Chapter 26

THE VIETNAM WAR: 1954-1975

VIETNAM• Ruled by the

Chinese for 100’s of years• 1800-1940’s- was a

French colony.• Post-WWII- seen as

vital to contain communism.• French Indochina:

Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam ruled by France until WWII

EARLY WAR Ho Chi Minh:

nationalist leader led the Communist Party that pushed for independence from France.

Name means “bringer of the light”.

November 22, 1954 July 16, 1965 May 12, 1975

Struggles Begin Vietnam previously a colony

of France (1800’s to WWII)

Vietminh Both communists & non-

communists who fought together to expel the Japanese

Ho Chi Minh’s nationalist group

US sent aid to the Vietminh in WWII.

America Aids the French France & Vietnamese fighting

France appeals to US for help

Colonialism vs Communism

Truman convinced to help France because:

Fall of China to Communism

Outbreak of Korean War

Eisenhower continues with Domino Theory

If Vietnam falls to Communism the rest of Asia will too

France vs Vietnam

Vietminh = guerilla war tactics (& very good at it!)

Battle at Dien Bien Phu - Falls Supply point

French lost it agreeing at the end of the battle to withdraw from Vietnam

*Geneva Accords

divided French territory into 3 nations, Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia.

divided Vietnam in half at 17th parallel

North = Vietminh

South led by Ngo Dinh Diem – pro-western regime

general elections were to occur pulling the country together

Diem refused because Ho Chi Minh would rig the elections and win, so tensions between the North & South increased with U.S. getting caught in the middle.

US Presidents & US Involvement in Vietnam

1949- President Truman sent money to help the French who were fighting against Ho Chi Minh.

1950’s- President Eisenhower sent money & non-combat military advisors to help train the South Vietnamese Army to defend their land against Ho Chi Minh.

1961-1963 President Kennedy dramatically increased the number of US military advisors to Vietnam (from 1,364 to 15,000).

1964-1968- President Lyndon Johnson sends first US combat troops & begins bombing North Vietnam (“escalation”)

1969- 1975- Presidents Nixon & Ford- US & North Vietnam sign a cease fire; US troops withdrawn.

All of Vietnam falls to Ho Chi Minh & the communists

Vietcong: Ho Chi Minh’s guerilla army formed to reunify Vietnam

Strategic Hamlets:

special fortified villages created by the South

moved Vietnamese to these villages to protect them from the Vietcong and prevent them from helping them.

villagers resented being moved to these hamlets and resisted the South Vietnamese

Buddhists

discriminated against by Diem

made him very unpopular since most of Vietnam was Buddhist.

Buddhists protested against his policies.

Self-Immolation:

a Buddhist monk set himself on fire to protest Diem’s religious policies

(1963)Diem was overthrown by military generals with the backing of the U.S. – he was executed – which created a problem in South Vietnam as the government grew weak and unstable

ATTACK ON THE GULF OF TONKIN?

August 2, 1964-President Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on two US ships.

Two days later—he announced that another attack had taken place.

Johnson asked Congress for authority to defend US forces & allies in SE Asia.

Johnson was campaigning for another term in 1964 & he did not tell them that US ships had been actively helping South Vietnam.

*GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION

authorized President Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression.”

basically means the president had war powers –

After an American base was attacked by the Vietcong leaving 7 dead and over 100 wounded, President Johnson decided to respond by sending in airstrikes

Military Aspects Operation Rolling Thunder: a sustained bombing

campaign against the Vietcong (Johnson Admin. 1965-1968).

Search and Destroy Missions: U.S. troops used this tactic in searching for Vietcong then destroying them by bringing them out in the open

Airstrikes destroyed landscape with napalm and Agent Orange: a chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs

Ho Chi Minh Trail: a network of trails from the North to the South that the Vietcong used as a supply route

North Vietnam received most of their supplies from China and the U.S.S.R.

President Johnson & Escalation

1965- Operation Rolling Thunder= LBJ’s popularity ratings went up to 60%

1965- LBJ sent 1st US combat troops to Vietnam

1966- 360,000 US troops in Vietnam

By 1968—500,000 US troops in Vietnam.

Tactics used by the Vietcong & US

Government Booby traps, ambushes, guerilla “hit & run”,

underground passageways, blend with civilians.

Tactics Used by the US & South Vietnam

“search & destroy” missions- US & S. Vietnamese troops searched village to village for the enemy.

Agent Orange- chemical that was meant to kill vegetation to make the enemy more visible.

Napalm- jellied gasoline; used to destroy jungle & kill the enemy.

LBJ refused to invade North Vietnam because it might anger China

LBJ refused to attack Ho Chi Minh Trail- did not want to widen the war (Limited War)

VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE AND NAPALM

Americans become divided over the war

US political & military leaders (Gen. Westmoreland) declared that the enemy was near defeat

1st Televised War- daily news reports discredited US politicians & military leaders

“Credibility Gap”- the gap between what citizens were being told versus the reality of the info they were seeing & what was being reported.

