The Vietnam Conflict:The Vietnam Conflict:

In Too DeepIn Too Deep

Early HistoryEarly History

#1#1

The Vietnamese resisted foreign influence (France, Japan, & U.S.) during World War II. They resisted in the form of guerilla warfare. Ho Chi Minh, leader of the communist Vietminh, declared Vietnamese independence from France and Japan in 1945.

#2#2

President Truman tried to re-establish French rule in 1950. He granted $10 million in aid to the French in Indochina.

#3#3

In 1954, the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu. That same year, the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. Ho Chi Minh controlled the north. The south was controlled by anti-Communists, led first by Bao Dai, then Ngo Dinh Diem. The U.S. supported Diem.

French Soldiers trying to hold position against Vietminh

Artillery placement over-run at Dien Bien Phu

#4#4

National Liberation Front (NLF) was formed in South Vietnam in 1960. The NLF was called the Vietcong (VC) by its enemies. The NLF’s goal was to unseat the oppressive Diem govt. The NLF was gaining support in the south.

Ngo Dinh Diem - 1955

#5#5

President Eisenhower increased the number of American military advisors in South Vietnam, hoping to prop up the anti-Communist south.

President Eisenhower Greets South Vietnamese Leader Ngo Dinh Diem

#6#6

By 1961, a full-scale war was raging between the North and South in Vietnam.

#7#7

President Kennedy escalated the U.S. involvement by sending war equipment and increasing the number of advisors by 16,000 to lead counter-attacks against the Vietcong.

1961 - Kennedy Authorizes formation of Green Berets

#8#8

The U.S. supported a coup against Diem in Nov. 1963. The CIA felt that Diem had become a liability. Diem led an oppressive government and suppressed Buddhism – a major religion in Vietnam. Severely diminished his popularity. The U.S. supported the new leadership.

Diem after assassination

#9#9

President Kennedy was assassinated shortly after, during that same month.

#10#10 1964 – Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

After an alleged attack by North Vietnamese gun boats on a U.S. intelligence ship in the Gulf of Tonkin, Congress passed the resolution granting full war-making powers to the president, not congress. The new president, Johnson, used that power to move the U.S. into full-scale war in Vietnam. He then sent additional troops.

#11#11

Opposition to the war heated up following the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. The issues included:

•Increased bloodshed•The cost of the war

•Ill-defined reasons for U.S. involvement

Troops being evacuated by medics. U.S. casualties were high and ground won in battle was often lost

after nightfall.

American G.I.s wounded or dead in the fighting at Hue

#12#12

Tet Offensive (Jan. 1968) – Communist forces launched an offensive against virtually every city in the South. There was a high cost in casualties on both sides. The event outraged the American public, turning the tide of public opinion decidedly against the war.

U.S. Soldiers Defend a Position During the Tet Offensive

#13#13

Johnson declined to run for another term in 1968, primarily because of the unpopularity of the war.

LBJ announcing that he won’t run for reelection - Television Announcement

#14#14 Robert Kennedy killed exactly

2 months after Martin Luther King Jr. Occurs after winning a decisive California primary election. His killer, Sirhan Sirhan, was a Jerusalem-born Jordanian who was upset over Kennedy’s support of Israel.

Robert Kennedy was gunned down in a Los Angeles hotel

in 1968.

#15#15

Woodstock Festival (Aug. 1969) in rural New York State. Considered the greatest event in counter-culture history.

Woodstock, NY 1969

Gathering of the crowd

Jimi Hendrix wails! Huge crowd diggin’ it!

The Nixon PeriodThe Nixon Period

Vietnamization

#16#16

President Nixon started the process of “Vietnamization” – a de-scaling of troops without withdrawing support of the anti-Communist south. Continued to send supplies and money.

#17#17

My Lai Massacre – March 1968. U.S. troops kill several hundred Vietnamese civilians (women, children, elderly) in the small village of My Lai.

Dead mother and child at village of My Lai

Lt. William Calley - U.S. Platoon leader in command

at My Lai massacre.

#18#18

1970 – Nixon orders the invasion and bombing of neutral Cambodia to rid it of communists who were attacking South Vietnam from within Cambodia. It was a failed attempt in the long run and caused further dissent at home.

A U.S. B-52 Bomber dropping tons of explosives - sometimes on empty jungle - in a strategy called carpet bombing.

#19#19

That same year, students protesting the bombing of Cambodia were fired on by Ohio National Guard troops at Kent State University in Ohio. Four anti-war demonstrators were killed. Several others were wounded.

A young woman screams as one of four killed at Kent State lies at her feet.

The Closing YearsThe Closing Years

“Honorable Withdrawal”

#20#20 1970-73 – A time of many failed

peace talks. Henry Kissinger was the U.S. Foreign Policy Advisor who participated in many of these talks. During this time, there is a further decline of U.S. troops in Vietnam. All the while, North Vietnamese troops continued to advance southward.

