Vietnam

Unit 5

Lesson 4

Objectives

Explain how the US became involved in Vietnam’s struggle for independence.

Describe the expansion of US involvement and military tactics used.

Trace the roots of opposition to the war and describe the antiwar movement.

Analyze the impact and legacy of the Vietnam War.

French colony “Indo-China” (1858-1940) .

Occupied by Japan WW2 (1940-45).

Ho Chi Minh leads Vietminh independence movement.

The Vietnamese Nationalist Movement

First Indochina War

1946-1954 Vietminh (supported

by China) vs French (with US aid) Dien Bien Phu falls Geneva Accords

divide Vietnam at 17th parallel, to be reunited in 1956 elections

A Divided Vietnam

North Vietnam– Communist

– Hanoi

– Ho Chi Minh

– Increased army

– Nationalized economy

– Russian and Chinese aid

South Vietnam– Anti-Communist

– Saigon

– Ngo Dinh Diem

– Corrupt, controlling govt

– Rejected national elections

– US aid

Domino Theory

Ike, JFK, LBJ all help S Vietnam

If one goes, they all may fall to communism

Form SEATO- defense alliance SE Asian nations

Must stop aggression, appear “tough”

Kennedy in Vietnam

$ and military advisors RVN, RVNAF VC and NLF resist

Diem regime Ho Chi Minh Trail Strategic Hamlet Self-immolation

Buddhist monks Diem coup &

assassination

Johnson and the Americanization of Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Operation Rolling

Thunder Draft- 500K US troops

1967 Westmoreland- Attrition,

Seek and Destroy Napalm, Agent Orange to

“expose” enemy

Jungle Warfare

Elusive Enemy– Ambush tactics– Terrain, environment– Hidden in general pop– Camo weapons– No front lines– Elaborate tunnel

systems– Booby traps– Land mines

Living Room War

1st Televised War- Unedited, nightly news Combat footage of Tet Offensive and rising

US death toll contradict what govt was saying about the war (Credibility Gap)

Fulbright Hearings challenge US policy in Vietnam, force change in military leadership

American public opinion begins to waiver!

Student Protest Movement

New Left Students for

Democratic Society Free Speech

Movement Sit-ins, Teach-ins,

Marches, Civil Disobedience, Draft Dodgers/Bonfires

Working Class War

Selective Service– Medical/Education

exemptions

– Conscientious Objectors

– National/Coast Guard Draftees

– Lower class whites and minorities

Counterculture

Opposed to war, racial injustice

“Turn on, Tune in, Drop out” of mainstream

Movement bucks tradition– Sexuality

– Dress and Hair

– Drugs

– Music and Art

– Communal Living

Johnson Bows Out

Tet Offensive Drop US support Political unrest McNamara resignation Failure of Great Society Opposition within party Can’t win war and

election…– Deescalation on both sides– Oct Peace talks begin

1968 Election

(D) Humphrey (R) Nixon (I) Wallace

Intense political process

Nixon wins on “law and order at home, peace with honor abroad”

Nixon in Vietnam

Plan: Vietnamization- gradual withdrawal, hand over to S. Vietnam

Reality: Expands action into Laos and Cambodia!

Renewed protests– Kent State

A Forced Peace

Operation Linebacker II– Dec 18-31

– Intense bombing of Hanoi force N to table

Paris Peace Accord– Jan 23, 1973

– Kissinger and Le Duc Tho

– Ceasefire, Withdrawal, POW’s, Reconciliation talks

Aftermath

US leaves bases and planes to RVNAF Fall of Saigon 1975

– North captures South, reunites as Communist nation– US cuts all econ/political recognition until 1995

Continued bombings Laos and Cambodia– Cambodian Civil War (Khmer Rouge)

Vietnamese Boat People and Amerasians Pentagon Papers

– Dept of Defense study which revealed decades of govt deception about US involvement in Vietnam

Impact of War

Unofficial 30 year war 58K dead, 300K wounded (PTSD) Abolished draft $158 billion Divided nation Less faith in govt Question role of US in world affairs War Powers Act

Closure

Compare and contrast US efforts in Vietnam to 21st century war on terror efforts.