Vietnam: Stage Two

President Johnson & the Escalation of Vietnam

Johnson Questions Vietnam Policy

• Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President• Fall of Vietnam to communism – not on his watch!• Increases number of U.S. advisers by over 11,000• Refuses to accept rebellion originating in the South• January, 1964 – authorizes covert attacks on North

Vietnam• Secret bombings of Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• August 2, 1964, USS Maddox fired on in North Vietnamese waters

• On August 4, USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy reported being attacked

• Johnson orders first bombing raids against North Vietnam

• Congress overwhelmingly passes The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Gives President Johnson broad powers: “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression…”

• This became known as “the blank check”

Johnson escalates the war• February 1965, Johnson begins

Operation Rolling Thunder• Operation Rolling Thunder - first

sustained bombing of North Vietnam• March 1965, first U.S. troops arrive • By June 1965, 74,000 in Vietnam • ARVN easily defeated by the North

furthering build up of U.S. troops • U.S. troops reach 543,000 in 1969

Short clip in FOG OF WAR• Who is Robert McNamara?

North Vietnam Escalates

• When U.S. escalates, North Vietnam sends troops to help VietCong in south

• The VietCong and VietMinh use guerrilla warfare tactics:– inflict heavy casualties on U.S. – wear down popular support for the war in U.S.

• 1967: ground war is a stalemate• Air war stalemate too - no more major military

targets• The damage on Vietnamese population enormous

The “Living Room War”

• Because of television, Vietnam was in the living room of all U.S. citizens

• Vietnam war became very unpopular because of the images and because it seemed “unwinnable” after TET Offensive

• The following are some of the images people saw

The TET Offensive• TET – Vietnamese New Year

• Week long truce proclaimed

• January 31, 1968: over 85,000 NLF soldiers attacked almost every major city across South Vietnam

• U.S. Embassy in Saigon taken over

• Heavy losses for NLF & North Vietnamese

Aftermath of TET• Commander of U.S. forces, General

Westmoreland, requests 206,000 more troops• Says “victory is near” – Johnson refuses troop

request, fires Westmoreland• Anti-war protests that started early/mid 60s,

intensify in 1967 & more so after TET• President Johnson’s popularity plummets• Changes in Johnson’s administration

Johnson Changes Course

• After TET, Johnson announces:– U.S. would seek negotiations to end war– U.S. escalation would end– U.S. bombing would cease– South Vietnam & ARVN would play major

role– Johnson chooses not to run again

Short clip of Cronkite after TET

• Who is Walter Cronkite?