US History Cold War Test

"the Wall"

lists the names of U.S. soldiers killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War, memorial place

Chester Ovnand and Dale Buis

first two men listed on the Wall, according to reports they were the first to be killed during a surprise attack on their camp in 1959, Ovnand and Buis were both noncombat soldiers

- both were military advisors

Ho Chi Minh

1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used guerilla warfare to fight anti-communist, American-funded attacks; smart strategies on Viet. side drew out war and made it unwinnable for US soldiers

- helped found the Viet Minh

Viet Minh

- communist-dominated Nationalist Movement

- leader was Ho Chi Minh

- typically dominated rural countryside areas and villages

- opposed foreign rule in Vietnam, wanted "independence and liberty for the Vietnamese people"

- controlled Northern Vietnam, aka Democratic Republic of Vietnam (country)

- named northern city of Hanoi their capital

First Indochina War

1946-1954, was fought in French Indochina between French and Vietnamese, end result was division of Vietnam at Geneva Conference

- US funded 80% of this war

- sparked US fears of the domino theory and spreading of communism

Dien Bien Phu

war began in March 1954, when the Viet Minh launched a surprise attack on a large French military base in the northern mountains of Vietnam, French loss

domino theory

the idea that if a nation falls under communist control, nearby nations will also fall under communist control

- motivation for U.S. intervention in Vietnam

Materiel

military equipment and supplies

- US feared that direct military intervention might trigger a war with communist neighbor to Vietnam, China

- way for US to aid France without being involved the war

Geneva Conference (1954)

- held in Geneva, Switzerland

- peace conference between France and Ho Chi Minh

- France wanted Ho Chi Minh to stop attacks French troops and Ho Chi Minh wanted the French troops gone

Geneva Accords

A 1954 peace agreement that divided Vietnam into Communist-controlled North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam until unification elections could be held in 1956

- temp split along the 17th parallel

Ngo Dinh Diem

- American ally in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963

- his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover

- catholic and strongly opposed communism

- poor leadership and corrupt government

- assassinated trying to flee Saigon

Saigon

Capital of South Vietnam

military advisers

noncombat specialists who train and equip another nation's soldiers

National Liberation Front

- Ho Chi Minh wanted to unite Vietnam under Northern rule and aided what group of communist rebels trying to overthrow Diem in the south official title of the Viet Cong

- created in 1960, they lead an uprising against Diem's repressive regime in the South

Viet Cong

- slang for Vietnamese communists

- many of its members were not communist, just didn't agree with Diem and his ways

- these people were rebels in the South acting as spies and sabotaging Southern Vietnamese agenda

insurgency

rebellion

Buddhism in Vietnam

- common religion of the people

- Diem caused tension due to him being Catholic

- at a Buddhist rally opposing Diem's policies, South Vietnamese police killed nine protestors

- several Buddhist monks publicly set themselves on fire in protest of this

Ho Chi Minh Trail

- a network of paths used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam

- passed through parts of Laos and Cambodia

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

- allowed the president "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."

- not a legal declaration of war, but it did enable the president to expand the U.S. role in the Vietnamese conflict

Operation Rolling Thunder

bombing campaign over North Vietnam, supposed to weaken enemy's ability and will to fight, had no real impact on the war besides further upsetting the Vietnamese people

- home base for bombers was Da Nang

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

the southern Vietnamese soldiers with whom U.S. troops fought against communism and forces in the North during the Vietnam War

hawks

- term used for LBJ's political advisors, or people who favored expanding U.S. military involvement in Vietnam

- leaders-argued in favor of sending U.S. ground troops to Vietnam to escalate the war

- used the domino theory to justify their argument

- argued against a policy of appeasement

doves

or advocates of achieving a peaceful resolution in Vietnam through negotiation and compromise

Da Nang, South Vietnam

- first time U.S, combat troops set foot in Vietnam

- March 8, 1965, about 3,500 US marines waded ashore on a beach near Da Nang

Operation Starlite

- first major assault by U.S. ground troops

- targeted 1,500 Viet Cong

- marines successfully defeated the enemy force, killing more than 600 Viet Cong-only 45 U.S. soldiers died

- fought with wide range of weapons and strategies (transporting troops by helicopter with overwhelming firepower)

search-and-destroy missions

- U.S military raids on a south vietnamese villages

- intended to root out villagers with ties to the Viet Cong but often resulting in the destruction of the village and the displacement, murder, or rape of its inhabitants

