The Vietnam WarCold War Policies Pushes

the United States to the Far East

Origins of the Conflict Ho Chi Mihn & The Vietminh

World War II forces Japan to Leave Vietnam -1940 Mihn Declares Vietnam an Independent Country

September 2nd, 1945

Vietnam used to be a French Colony

Opportunity: France

France Makes a Move 1945 - French troops move back to Vietnam

Regain Control of S. Vietnam

Ho Chi Mihn Vows to fight from the North and regain control in South Vietnam

Goal to knock France out of South Vietnam

U.S. Involvement Warning Signs

1940s / 1950s – U.S. Military Advisors Warn Government to stay away from conflict

President Truman sends $15 Million to France to aid their attempt to regain control

Total financial aid = $1Billion

Ironic???? U.S. supported Ho Chi Minh during WWII to keep Japan out of

Vietnam Once WWII over, views him as a Communist aggressor

President Eisenhower and the “Domino Theory”

Ike on Vietnam 1954 Eisenhower declares:

“You have a row of dominoes set up…You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over quickly”

He believes Ho Chi Minh is too close to Communism

* If Vietnam falls to Minh and Communism, Eisenhower believes more countries in the far east will also fall.

Chance at Diplomacy

Geneva Accords France, Great Britain, Soviet Union, U.S., China,

Laos, Cambodia meet the Vietnihmn and South Vietnamese in Geneva, Switzerland Discuss diplomatic solution to problems

Geneva Accords Divides Vietnam at 17th Parallel North Capitol – Hanoi / South Capitol – Saigon Unify with Democratic Style Election in 1956

Early U.S. Involvement Economic Support to South Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem Promises clean, stable, democratic government In exchange he gets funding from the U.S.

Diem drops the ball Does not redistribute land to peasants Persecutes Buddhists

Catholic Beliefs / No room for Buddhist thought

Viet Cong and Ho Chi Minh Vietcong Southern Liberation group with Communist roots Ho Chi Minh Supports with aid / weapons Ho Chi Minh Trail / Guerilla Warfare – Supply line

JKF and Vietnam 1963: 16,000 U.S. Army Personnel in Vietnam Diem’s popularity plummets Diem is Assassinated by U.S. Forces

U.S. feels South Vietnam could not remain stable

President Johnson’s Vietnam Before JFK’s Death: “In the final analysis, it’s their war.”

Johnson’s Escalation Does not want to be “soft” on communism Believes a South Vietnam takeover = appeasement Johnson’s policies now lean towards long conflict

Gulf of Tonkin Situation

1964- North Vietnamese patrol boat fires a torpedo at a United States’ destroyer – USS Maddox

Maddox returns fire and inflicts heavy damage Days later Maddox returns – Bad Visibility and Weather

Crew Reports that Vietnamese ships fired another torpedo Later report that they neither saw nor heard any fire

Johnson Orders Air Strikes on North Vietnam Congress approves “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution”

Not a declaration of War but gives Johnson a lot of military power in Vietnam

Results of Tonkin Resolution Hidden from American Public

Johnson did not tell the American Public he was secretly launching raids on the N. Vietnam The Maddox was in Tonkin to obtain information

Johnson had prepared for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution months beforehand Waiting for an opportunity to push through Congress

February 1965 – Johnson Uses Powers “Operation Rolling Thunder” – First sustained bombing

mission June, 1965 – 50,000 U.S. Soldiers in Vietnam – Now

America’s War

Johnson Fully Commits the United States

1964 Presidential Campaign Johnson wins election claiming he was:

“not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves”

Early in term beings sending thousands of U.S. troops to fight along side S. Vietnamese troops Many Americans support Johnson because they believe

that he is attempting to stop the spread of communism worldwide

War Tactics Vietcong Tactics: Guerilla Warfare

Tunnel Systems / Easy “hit and run” opportunities Mines / Punji Sticks / Traps Hidden Enemy

United States Tactics: Intimidation Destroy Moral – Outnumber Body Counts Win Hearts and minds Napalm / Agent Orange

Troop Morale Troop Morale Decreases

Frustrations Brutal Conditions Jungle / Heat Rice Patties Invisible Enemies Search and Destroy Drugs Lack of Support from Government / American Public

Problems At Home Great Society

War grows costly as more troops are committed Johnson asks for tax increase Result is a cut in funding for social programs

Johnson's early views of domestic reform now fading away

War Looses Popularity War Looses Ratings

Combat footage shown on nightly news Body bags and battle scenes shown on T.V.

16,000 Americans Killed from 1961- 1967

Pictures begin to contradict administrations optimistic war views.

Johnson looses credibility – Message not matching news reports

American Public Opinion Beginning to Shift

Nation Divided Vietnam War Draft:

All men age 18 must register Pre-Draft Screening / Medical Conditions 18-26 eligible for military service

Easily Manipulated Draft Medical exemptions / Enroll – Enlist

Low Class War

Minorities in Vietnam African Americans

Serve in disproportionate numbers of combat troops 20% of Deaths / 10% of U.S. Population

Martin Luther King Jr. Racism within platoons

Females In Vietnam Women in War

1960s Women not allowed in Vietnam – combat 10,000 Women served as military nurses

The War Intensifies 1968 Tet Offensive

Simultaneous attacks throughout S. Vietnam American Troops had dominated war to this point Funerals for victims served as supply lines

100 Cities Attacked

Costly Push 32,000 Vietcong Soldiers Killed 3,000 American Troops

Effects of the Tet Offensive Psychological / Social Problems

William Westmoreland Calls Tet “well-laid” plans afoul”.

Greatly Shook the American Public Close to Defeat

Support for War Pre – Tet 56 % Support for War Post Tet 40%

Walter Cronkite: “more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.”

Johnsons Support for War is Plummeting

1968 Events of 1968

1) Tet Offensive

2) Lyndon Johnson does not seek nomination

3) Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

4) Robert Kennedy Assassinated

- L.A. Victory Speech

- Sirhan Sirhan

5) Protests Begin

6) Richard Nixon Elected

Assassination of Robert Kennedy

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Vietnam War Protest

Election of Richard Nixon

Nixon’s Vietnam Policy How to end Vietnam?

Pull Troops Out of Vietnam1) 1969 Henry Kissinger Vietnamization

1969 25,000 Troops Return Home 1972 500,000 to 25,000

2) Peace with Honor Government – Bombing Campaign -