7/29/2019 us hw for lidfg
1/1
Chris Li4/25/13Mrs. SchindelheimPeriod 1
1. Robert McNamara He was the cabinet officer who promoted
"flexibleresponse" but came to doubt the wisdom of the Vietnam War
he had presidedoverDean Rusk He was the American Secretary of State
from 1961-1969. Rusk wasvery militant, advocating military force in
combating communismWilliam Westmoreland He was the American General
who commanded Americanmilitary operations in the Vietnam War at its
peak from 1964 to 1968Napalm This was a highly flammable chemical
dropped from U.S planes infirebombing attacks during Vietnam
WarAgent Orange This was an herbicide used as a chemical weapon
during thevietnam war to kill vegetation and expose enemy hiding
places
"search and destroy" missions These were US patrols searched for
hiddenemeny camps the destroyed them with massive fire power and
air raids, uprootingcivilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong,
killing their livestock, and burningvillagesCredibility Gap This
was a lack of popular confidence in the truth of the claims
orpublic statements made by the federal government, large
corporations,politicians, etc.
2. Johnson's advisors had many contrasting opinions about the
subject of Vietnam.For example, some of his advisors, as well as
the president himself, believed thatthe United States had to
support South Vietnam. They thought that without
American aid, South Vietnam would become a communist country and
then all ofSE Asia would become Communist, thus spreading the evil.
However, some of hisadvisors believed that they should not get
involved in Vietnam because we hadenough problems on the home
turf.
3. The Vietcong were able to sustain themselves for such long
periods of time.Although their lives in the tunnels were difficult,
as that air, food and water (thebasic needs) were not available
really and the tunnels were filled with ants, andother small pests,
they were very resilient and could deal with it, not to mentionthey
were used to that warfare. All the vietcong guerrillas would spend
the day in
the tunnels working or resting and reveal themselves only at
night to hunt forsupplies, tend their crops, or fight the
enemy.
4. The US had difficulty fighting the Vietcong because the US
was not prepared forguerrilla warfare, and the Vietcong had
advantage cause they knew the tunnelsand the terrain as it was
their home turf. The US was not ready to lose a largenumber of
troops, either. The Vietcong did their guerrilla war strategies
based onthe underground. They would attack and hide and ambush US
soldiers, and thisrattled them.