Continued U.S. bombing of North drew ire of all parties

Paris Peace Agreement (1973)Paris Peace Agreement (1973) Negotiated by U.S., N. & S. Vietnam, and the

Viet Cong Provisions:

– Withdrawal of troops and swap of prisoners– Removal of foreign troops from Cambodia

and Laos– Peaceful unification w/ democratic elections

deciding political future of South Vietnam– U.S. to aid in postwar reconstruction

March 29, 1973 - last U.S. troops left

#21#21 Broken Cease-fire agreement

between North and South Vietnam North launches full scale invasion of

South– U.S. refused to respond with

troops April 30, 1975 – Pull out of Saigon.

Our U.S. embassy was there. It was a desperate & frenzied exit from Vietnam, officially ending our involvement there. Very soon after the U.S. pull-out, all of Vietnam fell to the Communists.

The last Americans and some South Vietnamese flee in helicopters from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon - 1975

#22#22

Final Statistics – Fighting in Vietnam cost an estimated $110 Billion. 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam, 4th largest loss of life in U.S. military history behind the Civil War, WWII, and WWI.

U.S Fatalities From 1960-1969

#23#23 Soldiers came back to confusion in America.

•Soldiers were unappreciated and resented•Many Americans did not want to remember a war that the U.S. lost•There was no public recognition of the soldiers’ efforts until 1982. The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. was built with funds collected from or donated by Vietnam Veterans.

Women’s Vietnam Memorial

#24#24

As a result of the war, America would re-evaluate its role in foreign affairs. Each succeeding military engagement was carefully scrutinized so as to avoid another Vietnam-like experience. Questions revolved mainly around how and when to use military force to achieve our goals.

Selected VocabularySelected Vocabulary

NapalmNapalm A mixture of gasoline, benzene, and

polystyrene. Napalm clings to everything it touches. Once it sticks, it burns furiously until depleted. As napalm burns, it also consumes all oxygen in the area, creating a suffocating environment. In addition, napalm is a good defoliant. Used in Vietnam to kill vegetation in which enemy troops hid.

Dragonfly Dropping Napalm

Napalm Attack on a Village

Children Fleeing From Napalmed Village

Agent OrangeAgent Orange Chemical defoliant sprayed on

jungles by aircraft. Caused physical disabilities that were also passed on to children. Named for its identifying marks on the containers, it is a toxic herbicide sprayed as a chemical defoliant in chemical warfare.

Aircraft Spraying Defoliant on Jungle

Aircraft spraying defoliant

Aircraft flew in rows for maximum coverage

Area of Jungle Defoliated with Agent Orange

AdvisorsAdvisors

Term used to describe American soldiers sent to assist South Vietnamese troops prior to full American participation in the war.

U.S. Advisor Training South Vietnamese Troops

VietcongVietcong Name that refers to South

Vietnamese Communists and those who joined them to fight the South Vietnamese army and United States forces during the Vietnam War. Usually guerilla fighters, they fought in cooperation with North Vietnamese soldiers.

A Vietcong Prisoner

JuntaJunta

A group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power

After the assassination of Diem, a succession of juntas ruled South Vietnam– None succeeded in gaining

public support necessary to defeat communists

VietminhVietminh

Nationalist organization founded in 1941 by Ho Chi Minh. Led the fight to free Vietnam of French colonial rule.

Ho Chi Minh - Communist Leader of Vietminh

SEATOSEATO

South East Asian Treaty Organization. Similar to NATO. A mutual defense arrangement between the U.S., U.K., France, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan. Intended to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. Did not play a direct role in the war.

NLFNLF

National Liberation Front. Another name for the Vietcong. It was a political/military organization with the goal of unseating the oppressive regime of Ngo Dinh Diem, first president of South Vietnam.– It continued as a force throughout the

war but was often at odds with the North Vietnamese Army over strategy and power

– The military failure of the Tet Offensive effectively destroyed the Vietcong

Draft DodgersDraft Dodgers

Young men who avoided service in the armed forces

Many fled the U.S. to escape the draft–Mainly to Canada

Protestors burning draft cards

Ho Chi Minh TrailHo Chi Minh Trail

A network of roads and trails running through Laos and Cambodia that was used by the communists to bring supplies and reinforcements into S. Vietnam.

Delayed Stress Delayed Stress SyndromeSyndrome

Sudden, vivid flashbacks of combat

A frequent problem for servicemen unceremoniously returned to the U.S. after their tour of duty

Horror of war had lasting psychological effects

U.S. Presidents During U.S. Presidents During Years of Conflict in Years of Conflict in

Vietnam Vietnam Truman Eisenhower Kennedy Johnson Nixon Ford

HanoiHanoi

Capital of North Vietnam

SaigonSaigon

Capital of South Vietnam