Vietnam War – Part I

French Indo-China French Indo-China

(Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) had been part of the French Empire since the late 19th century

During WWII, Japan occupied the country

The Viet Minh, was organized in 1941 in order to resist occupation

Viet Minh They were led by Ho Chi Minh and the

Communists They were armed by the Americans to

fight the Japanese At the end of the war, Ho Chi Minh

declared Vietnam an independent country, but the French wouldn’t let go

Hostilities broke out between the French and the Viet Minh in 1946

FDR’s Policy In Indochina Recognized that colonialism

was doomed in Vietnam and that the U.S. should identify with the forces of nationalism in Asia

Regarded the French as “poor colonizers”

He pressured France to relinquish its hold over Vietnam and advocated placing Indochina under international trusteeship in preparation for independence

French Indo-China In November 1946, the French ordered Ho

Chi Minh’s government to leave Hanoi When they refused, the French bombarded

Hanoi and Haiphong, killing 6,000 Ho and the Viet Minh were forced into a

war for independence The French, wishing to keep control of the

rice and rubber of the south, set up Bo Dai as a puppet

Truman’s Policy In Indochina Truman scrapped the

trusteeship plan due to the Sovietization of Eastern Europe and communism in Asia after 1949

Ho appealed to the U.S. for support, but by 1950, he committed aid and military advisors to the French in Vietnam

Outside Assistance in Vietnam The Viet Minh fought a guerilla war The Communist Chinese supported the

Viet Minh with arms and equipment The Americans began to help the French

with money, equipment, and advisers

Eisenhower’s Policy In Indochina “New Look” defense policy called for sharp

reductions in American ground forces They were reluctant to commit American

combat troops to SE Asia (“no more Koreas”) and agreed that France must continue to bear the burden

Continued aid would depend on detailed and specific information about French plans to ensure an aggressive strategy

By 1954, the U.S. was funding 80% of the war

Dien Bien Phu By 1954, the French

had lost control of the countryside

The French were decisively defeated in 1954 when a French army was surrounded and forced to surrender in a 50-day siege in Dien Bien Phu

Reasons for the French Defeat Ho and the Viet Minh had the support of the

people The Viet Minh were masters of guerilla

warfare From 1950, the Viet Minh were supplied by

China The French were war-weary and failed to run

the war effectively The French were experiencing problems in

other parts of the world

Significance of the Indo-China War The war was seen by the Americans as a

proxy war (when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly): Ho Chi Minh was the Soviets French were the Americans

Geneva Peace Conference A peace conference was arranged in 1954 USSR, UK, France, USA, China, and Indo-

China were there

Geneva Peace Conference The terms of the Geneva Agreement of 1954 were:

Laos and Cambodia were to be independent Vietnam was to be temporarily divided into two

states at the 17th parallelHo Chin Minh’s government was recognized in

the northAn American puppet regime under Ngo Dinh

Diem was set up in the south In 1956, elections were to be held throughout

Vietnam, after which it was to be united

Lack of Support for Diem Since Diem had begun ruling South

Vietnam in 1954, he lacked support: He imprisoned people who criticized his

government Filled many government positions with

members of his own family U.S. money that was supposed to go to

economic reforms went to the military and corrupt officials

Lack of Support for Diem

Diem was a Catholic in a largely Buddhist country

For example, he passed laws banning the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday

He was seen as an American puppet

He blocked demands for land reform, which was being carried out in the north under Ho

Below: Self-immolation; the S. Vietnamese First Lady reacted by saying “Let them burn and we shall clap our hands”

Going Against the Geneva Convention In 1955, Diem refused to make

preparations for the promised elections The U.S. supported him, since they

expected that Ho would win any genuine elections overwhelmingly

National Liberation Front (NLF) or Viet Cong In 1960, groups formed the

NLF, otherwise known as the Viet Cong to the Americans

They demanded a democratic coalition government which would negotiate a peaceful union of Vietnam

When this was refused, a guerilla war began in the south, waged by the Viet Cong

Advisors first were sent over

JFK’s Policy In Indochina Felt that the administration would lose face if they

negotiated in Vietnam and didn’t take military action (would be repeat of China in 1949)

Expressed deep concern about simultaneously having major obligations in Europe and SE Asia

Settled between negotiation and troops by sending aid and a limited number of advisors (this would actually enlarge the U.S. role and commitment in Vietnam)

Was preoccupied with Cuba at first Had interest in troop withdrawals

Causes of the War Containment worked in Europe (Greece,

Turkey, and Berlin) & with Korea North Korea’s invasion of South Korea

confirmed U.S. suspicions that the Soviets sought to conquer all of Asia

SE Asia provided 90% of America’s rubber, 75% of its tin, and 27% of its oil

We had to replace the French and were a world power, so we needed to help South Vietnam retain its freedom

America felt its prestige was on the line, so it did not want a defeat in Vietnam

Causes of the War Americans viewed Vietnam as the key to

keeping SE Asia out of communist hands (domino theory)

The Truman administration had been under fire for “losing” China and felt compelled to hold the line somewhere else

People believed that destiny had singled out the U.S. to defend and spread the democratic ideal

The U.S. believed the Vietnamese were inferior and could beat them with superior technology

Attempting to Gain Support America tried to involve her

allies, but only Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines ever sent troops

Local peasants were moved into “fortified villages” where they could be controlled by the ARVN (South Vietnamese Army). They were, in effect, concentration camps

Increasing American Involvement In Vietnam By his death, Kennedy had

ordered 15,000 American men and equipment to Vietnam

Kennedy realized that Diem would never reform

The U.S. told the South Vietnamese military that they wouldn’t object to a coup

Military Government The coup worked, but the

death of Diem lead to unstable generals ruling the country

The new military government bickered among themselves and failed to direct the South Vietnamese army effectively

Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese aided the Viet Cong throughout the struggle