The Vietnam War Years

Location and GeographyEastern edge of the Indochinese PeninsulaJungle conditions, swamp, lush land along the

deltas.Slightly larger than New MexicoTemperature:

August: 91o FJanuary: 70oF

Precipitation:August: 13.5 inchesJanuary: 8 inches

War FactsAmerica involvement:

1950-1973—money, weapons, and military advisors1965-1973—American combat troops on the ground

2nd longest military engagement Afghan war is now the longest

American Fatalities:37,393MIA: 2,000

South Vietnam FatalitiesMilitary: 266,000Civilian: 843,000

North Vietnam Fatalities:Military: 251,000Civilian: 182,000

1. Summarize Vietnam’s history as a French colony and its struggle for independence.

2. Examine how the United States became involved in the Vietnam conflict.

3. Describe the expansion of U.S. military involvement under President Johnson.

22.1—Moving Towards ConflictObjectives

The Vietnamese had been striving for independence for years*

Vietnam declared Independence on September 2, 1945 from French colonial rule*

A friendship between the U.S. and Vietnam began, which later turned into war

Moving Towards a Conflict

Communist Leader of the Vietminh:

Vietnamese Nationalist Force Founded in 1941 Purpose: to drive the French

out Goals: land reform and an

independent unified Vietnam Was actually trained by OSS

forces around 1945

Ho Chi Minh*

French did not want to give up their colony of Vietnam

November 1946: War between French and the Vietminh begins

1950: French appeal to U.S. for helpU.S. did not want to lose France as an allyChina became Communist in 1949 (puts the

pressure on us)Containment: U.S. policy that opposes

Communism and where it does it exist, it “ contained”

U.S. agreed to send military aid to France

French Difficulties

Ike takes office in ‘53. By ‘56 we were paying for 80% of the 1st Indochina War

1956: The French surrenderFrance and Vietnam meet in

Geneva to work out a peace agreement between the countries – The Geneva AccordsVietnam was to be temporarily

divided along the 17th parallel To Be reunited after 1956 National

Vietnamese elections Ike refused to sign it due to the

domino theory If one country fell to communism,

those in the area would fall to communism.

The French Are Driven Out

South Vietnam was in chaos after colonialism and war

Ngo Dinh Diem (groomed by the U.S.)Was an anti-Communist and

nationalist Refused to take part in the ‘56

elections as spelled out in the Geneva Accords

1954-1961: U.S. sent $1 billion to South Vietnam

Had little in common with his people

Rigged elections so he would win, refused to hold real elections

The U.S. Steps In

VietcongVietcong: In South Vietnam, but oppose Diem

and support North VietnamPromised economic reform, reunification, and

used terror extensively Tied to Ho Chi Minh governmentVietcong supported by North Vietnam, China,

and the Soviet UnionThe Ho Chi Minh Trail*

Network of paths thru Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Used to move goods and most importantly provide for guerilla warfare.

1963: Buddhists protested Diem regime, which persecuted Buddhists

Plan to overthrow Diem, with U.S./JFK support- November 1, 1963*

Diem was “accidentally” killed in the process*

Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963 and the Vietnam conflict was turned over to Johnson

The Overthrow of Diem

Thich Quang Duc*

Believed Vietnam was important to a Cold War victory

By 1964, U.S. aid was still the only thing keeping South Vietnam from collapsing

Johnson wanted to expand U.S. involvement to ensure a non-communist victory

Advised by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

Johnson Expands the Conflict

August 1964: Tonkin Gulf Incident

Johnson announced two U.S. destroyers were attacked off the coast of North Vietnam

(it is now known that this incident never really happened, the government made it up so that Americans would support expansion in Vietnam)

Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:Did not declare war, but

it widened the war (gave Johnson more military powers in wartime than any President before him)

1. Explain the reasons for the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

2. Describe the military tactics and weapons used by U.S. forces and the Vietcong.

3. Explain the impact of the war on American society.

22.2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation Objectives

Increased Involvement ‘65 and every year after, Johnson continued to escalate the #

of troops in Vietnam to support South Vietnam(Americans supported it) American’s fought along side the Army of the Republic of Vietnam

(South Vietnamese)…fought against the Vietcong and North Vietnam.

