Vietnam War- Confrontation and cooperation 1963-1972

Confrontation in the Vietnam War: Johnson's policy in Vietnam; the Gulf of Tonkin resolution; escalation; tactics and relative strengths of the two sides; the Tet Offensive

when did LBJ become president?

November 22 1963 (until 1969)

what was Johnsons policy aims in Vietnam?

* he wanted to end the war by escalating it, a high tech war of attrition a term coined by general westmooreland
* he wanted to stop (what he percived) chinese expansionism

Oplan 34A?

a program of coastal and air raids conducted against north vietnam, which would place pressure on Haoi to support south vietnam

What approach did Johnson keep from Kennedy?

* stategic hamelts
* agent orange
* he employed more more military advisors from 16,300 to 23,300

why was the us/allies worried about LBJs apporach to the war?

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* Frances General Charles de Gaulle, warned johnson that increased involvement could lead to a repeat of France’s failed experience in Indochina
* people did not know how far south vietnam could sucessfully conduct themselves in a war, they had considered neutralism (end sv military links with external states, thus leaving it exposed to North Vietnam)

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

7 August 1964

* they thought there was an attack on US naval vessel by a North Vietnamese force in the Gulf of Tonkin
* this lead to congress passing the resolution hwich allowed him to take an actions necessary to resist any armed attack
* ‘like grandmas nightshirt’ ‘Open the floodgates’

What contributed to the decision to escalate by the beginning of 1965?

* China provided militray support to North Vietnam
* Ussr had firm diplomatic links with the NLF, they had set up permanent mission in Moscow
* The NV had moved up the Ho Chi Minh trail
* VietCong had a strong presence in South Vietnam
* The ARVN were in a state of low morale due to poor leadership

Pleiku incident?

feb 1965

* helicoptor base where the vietcong attacked
* this triggered operation rollling thunder

Operation Rolling Thunder?

March 1965-1968

* first us combat troops arrived in Danang, 3500 US marines
* the aim of the boming campaign was to destory vietnams economy and undermine the Vietcong and Northern forces in the south by limiting gureilla fighting
* the start of the americanisation of the war

Four point proposal? Johnsons response?

* US troops must withdraw from south vietnam


* Neither North nor South may enter into any militarly alliance with a foreign power during the temp division of Vietnam
* South Vietnams internal problems must be settked by the people of south vietnam
* reunifcation of vietnam must be settled by the people from those zones

Johnson had rejected the proposal, he feared a reunifed communist vietnam. Instead he ordered two marine battalions, an air sqadron and 20,000 troops to be deployed in Vietnam and publicised the escaltion of the war on july 28th 1965

Chu lai?

August 1965

600 v 50 americans - high tech war was working?

Drang valley?

October-November 1965

1500 v 300 Americans

what were the US’s strengths?

they had the economy on the side

a massive logistical effort was undertaken to ensure the forces had the most modern equipment

* by 1967, one million tons of supplies were arriving into south vietnam each month

the essence of the operation was speed and the us had that

What were the tactics used by the us?

Bombing; deployed huge b-52 bombs which could destory a lot

Operation ranch hand from 1962; sprayign chemicals which would destory the forest which gureillai fighters used (agent orange and agent blue)

‘pineapple bombs’; and Napalm; many victims were regualr civilians

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search and destory

find the enemy in where they hid in the forest and shoot them, thee would raid villages it could not accuratley say someone was Vietcong

What were the us weaknesses?

* they failed to destroy and udnemrine the vietcong with bombing
* their efforts were undermined because the Vietnamese would get more weapons from china and the ussr they minute they had lost them
* by 1968 they were outweighed by their weakness because of the tactics they were using
* it avoided action which isho wthe gureilla fighters worked
* growing anti-war movement pushed by people like MLK

What was the north Vietnams strengths?

* the determination of their troops
* they knew the country
* peasant support
* guerrilla tatctics
* The Ho Chi Minh trail

What was North Vietnameses weaknesses?

a dependecy on the ussr and china

their economy could not stand a prolonged war

there was no guranteed support from the peasantry (like the tet offensive, people did not uprise like the promised

when did Mcnamara reisgn and why?

he resigned in November 1967

* McNamara oppossed Westmoreland's request for an extra $10 billion for the war
* it already cost $3.6 billion a year, it was taking away from the ‘great society’

tet offensive?

January-February 1968

* VietCong lanuced a series of militray attakcs against the us targets in over 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam
* the us embassay was attacked in saigon
* it was telivised by the us
* the south vietnamese flag was not able to be in the city until 24th february

tet for the us?

* it was psychological defeat for the us, it showcased they were losing a war
* General wheeler saw that the communist would be strong again soon and defeat was coming/ he may have been being pesimitic but he recognised the weakness of a high tech war of attrition in Vietnam
* Westmooreland said it was time for more troops but LBJ said in march 1968

General westmooreland v general wheeler?

1. he said that this was the time to escalate the war - believed they had reached the crossover point and the NLF and Vietcong physically could not recover from this
2. wheeler took a pessimistic view and said that the NLF would quickly recover

who replaced mcnamara?

clifford in 1968 march

* he advocated for deseclation in the war

tet for Vietnam?

* it was a dismal faliure for the communist forces
* 25,000 vietcong died during it
* it was a turning point for the vietcong too, showcased the us had under estimated their power