Vietnam War

Start of Vietnam War

French controlled French Indochina – mid 19th century Japanese took over during WWII Ho Chi Minh – Communist that led an independence

movement vs. Japanese France wanted its territory back; Truman agreed to it –

needed allies for Cold War Vietnam was split into 2 sections

North Vietnam – Communist – Ho Chi Minh South Vietnam – Democratic – Premeir Ngo Dinh

Diem - backed by US

Ho Chi Minh

Pre-LBJ Vietnam

Eisenhower – 1960 – 900 US advisersKennedy – 1960 -1963 – 16,000Kennedy assassinated by Oswald in

DallasRobert S. McNamara told LBJ to

increase troop levels in Vietnam

Jackie Kennedy is actually not trying to escape from the car; she is getting a piece of JFK’s skull

Zapruder Film

JFK shot - Graphic - look away if you don't want to watch it

LBJ being sworn in as POTUS with Jackie Kennedy

Robert McNamara – Sec. of Defense under JFK and LBJ

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

LBJ stated:USS Maddox was attacked by N. V. vesselsUS shot down 2 enemy vesselsSent air attacks in retaliation

Reality:Maddox was spying on NV vesselsMaddox fired first shot

Tonkin Ctd.

Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Congress gave up constitutional power to declare war to the president

McNamara showing where the North Vietnamese attacked in the Tonkin Gulf

Troops

Escalation of troops through a draft 2 million Americans served Younger, poorer, and less educated than

those in WWII and Korea 30% of draftees exempt or deferred Afr. Amer and Hispanics serve in high #’s AA – 24 % of all battle deaths; 11% of US pop. Jungles, rice paddies, and rural villages

Ground War

1965-1967 – 185,000 to 486,000 US Soldiers 2 enemies:

North Vietnam Army – normal soldiers in Uniform Vietcong – people from S. Vietnam that were

sympathetic to CommunismPeasants by day, Vietcong by night

Search – and destroy missions Pacification – remove villagers, burn village - 1967 – 16,000 Americans killed

War where helicopters were 1st used

Elaborate tunnel system set up during the Vietnam War

“Tunnel Rat” – US Soldiers would search tunnels for North Vietnamese soldiers or Vietcong

“Booby Traps” – guerilla tactics used by VietCong

Punji Sticks – used by Vietcong ; sharp sticks that would have feces or other toxic ingredients on it and hidden from US Soldiers

North Vietnamese Army: aka NVA

South Vietnam General executing a Vietcong enemy – this picture was broadcasted to American citizens showing the horror of the war

Pacification

Air War

Operation Rolling Thunder – bombing - Ho Chi Minh Trail800 tons of bombs a dayNapalm – petroleum mixed in a bomb form

– would burn the skin of enemiesDefoliants

Agent Orange – destroyed jungles and plant lifeAlso found to be a cancer agent

Anti- War against LBJ

1st antiwar teach in – U. of Michigan – 1965 Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

College students Attacked ROTC buildings (symbol of army) “Make Love, Not War” “Hey, Hey. LBJ. How many kids did you kill today?”

Women Strike for Peace Anti-war rallies

NYC – 1967 – 300,000 people DC – 100,000 people tried to shut down the Pentagon

Burning draft cards in protest to war

My Lai Massacre

Small village in S. Vietnam Supposed to be hoarding 250 members of Vietcong Only women, children, and old men found US soldiers killed approximately 400 of the inhabitants

Raped, tortured, mutilated bodies 22 soldiers were originally convicted William Calley – leader – only person found guilty

Helped push anti-war movement even more

Calley

Clay v. US

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) drafted into US army Refused to join – conscientious objector (Islam) Arrested and stripped of heavyweight belt Appealed to US Supreme Court and won Quotes I ain't got no quarrel with the Vietcong. No Vietcong ever called me Nigger.[29]”

“No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slavemasters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end.[30]”

“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?[29]

Tet Offensive

Vietnamese New year Jan 30,1968 84,000 communist soldiers attacked more than

100 cities and 12 US mil. Bases 40,000 Com. Dead; 3,400 US dead Turning point of war – no part of SV was

secure – changed morale of US homefront

1968 Election

LBJ drops outRFK (D) is assassinated (2 mos after

MLK)Richard Nixon (R) wins election

promising to end the war

RFK

Nixon

Nixon and Vietnam

Henry Kissinger – his Sec. of StateVietnamization – turn fighting over to SV

and withdrawing US troops1969 – 540,000 troops1972- 24,000 troopsStarted secretly bombing neighboring

CambodiaSent 80,000 troops into Cambodia

Henry Kissinger – smart man

Anti-War under Nixon

Kent St. shootingsCollege students protested after Nixon

started bombing CambodiaBurned a ROTC building

– Nat. Guard killed 4, injured 9Pentagon Papers – gov’t mislead

country about the warMostly about LBJ, but Nixon tried to hide

them

Famous photo from the Kent St. shootings

1972 Election

Republicans – NixonDemocrats – George McGovern

End of war

Jan 27, 1973 – a cease fire is announced

April 1975 – South Vietnam surrendered to NV

Kissinger meets w/ NV leaders in Paris

Evacuation of US Embassy in Saigon

Numbers/Effect

185,000 SV soldiers dead 500,000 SV civilians 1 mill Vietcong and NV soldiers dead 879,000 Vietnamese children orphaned 58,000 US dead 300,000 wounded $150 bill. for war War Powers Act – Congress to declare war;

pres. has 60 days

Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC – lists KIA in chronological order