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