- often included innocent women, children, and elderly

Americanization of the Vietnam War

The decision to introduce American combat troops to the Vietnam War in March of 1965 was the result of several months of gradual escalation by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Clark Clifford

Secretary of Defense under President Lyndon B. Johnson

- described the Vietnam conflict as a sinkhole, describing how the US was stuck in the Vietnam conflict

- turned many who supported the war into doves who opposed the war

"Johnson's War"

Slang term for the Vietnam War because of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson's role in escalating the conflict

- LBJ worried that the shift of the publics opinion would damage the success of his social reform agenda --> Great Society's civil rights and anti poverty programs

Vietnam topography

tropical monsoon climate, hills, dense forests, jungles, mountains, rivers, canals

- inhabited by NVA

North Vietnamese Army (NVA)

the army of communist North Vietnam, which supported the Viet Cong in South Vietnam with troops and supplies

Agent Orange

a toxic leaf-killing chemical sprayed by U.S. planes in Vietnam to expose Viet Cong hideouts

- named after the orange barrels they were carried in

- sprayed over the Ho Chi Minh trail

- used to kill crops that fed the enemy

- contaminated soil and water, many civilians exposed to long term health risks from toxins

guerilla warfare

a hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war

- fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes

- Vietnamese talented in this tactic, using Vietnam's forests and geography to their advantage

underground tunnel systems (Viet)

Vietnamese had the ability to hide from US soldiers by making elaborate underground tunnels

- had many exits and contained living areas, kitchens, and storage spaces

General William Westmoreland

- the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam

- decided to fight a war of attrition

- US hoped to eliminate enough enemy troops so they could not continue the war

war of attrition

a military campaign designed to wear down the enemy's strength

land mines / booby traps

- explosives planted underground that explode when stepped on

- explosive tapwires and sharpened stakes coated with poison

- caused soldiers to become very demoralized

- led to extensive drug use due to low morale among US soldiers

pacification

policy designed to promote security and stability in S. Vietnam

- funded by US Army and CIA, and run by Saigon gov

- aimed to improve economic development in rural S. Vietnam

- provided food and built schools and bridges

- spread propaganda designed to persuade Vietnamese to support the gov of S. Vietnam

"the other war"

- to win the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people

- flawed due to ARVN lack of leadership

- insufficient security made it difficult to build roads, schools, and other basic infrastructure

- development workers targets by Viet Cong

- 3,015 workers in the span of a 7-month period were either kidnapped or killed

Napalm

- a jellied gasoline used for bombs

- designed to burn forests and destroy enemy installations

- caught skin on fire

Tet Offensive

1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war

- planned to expose failure of pacification and turn US further away from the war

Richard Nixon

1968 and 1972; Republican; Vietnam: advocated "Vietnamization" (replace US troops with Vietnamese), but also bombed Cambodia/Laos, created a "credibility gap," Paris Peace Accords ended direct US involvement; economy-took US off gold standard (currency valued by strength of economy); SALT I and new policy of detente between US and Soviet Union; Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign

Henry Kissinger

The main negotiator of the peace treaty with the North Vietnamese; secretary of state during Nixon's presidency (1970s), national security advisor

- "carrot and stick" approach to US leaving Vietnam war

- came of with Vietnamization

- "peace is at hand"

Vietnamization

President Nixon's policy of replacing American military forces with those of South Vietnam

- 3 main goals for S. Vietnam: self gov, self development, and self defense

"madman theory"

Nixon's foreign policy technique in which other countries were led to believe that Nixon was insane and would do things unpredictably, such as press "the button" at any moment

My Lai Massacre

1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women, children, and elderly in the village of My Lai, also led to more strong opposition to the war

antiwar movement

- sparked by My Lai Massacre, peace activists staged biggest antiwar demonstration in history called the nationwide Vietnam Moratorium Day

- +2 million people participated in dramatic and widespread protest

- increased pressure on Nixon to end the war and bring US troops back home

Moratorium

a suspension of activity; an authorized delay

Kent State Shootings

- peace rally held by students, became violent

- students burned down the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) building on campus

- National Guard troops called out to end the violence, ended in troops open firing on students

- four killed, nine wounded

Jackson State Shootings

- 9 days after Kent State

- shooting by police resulted in the death of 2 black students and injured 9 in Mississippi at a state university