Congress held hearings with Johnson’s staff to determine how the war was going.

The Anti-War Movement Grows

US citizens held differing views on the war:

It’s a civil war- why are we in the middle?

Why are we propping up the corrupt South Vietnamese government & leaders?

It’s a war of Independence- why don’t we support it?

1965- University of Michigan “teach-ins” –professors cancelled classes & taught about the situation in Vietnam.

“Doves”- anti-war protestors

“Hawks” –pro-war citizens

The Draft Protests

1960’s – numbers of US citizens protested the draft & refused to go to fight.

Why?

1. The growing unpopularity of the war at home.

2. The Draft was seen as unfair.

College Deferments- allowed higher income kids & academically advanced kids to postpone enrollment in the military= lower income kids & students not going to college more likely sent to Vietnam.

Disproportionate number were African-Americans= 1967 (20%)

500,000 US citizens burned draft cards, left the country, went to prison to avoid the draft.

1969- US adopted a draft lottery (more fair system)

*1971- 26th Amendment – lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

*The Tet Offensive

“Tet”- the Vietnamese New Year; seen as an unlikely time for a military offensive.

Jan. 30, 1968- the Vietcong & North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack on US airbases in South Vietnam & major cities in S. Vietnam.

US troops repelled the enemy- NOT MILITARILY SIGNIFICANT FOR THE ENEMY.

Gen. Westmoreland requested from Congress 209,000 more US troops????

LBJ’s approval ratings fell

**Significance of TET** 1968 LBJ announces he will not seek another term as President

TV News man- Walter Cronkite- “Vietnam will end in stalemate…”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

The 1968 Democratic Primary & Convention

1968 Democratic Convention- pro & anti-war protestors clash with Police outside the convention hall.

Democrats seeking nomination:

1. Eugene McCarthy (dove)- won 40% primary votes in NH

2. Robert Kennedy (opposed the war)- killed by Sir Han Sir Han before the party could nominate him.

3. Hubert Humphrey

The 1968 Election

Republican-Richard Nixon: promised to restore “law & order” & end the war in Vietnam

Democrat- Hubert Humphrey- supported LBJ’s war policies at first; then wanted to end bombing.

Independent Party- George Wallace (segregationist former Gov. of Alabama)

* Nixon won!

Nixon Moves to End the War

Appoints Henry Kissinger (Harvard Professor) as Special Asst. on National Security – in charge of getting the US out of the war.

“Linkage”- Kissinger policy of improving relations with China & USSR (suppliers of aid to North Vietnam)= so they would cut aid to N. Vietnam.

“Vietnamization”- Nixon reduced US troop levels in Vietnam in order for South Vietnam to take over the responsibility of fighting for themselves.

1969-Kissinger began secret peace talks with the negotiator for N. Vietnam.

*The My Lai Massacre (1968)

US platoon led by William Calley massacred unarmed South Vietnamese civilians

Calley sentenced to time in prison for the crime

Convinced many Americans that the war was senseless

The Invasion of Cambodia (1970)

Nixon announced April 1970 that US troops had invaded Cambodia

Ordered to destroy Vietcong military bases

Some Americans angered-- saw this as a widening of the war!!

*Result- Kent State Protests & Jackson State Protests

May 4, 1970- student protests at Kent State- National Guard killed 4 students.

May 14- Jackson State- two African-Americans protestors killed.

Result- Congress withdrew the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The Pentagon Papers

Daniel Ellsberg- former Defense Department worker leaked secret documents to newspapers.

Revealed that Johnson officials had questioned the war privately

Presidents & advisors had expanded the war without consulting Congress

Government officials had tried to convince the press that Vietnam was going better than it was.

NY Times v. United States, 1971

The US Pulls Out

Oct. 1972- Kissinger announces that “peace is at hand”- “October Surprise”- a few weeks before the election of 1972.

2/3 of Americans wanted to end the war

Nixon won reelection- & peace talks broke down

*“The Christmas Bombings”- 11 straight days of US bombing North Vietnam- to force Vietnam to negotiate.

Negotiations resumed; Jan. 27, 1973 a cease-fire agreement- US pulled all troops out.

March 1975- North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam, captured capital of Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh City)= Vietnam under communist rule.

The Impact of the War

Longest war in US History

$170 Billion direct costs

58,000 US troops dead, 300,000 wounded, psychological effects

@ 1 million North & South Vietnamese dead

POW’s (Prisoners of War) & MIA’s (Missing in Action)still unaccounted

1973- **War Powers Act: requires future presidents to:

1. Notify Congress within 48 hours if troops sent into action

2. Withdraw troops within 60 or 90 days unless Congress gives permission for longer stay.

All Presidents refuse to admit the limit

Every President since 1973 has gone to Congress for permission to use troops

1982- Vietnam Veterans Memorial built

The Vietnam Memorial