Studied by 2 people
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
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
stategic hamelts
agent orange
he employed more more military advisors from 16,300 to 23,300
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)
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’
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
feb 1965
helicoptor base where the vietcong attacked
this triggered operation rollling 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
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
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
the determination of their troops
they knew the country
peasant support
guerrilla tatctics
The Ho Chi Minh trail
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’
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
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
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
wheeler took a pessimistic view and said that the NLF would quickly recover
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
Note 
Flashcard (61)