Daniel Ellsburg

- former Department of Defense official

- leaked Pentagon Papers to the New York Times

Pentagon Papers

- top secret government documents published In 1971

- revealed that the US government had misled americans about the vietnam war

New York Times v. US

Supreme Court case protecting the freedom of the press by allowing the New York Times to publish the "Pentagon Papers" despite the Justice Department's order to restrict it

prior restraint

prevention of speech or expression before publication

War Powers Resolution

law placed to restrict presidents power to engage the US armed forces in hostilities w/o authorization of congress

Nguyen Van Thieu

- became President of South Vietnam after Diem was executed

- feared that US was abandoning his country to the communists, insisted on many changed to Paris agreement

"Christmas Bombings"

(December 1972) the twelve days of bombing that America dropped on Vietnam

- aimed to destroy N Viet. will to fight and show Thieu that the US would enforce terms of a settled peace treaty in the future

Paris Peace Accords

- 1973 peace agreement between the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong that effectively ended the Vietnam War

- called for withdrawal of ALL US troops and releasement of all prisoners of war

- treaty ordered a cease fire and retained dividing line between N and S Vietnam @ 17th parallel

post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

POWs and MIAs

stand for prisoners of war and missing in action

Gerald Ford

succeeded Nixon in 1974, he pardoned Nixon

April 30 1975

the day that Saigon fell to the Communists and American personnel had to evacuate

Khmer Rouge

communist party in Cambodia that imposed a reign of terror on Cambodian citizens

Ronald Reagan

president who made and effort to end the cold war, eventually became friendly with russia

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Popularly known as "Star Wars," President Reagan's SDI proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer space

- Critics claimed that SDI could never be perfected

Reagan Doctrine

US would support freedom fighters trying to overthrow Communist regimes; applied in Nicaragua, Angola, Cambodia and Afghanistan

Sandinistas vs. Contras

one of a left-wing group of revolutionaries (sandinistas) who overthrew President Anastasio Somoza in 1979 in Nicaragua and formed a socialist coalition government

- The Sandinistas were opposed militarily by the US-backed Contras during the 1980s and were defeated in a general election in 1990

Iran-Contra Affair

- involved high officials in the Reagan administration secretly selling arms to Iran (in return for the release of Western hostages in the Middle East) and illegally using the proceeds to finance the Contra rebels in Nicaragua

Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North

member of National Security Council who played a key role in providing aid to Contras-said he was following president's orders

- some saw him as hero, some saw him as villain

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader of the 1980s who worked with Reagan to end the Cold War

- open minded and wanted more honestly and opinions in the soviet government

- wanted to restore soviet economy and people

Pereostroika

reconstruction of soviet economy

Glasnost

openness and honesty

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

1987; Arms limitation agreement settled by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev after several attempts

- treaty banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe and marked a significant de-escalation in the Cold War

General Manuel Noriega

Panamanian dictator who was captured, transported to the U.S. and convicted for drug trafficking during Pres. Bush's term

Saddam Hussein (and the annexation of Kuwait)

- a dictator in Iraq who tried to take over Iran and Kuwait violently in order to gain the land and the resources

- he also refused to let the UN into Iraq in order to check if the country was secretly holding weapons of mass destruction

Persian Gulf War

(1990 - 1991) Conflict between Iraq and a coalition of countries led by the United States to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait which they had invaded in hopes of controlling their oil supply

- A very one sided war with the United States' coalition emerging victorious

Mohammed Mosaddegh

- Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953

- is best known for nationalizing Iran's oil industry, previously controlled by British companies, which led to a CIA-backed coup (1953 Iranian Coup D'Etat) that removed him from power

Ayatollah Khomeihi

vocal critic of Shah's modernization programs

- became leader of Iran after Shah fled the country

Watergate Scandal

- break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex in Washington

- carried out under the direction of White House employees

- disclosure of the White House involvement in the break-in and subsequent cover-up forced President Nixon to resign in 1974 to avoid impeachment

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Two reporters of the Washington Post who broke the Watergate story

CREEP

- Richard Nixon's committee for re-electing the president

- found to have been engaged in a "dirty tricks" campaign against the democrats in 1972

- raised tens of millions of dollars in campaign funds using unethical means

- were involved in the infamous Watergate cover-up

- Jeb Magruder: deputy director of CREEP, burned wiretaps from earlier break-ins