The Vietnam War Lecture #2

1965 – 1968

Part I. LBJ Feels Pressured to Send American Troops to ‘Do the Job Right’

Soon after Diem was killed, JFK was assassinated

LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson), JFK’s Vice President, took over– Vietnam becomes his problem

A presidential election is scheduled in a bit over a year– LBJ hopes to put Vietnam on the back burner until

after the election, but isn’t given that luxury

The Gulf of Tonkin ‘Incident’

As the election draws near, U.S. forces report on being fired at in the Gulf of Tonkin

– Where is the Gulf of Tonkin? LBJ doesn’t think he can afford to look weak

– Orders air strikes on North Vietnam ‘funny’ story

– It later turned out that a U.S. sonar operator on an American ship had made a mistake. The U.S. was never fired on.

– Oops! – Responding to the Gulf of Tonkin ‘Incident’, congress gave LBJ

war powers in South Asia No official declaration of war, ever, in Vietnam!!!

– LBJ later said, “For all I know, we were shooting out whales out there,” referring to the supposed firefight in the Gulf of Tonkin

Vietcong Response to Bombing of North Vietnam

Vietnamese attacked an American air base that was stationed in South Vietnam

LBJ has had it orders American marines to land in Vietnam in 1965 – The ‘war’ has begun

Part II. The Vietnamese Communists Choose to Continue Guerrilla Tactics

French military officials told U.S., ‘you will be beaten the same way we were’

U.S. responded, ‘Nope, because we have Air Cavalry.’– Helicopters can respond to guerrilla fighters – Can show up with no warning and drop troops

anywhere in the country In late 1965, there was a giant battle between

U.S. helicopter troops and the Vietcong– Called the battle of Ia Drang

Ia Drang– VC decided to go head to head with U.S.

to learn our tactics – 24 hour battle in the jungle

Vietnamese Communists lost 1200 menU.S. lost 300 men

Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare

After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to stretch the war out– No conventional battles– Hit and run guerrilla tactics

They only need to not lose, right? – U.S. will eventually tire of the fight

Part III. U.S. Strategy

Escalation of U.S. Troops

LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War

• goal prop up South Vietnam, not topple North Vietnam

• Why? – U.S. public won’t stand for high casualties– Soviet Union and China might not stand for an

invasion of the north– Vietnam War sold as a defensive war we are there

to ‘help’

• Thus, no invasion of North Vietnam

War of Attrition

U.S. will win when we have killed so many of the enemy that it ceases to be a fighting force

Why was this the necessary strategy?– Seizing land is irrelevant; the guerrilla

‘fish’ simply swim to other parts of the ‘ocean’ and then return when the U.S. troops are gone

Search and Destroy Missions- – Find VC and kill them

Destroy Vietcong friendly villages- – “ dry the sea the enemy swims in”… – free fire zones...

Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability to wage war…

– a major target here was the Ho Chi Minh trail. – Quote: “We’ll bomb them back to the stone age.” (U.S.

general). Problem? __________________– Later estimated that it cost $10 to destroy every $1 of

NVA or VC materiel

To accomplish attrition U.S. Used a Three-Pronged Strategy

How to measure success in the war of attrition?

Body count

Part IV. Down Sides of U.S. Strategy

War of Attrition Conflicts with ‘Battle for Hearts and Minds’

What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean? _____________________________ ___________________________________

Attrition says: – demolish villages– Use defoliants like agent orange

See the Contradiction?

A little more about Defoliants

Room in American War Crimes Museum Destroy cover and food for guerilla fighters. Bad for the U.S. because… world outrage, loss of villager support, and

riots at home. It is against the law to use weaponize poison ever since mustard gas was

used in WWI. U.S. argues that it is using poison against plants in areas where no one lives.

The problem is… poisons, most notably the most famous (Agent Orange) doesn’t just evaporate after it kills plants. It ends up killing people too. There were other agent colors in Vietnam.

It is extremely difficult to test a person for Dioxin poisoning, which is what you can get from Agent Orange. For example it was used on Victor Yashenko in the Ukrainian election campaign. It costs about $1500 - $2000 dollars even today to test one person for Dioxin exposure. U.S. never has to admit what it has done. Still debated…

What is the Impact the U.S. strategy on the U.S. soldier?

-Mere Gook Rule …brutality is OK Inflated body count (for promotion) makes it impossible for the U.S. gov to tell how well it is actually doing -Killing is anesthetized

- … poem…

‘Glided Baskets’ Poem

“Eight Six Foxtrot- Eight Six Foxtrot.

This is One One Zulu. Over.

The woman in blueCarried the weight swiftly, with grace,

Her face hidden by her Conical rice straw hat

One One Zulu- this is Eight Six Foxtrot. Go.

Roger Eight Six. I have Fire Mission.

Dink in the open, Grid: Bravo Sierra

Five Six Niner, Four Six Five, Range:

Three thousand, Proximity; Eight hundred, Over.

The two heavy baskets

balanced on tips

of the springing Chogi stick

Glided close to the hard smooth path

Read back, One One Zulu.

Roger Copy, Eight Six.

Shot on the way, wait.

Shot out, Eight Six.

A sighing 105 mm round slides through its parabola. Then the explosive tearing at the steel which surrounds it, And the shrapnel catches the gliding baskets, And they crumple with the woman in blue “

VS

Part V. The U.S. Public is Lied To

The Math Doesn’t Work!

One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of the highest 6 month period between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, which it was, (why?) that it would take 15 ½ years to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance

Why a problem? – TOO LONG!!! U.S. taxpayers, draftees, unwilling to spend

15 years and a trillion dollars on Vietnam!

