U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: Policy, Strategy, Protest, Withdrawal

These question-and-answer flashcards cover U.S. policy evolution (Eisenhower to Nixon), Cold War motivations, Viet Cong and U.S. strategies and tactics, key battles, anti-war movements, and the path to U.S. withdrawal. They emphasize pivotal events, concepts, statistics, and historians’ interpretations necessary for exam review.

Which U.S. president first expanded aid to France in Indochina and popularized the Domino Theory?

Dwight D. Eisenhower

What Cold War doctrine guided Truman’s and Eisenhower’s early actions in Vietnam?

The Containment policy

What 1954 alliance did Eisenhower help create to block communism in Southeast Asia?

SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organisation)

What theory argues U.S. leaders became trapped in Vietnam because withdrawal seemed too costly?

The Quagmire Theory

Who was Eisenhower’s strongly anti-communist Secretary of State dubbed “the high priest of the Cold War”?

John Foster Dulles

How many U.S. military advisers were in South Vietnam by the end of Eisenhower’s presidency?

About 1,500 advisers

Which failed 1961 invasion intensified President Kennedy’s desire to look tough on communism?

The Bay of Pigs invasion

By Kennedy’s death in 1963, roughly how many U.S. personnel were in South Vietnam?

More than 16,000

What rural security scheme, begun in 1963, aimed to isolate peasants from Viet Cong influence?

The Strategic Hamlet Program

What slogan summarized U.S. counter-insurgency aimed at improving villagers’ lives?

WHAM – Winning Hearts and Minds

Which 1964 naval incident gave President Johnson broad war-making power?

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident

What congressional measure let LBJ “take all necessary measures” in Vietnam?

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Name the sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam that began in March 1965.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Roughly how many U.S. troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1967?

About 486,000 troops

Which U.S. general championed the “search and destroy” tactic?

General William Westmoreland

What two chemical agents did the U.S. widely use to remove cover and attack enemies?

Napalm and Agent Orange

What phrase did Ho Chi Minh use to describe guerrilla war versus a stronger foe?

“Elephant and tiger” metaphor

What extensive underground network near Saigon sheltered Viet Cong fighters?

The Cu Chi tunnel system

Between 1965–70, what percentage of U.S. deaths were caused by booby traps and mines?

About 11%

What dual political–military strategy of the Viet Cong translates as “Struggle”?

Dau Tranh

Which 1968 offensive attacked over 100 South Vietnamese targets, including the U.S. embassy?

The Tet Offensive

Militarily, who lost the Tet Offensive? Psychologically, who benefited?

Militarily: Viet Cong/NVA lost; Psychologically: Communists gained by eroding U.S. public support.

Which famed CBS news anchor voiced doubt after Tet, prompting LBJ’s remark, “If I’ve lost ___, I’ve lost Middle America”?

Walter Cronkite

After Tet, what percentage of Americans favored withdrawal?

About 69%

What 1970 leak revealed secret decisions and costs of the war, intensifying opposition?

The Pentagon Papers

Which 1970 campus protest ended with National Guard troops killing four students?

The Kent State shootings

What was the massive U.S. anti-war demonstration of October 1969 called?

The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam

Which president introduced “Vietnamization” and sought “peace with honor”?

Richard Nixon

What theory of intimidation did Nixon use, aiming to appear unpredictable and dangerous?

The Madman Theory

Who was Nixon’s chief foreign-policy aide behind détente and Vietnam peace talks?

Henry Kissinger

Name the 1968 siege where 20,000 NVA surrounded a U.S. Marine base near the DMZ.

The Battle of Khe Sanh

What 1971 ARVN-led incursion into Laos tested Vietnamization and was largely a failure?

Operation Lam Son 719

Which covert U.S. program (1968-71) captured or killed thousands of Viet Cong cadre?

Operation Phoenix

What 1972 three-pronged North Vietnamese assault signaled conventional tactics with tanks?

The Easter Offensive

Which two bombing campaigns in 1972 pressured Hanoi back to negotiations?

Operation Linebacker I and Operation Linebacker II

What 1973 agreement formally ended direct U.S. involvement in Vietnam?

The Paris Peace Accords

In what year did Saigon fall to North Vietnamese forces?

1975

Roughly how many U.S. service members were killed in Vietnam by the end of 1968?

About 30,000

Historian Kolko said U.S. policy aimed to create what kind of world framework after WWII?

“An integrated, essentially capitalist world framework.”

Historian Schlesinger described the Vietnam adventure as marked more by what than foresight?

Ignorance, misjudgment, and muddle

Historian McMahon argued U.S. involvement lay almost entirely in what realm?

The realm of the Cold War

What pacification program forcibly relocated peasants into fortified villages?

The Strategic Hamlet Program

Which elite U.S. counter-insurgency force first arrived in 1957 and wore distinctive berets?

The Green Berets

Why did U.S. helicopters often fail to surprise the Viet Cong?

Their loud noise warned guerrillas, who then hid or set traps.

What anti-war chant targeted President Johnson’s casualty record?

“Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?”

What 1969 revelation of a 1968 massacre shocked Americans and fueled protest?

Exposure of the My Lai Massacre

Name two major reasons Nixon sought withdrawal besides public opinion.

High U.S. casualties/costs and fear of political downfall like LBJ’s.