. z Body counts on TV every night (first
“living room” war)z Viet Cong supplies war via the Ho Chi
Minh Traila path from North Vietnam to South Vietnam via Laos & Cambodia .
The Air War1965-1968
z 1965: Sustained bombing of North Vietnam
z Operation Rolling Thunder (March 2, 1965)
z 1966-68: Ongoing bombing of Hanoi nonstop for 3 years.
z targets the Ho Chi Minh Trail.z Carpet Bombing – napalm
The Air War:A Napalm Attack
Who Is the Enemy?z Vietcong:
P Farmers by day; guerillas at night.
P Willing to accept many casualties.
P US underestimated resolve and resourcefulness.The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the conventional army loses if it does not win. -- Mao Zedong
The Tet Offensive, January 1968z N. Vietnamese Army + Viet Cong attack
South simultaneously z (67,000 attack 100 cities, bases, and the US
embassy in Saigon)z Take every major southern cityz U.S. + ARVN beat back the offensive
z Viet Cong all but destroyedz N. Vietnamese army debilitated
z BUT the IMPACT….
The Tet Offensive, January
1968
Impact of the Tet Offensive
z Domestic U.S. Reaction: Disbelief, Anger, Distrust of Johnson Administration
z Johnson’s popularity dropped in 1968 from 48% to 36%.
z ‘Hey, Hey LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?’
Are We Becoming the Enemy?
z Lt. William Calley,Platoon Leader
z Convicted of premeditated murder of 22 Vietnamese civilians. Calley
was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor
z Mylai Massacre, 1968z 200-500 unarmed villagers
Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry
1968 Presidential Election – A Critical Election: The Era of Divided Government
Nixon on Vietnam
z Nixon’s campaign promised : Peace with Honorz Vietnamization: Encouraged the South
Vietnamese to take more responsibility for fighting the war. z Hoped to enable the United States to
withdraw (gradually) from ‘Nam
z The “Secret War”P Cambodia – US forces famously invade
& bomb. Destabilize the nation. P Laos
“Pentagon Papers,” 1971
z Former defense analyst Daniel Ellsbergleaked govt. docs. about the Johnson administration and Vietnam
z New York Times.z Docs. Govt. misled Congress &
Americans about Vietnam during mid-1960s.
P Fighting not to eliminate communism, but to avoid humiliating defeat.
The Ceasefire, 1973
z Peace is at hand Kissinger, 1972P North Vietnam attacks SouthP Most Massive U.S. bombing
commences
z 1973: Ceasefire signed between P U.S., South Vietnam, & North
Vietnam
z Peace with honor (President Nixon)
The Ceasefire, 1973
z Conditions:1. U.S. to remove all troops2. North Vietnam could leave
troops already in S.V.3. North Vietnam would resume
war4. No provision for POWs or MIAs
z Last American troops left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973
z 1975: North Vietnam defeats South Vietnam
z Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City
The Fall of Saigon
America Abandons Its Embassy
April 30, 1975
The Costs1. 3,000,000 Vietnamese killed2. 58,000 Americans killed;
300,000 wounded3. Under-funding of Great
Society programs4. $150,000,000,000 in U.S.
spending5. U.S. morale, self-confidence,
trust of government, decimated
The Impactz 26th Amendment: 18-year-olds votez Nixon abolished the draft all-
volunteer armyz War Powers Act, 1973 ٭
P President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military force
P President must withdraw forces unless he gains Congressional approval within 90 days
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