Despite Evidence to the Contrary, Administration Gave Rosy Reports

Westmoreland (commanding general) tells congress in 1967- “ We can see the light at the end of the tunnel” – Why tell a false story? Can you admit that we are

losing? Why or why not?

In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…– The secretary of defense later admitted that he

knew the war would not be won years before he shared this opinion publicly

Part VI. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly

The Changing Makeup of the U.S. Forces

In 1965, most of the troops were volunteers…– Gung Ho attitude– Soldiers want to be there

But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their year-long-tour…– more and more of the men

were draftees – Why does this matter?

VS

Anti-War Protest Grew between 1965 and 1968

Carleton story LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the

ocean standing on a piece of cardboard” by the Vietnam War

Can We See How The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement Became Intertwined…?

Racism- Whites against blacks/Vietnamese

U.S. government priorities with tax revenues – Look at the cartoon to

understand

In 1968, the Whole Thing Exploded…

Next Lecture

Hansen Name ___________________Vietnam

Vietnam War Lecture #2 1965-1968 Note-taking Guide

Part I. LBJ Felt Pressured to Send American Troops to ‘Dothe Job Right’• Soon after Diem was killed, _________________________• LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson), JFK’s _____________________, took over

– Vietnam ___________________________________• A presidential election is scheduled in a bit over a year

– LBJ hopes to put Vietnam on _____________________________ ___________________________________, but isn’t given that luxury

• The Gulf of Tonkin _________________________ – As the election drew near, U.S. forces report on being _____________in

the Gulf of Tonkin • Where is the Gulf of Tonkin? ______________________________

– LBJ doesn’t think he can afford _____________________________• Orders ________________________ on North Vietnam

– ‘funny’ story• It later turned out that a U.S. sonar operator on an American ship had

made a mistake. _________________________________________• _______! • Responding to the Gulf of Tonkin ‘Incident’, congress gave LBJ _____

________________________________________________________– No ______________________________, ever, in

Vietnam!!! • ___________________, “For all I know, we were shooting out whales

out there,” referring to the supposed firefight in the Gulf of Tonkin

• Vietcong Response to the Bombing of North Vietnam – Vietnamese ________________________________________

__________________________________________________– LBJ has had it orders _______________________________

_______________________ in 1965 • The _____________ has begun

Part II. The Vietnamese Communists Choose to Continue Guerrilla Tactics• French military officials told U.S., ‘you will be __________________

__________________________________________’ • U.S. responded, ‘Nope, because ____________________________.’

– _____________________ can respond to guerrilla fighters – Can show up with no warning and _____________________________

• In late 1965, there was a giant battle between U.S. helicopter troops and the Vietcong

– Called the battle of _______________________

• Ia Drang– VC decided to go _____________________ with U.S. to learn

our tactics – 24 hour battle in the jungle

• Vietnamese Communists lost __________________• U.S. lost ____________

• Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare – After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to ___________

_____________________• No conventional battles• Hit and run guerrilla tactics

– They only need to not lose, right? • ____________________________________________

Part III. U.S. Strategy • Escalation (stats) _______________________• LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War

– goal prop up South Vietnam, not _________________________– Why?

• U.S. public won’t stand _______________________________• ____________________________might not stand for an invasion of

the north• Vietnam War sold as a ___________________ we are there to ‘help’

– Thus, no _____________________________________________

• War of Attrition – U.S. will win when we have killed so many of the enemy that it

ceases to be a fighting force– Why was this the necessary strategy?

• ________________________________ ; the guerrilla ‘fish’ simply swim to other parts of the ‘ocean’ and then return when the U.S. troops are gone

• To Accomplish This the U.S. Adopted a 3- Pronged Strategy – Search and Destroy Missions-

• _______________________________________– Destroy Vietcong friendly villages-

• ___________________________________• free fire zones... ___________________________________

– Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability to wage war…

• a major target here was the ___________________. • Quote: “We’ll bomb them back to the stone age.”

(U.S. general). Problem? __________________• Later estimated that it cost ____ to destroy every

____ of NVA or VC materiel

• How to Measure Success in a War of Attrition– ______________________________

Part IV. Down Sides of the U.S. Strategy • War of Attrition Conflicts with ‘Battle for Hearts and Minds’• What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean?

_____________________________ ___________________________________

• Attrition says: – demolish villages– Use defoliants like __________________________

• See the Contradiction? ___________________________________ _____________________________________________________

• What is the Impact of this Strategy on the U.S. Soldier? – _________________________…brutality is OK – Inflated body count (_____________________) makes it

impossible for the U.S. gov to tell how well it ___________ ________________________________________________

- Killing is anesthetized - … poem…

- Part V. The U.S. Public is Lied To - The Math _______________________________!!!

– One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of the highest 6 month period between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, which it was, (why?) that it would take ___________________ to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance

– Why a problem? • _________________!!! U.S. taxpayers, draftees,

unwilling to spend 15 years and _____________ on Vietnam!

• Despite Evidence to the Contrary, Administration ________________– Westmoreland (commanding general) tells congress in 1967-

“We can see _______________________________________” • Why tell a false story? Can you admit that we are

losing? Why or why not? ________________________ ____________________________________________

– In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…• The secretary of defense later admitted that he knew the

war would not be won _____________ he shared this opinion publicly

Part VI. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly• The Changing Make-Up of the U.S. Forces

– In 1965, most of the troops were volunteers…• ________________________________• ________________________________

– But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their year-long-tour…

• ____________________________________________ • Why does this matter? _________________________

___________________________________________

• Anti-War Protest Grew between 1965 and 1968– Carleton Story – LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the ocean standing on

a piece of cardboard” by the Vietnam War. Get it?

• Can We See How The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement Became Intertwined…?

– ___________________________________________________– ___________________________________________________

• __________________, the Whole Thing Exploded…