JFK –LBJ- Nixon: Vietnam and the US Involvement

JFK – Domestic and Foreign Policy Increased military

spending Bay of Pigs – US tried

to overthrow Communist gov’t in Cuba (fidel Castro) CIA trained anti-Castro

Cubans > info leaked to Castro

Military disaster

JFK – Domestic and Foreign Policy Berlin Wall

After the disaster of the Bay of Pigs > Khrushchev tries to intimidate JFK and get him to leave Berlin

JFK refuses > Berlin Wall built

JFK – Domestic and Foreign Policy Cuban Missile Crisis

Soviets places missiles in Cuba and aimed them at US

Oct 22, 1963 > JFK ordered a naval blockade of Cuba

Blockade was successful > no more weapons to Cuba and missiles were removed

JFK – Domestic and Foreign Policy

Peace Corps: American volunteering to go to developing countries to assist > help to spread democracy

Alliance for Progress > improve US relationship with Latin America

JFK – Domestic and Foreign Policy “New Frontier”

April 1961 > Soviets orbit the Earth May 1961 > Alan Shepard orbits the Earth > Feb 1962

John Glenn orbits the Earth 3 times Civil Rights

1963 > Proposes 2 Civil Rights bill with help of his brother – Robert Kennedy (bans discrimination in business and voting)

1962 > 24th Amendment > prohibiting poll tax 1962 > U of Mississippi > James Meredith Nov 22, 1963 > Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas by

Lee Harvey Oswald LBJ takes over as President

Pre-US Involvement During WWII – Ho Chi

Mihn (rebel leader) approached the US for assistance in gaining their independence from France

US refused to give Ho any time so he turns to China (Communism)

Fight for Independence Early 1950’s Vietnam is in

a full scale revolt to get rid of the French

The French want to leave but the US insists that they stay (domino theory)

US gives France money and weapons to keep their occupation in Vietnam

1954 > French army massacred at Dienbienphu and withdraws

North and South Divided When Vietnam

gained their independence, North and South Vietnam became divided

North – Ho Chi Mihn (Communist)

South – Diem (democratic)

Elections to Unify Vietnam Elections were suppose to be held the unify

the North and South Diem and US knew that if the elections were

held, Ho Chi Mihn would win and make Vietnam a Communist country

So Diem kept stalling and pushed off the elections

This led the many South Vietnamese turning against democracy and siding with Ho Chi Mihn and the North

Getting Rid of Diem President Diem became

uncontrollable by early 1960’s

Stopped listening to the US, who supplied him with weapons and $ to hold off Ho Chi Mihn

Started to become greedy and only listened to his wife and brother-in-law

Us had him assassinated in 1963

US Involvement under JFK After Diem assassination

there was chaos in South Vietnam – no other leaders that could control the South

US had to assert more control

JFK increased # of US “advisors’’ already in Vietnam to 16,000

LBJ and Vietnam Escalation of Vietnam Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

US boat attacked in waters off North Vietnam

Congress gave President Johnson the power take all necessary measures to repel any armed attacked against US

They never mention in Vietnam

Like a blank check for the military

Increases # of troops and starts Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder: Air Superiority vs. Guerilla Warfare

Why Fight? Prevent the Fall to

Communism Stop Aggressor

nations We are a

SUPERPOWER and a DEMOCRACY

LBJ and the Home front Resistance to the War Anti-War Movement

Hawks and Doves Teach-ins – college

movement Draft resisters Hippies and Flower

Children – Start of the Counter Culture Movement

A Country Divided

The Great Society LBJ’s domestic policy

becomes known as the Great Society

Extension of the New Deal

Programs for the low incomes/ underprivileged

More programs passed than FDR in his first 100 days

LBJ’s Downfall LBJ tries to do too much He can’t push his Great

Society and the same time as fighting a controversial war

He divides the country The federal government

tries to hide the negatives and only reports the positive of the war

Problem was there was live footage being sent home and the gov’t couldn’t control the TV

LBJ’s Downfall Johnson announces in 1968 that he will

not seek another term as President

Johnson's Speech

Nixon and Vietnam Escalates war even

more to 540,000 Runs on a policy of

Vietnamization – South is going to take more responsibility for the war

Reduce US involvement Can’t reduce because

South Vietnam is not strong enough

Nixon and Vietnamization Nixon orders more

bombings through Rolling Thunder

Invasion of Cambodia Bombings of the HO

Chi Mihn Trail

Ho Chi Mihn Trail

More Unrest in the US Country gets more

divided on the expansion of the bombings

Kent State Protest

Kent State Protest

Bringing Home US Troops Dec 1970 Congress repeals the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Sept 1972 > withdrawing of troops > only 60,000 left >

Nixon continues the bombings Oct 1972 > cease fire is reached Nixon announces on the eve of election day> Nixon wins

re-election Talks falter between two sides Jan 1973 > “Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring

Peace in Vietnam’’ was signed US troops are withdrawn over the next few months

Results of the War Longest war in US history 57,000 deaths 300,000 wounded $150 billion spent on the war War Powers Act

The President can sends troops into action for 60 days then must get permission from Congress to keep them in action

(Congress never specifically gave the President permission for Vietnam > No declaration of war)