U.S. hoped to destroy the Vietcong’s will through bombing and combat Bombing: Operation Rolling Thunder—bombing of North Vietnam Ground War: Search and Destroy Missions (controversial)Vietcong appealed to peasantsVietcong could be anyoneUse of napalm and agent orange – know what these are

Guerrilla Warfare: (Vietcong) Small groups of fighters to annoy U.S. troops, avoid open fighting

Strategic Hamlet Program: (U.S.) Uproot villages and force people to move to cities or refugee camps

Bottom Line: Fighting the Vietcong was a nightmare…!!!

U.S. Troops In Vietnam

*By the end of ‘65 the govt. had sent almost 200,000 Americans to Vietnam.

*General WestmorelandCommander of U.S.

troops in VietnamAsked Johnson to send

troops in March 1965Nov. 21, 1967:

Westmoreland states the end is near- 10 weeks later we get the Tet Offensive

Felt that the Vietnamese could not withstand our troop support..

By ‘67 – 500,000 troops!!

America’s first “Living Room War” Combat footage appeared on the

nightly news The news seemed to counter the

Governments portrayal of what was happening over there

The govt came back with body count stats of how many Vietcong were dying in combat versus how many Americans were dying

A credibility gap was growing Government was saying one thing,

but the American people were seeing something different on TV.

War at Home Early On*

Journalist Walter Cronkite

1. Explain the draft polices that led to the Vietnam War becoming a working-class war.

2. Trace the roots of opposition to the war.3. Describe the antiwar movement and the

growing divisions in U.S. public opinion about the war.

22.3 A Nation Divided Objectives

The DraftUse of the Selective Service System (18-26

years of age)As doubts grew, men found ways to avoid the

draftMedical exemptionsCollege exemptions (most common)

This often left the working class to fight the war…African Americans

Made up a disproportionate # of soldiers…1969 – instituted a draft lotteryWomen – could not serve in combat

10,000 served as nurses, many more in the red cross and the USO

A Nation Divided

The New LeftYouth movement demanding sweeping changes

SDS – Students for a Democratic SocietyCorporations are taking over AmericaCalled for civil disobedience @ selective service centersBy ‘70 had chapters on 400 college campuses

Free Speech MovementColleges were a breeding ground for all of these

groups…Protests quickly changed to resistance

“burn cards, not people”“hell, no, we won’t go”

Doves (for peace) vs. Hawks (for war)Even with all the resistance Johnson stays the course.

The Roots of Opposition*

22.4 ObjectivesDescribe the Tet offensive and its effect on the

American public.Explain the domestic turbulence of 1968.Describe the 1968 presidential election.

1968: A Tumultuous Year

The Tet Offensive On the eve of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet) the Vietcong

attacked 100 towns and 12 U.S. air bases in South Vietnam. They even attacked the U.S. embassy in Saigon. Continued for about a month.

ResultAmerica and South Vietnam able to regain control.Showed the Vietcong not close to surrendering. What effect did it have on public opinion?

Walter CronkiteClark CliffordHawks vs. Doves

How was the democratic party “a house divided” in 1968? Johnson announced that we would seek negotiations to end

the war, then he announced he would no longer be running for president.

1968

Who Am I?DemocratLoyal Supporter of LBJPeople were afraid that

I wouldn’t end the warI was the Democrat’s

nominee for president in 1968

I lost the presidency in the 1968 general election to my Republican opponent

Hubert Humphrey

Who Am I?I was a member of the

Democrat PartyI was a Senator from

Minnesota I decided to run for

president even when LBJ was still running

I was an anti-war supporter

I did not earn the Democrat nomination for President

Eugene McCarthy

Who Am I?I was a member of

the Democrat PartyI was a Senator from

New YorkI wanted to end the

warI was assassinated

Robert Kennedy

Who Am I?I was a member of the

American Independent Party

I was once the governor of Alabama

I supported school segregation and states’ rights

I lost the presidency in the general election, but I took votes away from Hubert Humphrey

George Wallace

Whom Am I?I was a member of

the Republican PartyI was V.P. under

EisenhowerI promised to restore

law and orderI won the Presidency

in 1968

Richard Nixon

Martin Luther KingAssassinated April 4th,

1968Robert Kennedy

Decided to run because of Johnson’s weakness at the polls

June 4th he won the California primary

June 5th he was assassinated

Protests on college campuses skyrocketed

Violence grips the nation

‘68 Democratic National ConventionHumphrey was going to win the nomination

Why did this upset anti-war voters?Around 10,000 protestors met in Chicago

Some came to voice their displeasure over HumphreySome to provoke violence (the Yippies)

Mayor Richard Daley “there will be law and order”Mobilized 12,000 police officers and 5,000 National

GuardRiots broke out

Democratic party problems was seen by millions of Americans.

Nixon wins the electionPromised to restore law and order, and to end the

war in VietnamAppealed to the Silent Majority

The Race for President

1968 Election Results

1. Describe Nixon’s policy of Vietnamization.2. Explain the public’s reaction to the

Vietnam War during Nixon’s presidency.3. Describe the end of the U.S. involvement

and the final outcome in Vietnam.4. Examine the war’s painful legacy in the

United States and Southeast Asia.

22.5—The End of the War and Its LegacyObjectives

Nixon and VietnamizationBegan troop withdrawal in early 1969But he continued the war against North VietnamKissinger (national security advisor) and Nixon

came up with vietnamization Gradual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam The S. Vietnamese would take a more active role in

combatBy ‘72 troop #’s dropped from 500,000 to 25,000. “Peace with Honor”

Preserve our clout at the negotiation tableOrdering of massive bombing campaigns in N. Vietnam,

Laos and Cambodia. The enemy needs to fear us.

Vietnamization

The My Lai Massacre What happened at this

incident?Cambodian Invasion

To clear out N. Vietnamese and Vietcong supply centers.

Kent State ShootingsStudents were protesting

the bombings in CambodiaSo what happened???

The Pentagon PapersPapers drawn up by Robert

McNamara, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg that detailed our true plan for the war in Vietnam.

Continued Trouble on the Home Front

March 1972 – NVA launch the largest attack since TetNixon orders to lay more mines and this halted the attack

and he terrible stalemate continued.October 26th, 1972 – “Peace is at Hand” – Henry

Kissinger Nixon is re-elected in ‘72

Christmas bombings – U.S. dropped 100,000 lbs. of bombs on the 2 largest cities of Vietnam

Jan 27, ’73 – Agreement to end the war and restore peaceMarch 29, ‘73 – the last U.S. combat troops left for homeMarch of ‘75 – The North Vietnamese led a full scale

attack on South Vietnam. By April 30th, tanks rolled in and captured Saigon. (how did the U.S. react??)

Our Longest War Ends

In the U.S.58,000 Americans were killed – 303,000 were

woundedHow many Vietnamese died???

Change of attitudeMany now look more cautiously at foreign affairs, and

more cynical toward their government.How did many Americans treat their fellow Americans

coming home from Vietnam?15% of the returning soldiers developed post-

traumatic stress disorder (????)In Asia

The N. Vietnamese began to “Nationalize” the country, imprisoning 400,000 in “reeducation” camps. 1.5 million fled the country in the mid 70’s.

Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, took over CambodiaKilled at least a million of his own people.

A Painful Legacy

What were the hawks vs. doves arguments after the war???

Major policy changesAbolished the draftWar Powers Act of ‘73

The President must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into a hostile area without a declaration of war.

The troops may remain there no longer than 90 days unless Congress approves the actions or declares war.

How did the war alter our views on foreign policy?Overall Legacy

People generally do not trust their govt. as much as they did before the war.

Do you feel it that we won the Vietnam War or that we lost the Vietnam War? Why?

Legacy continued