Vietnam War Key Figures, Events, and Policies Study Guide

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam who wanted to unite Vietnam under communism.

Ngo Dinh Diem

Anti-communist leader of South Vietnam supported by the United States; assassinated in 1963.

Vietcong

Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam who fought against the U.S. and South Vietnamese government.

Vietminh

Nationalist and communist group led by Ho Chi Minh that fought the Japanese and later defeated the French.

Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

U.S. intelligence agency during WWII that later became the CIA.

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam; the military of South Vietnam.

SEATO

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization created to stop the spread of communism in Asia.

General William Westmoreland

U.S. commander in Vietnam who used a strategy of attrition to wear down the enemy.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Major student-led antiwar organization during the Vietnam War.

Muhammad Ali

Boxer who refused the draft because he opposed the Vietnam War.

Robert McNamara

Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ who helped manage Vietnam War strategy.

Dr. Spock

Pediatrician who became a well-known antiwar activist.

Eugene McCarthy

Senator who ran for president in 1968 opposing the Vietnam War.

Early Anti-War Movement (AWM)

Groups and people who protested U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Assassination Squads — Groups that killed government officials and opponents in Vietnam.

Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) — Organization of veterans who protested the Vietnam War.

Harry S. Truman — President who first supported France against communism in Vietnam after WWII.

Dwight D. Eisenhower — President who supported South Vietnam and created the Domino Theory.

John F. Kennedy — President who increased military advisors in Vietnam before his assassination in 1963.

Lyndon B. Johnson — President who escalated the war by sending combat troops to Vietnam.

Richard Nixon — President who used Vietnamization and expanded bombing into Cambodia.

Colonization of Vietnam — France controlled Vietnam before WWII and exploited its people and resources.

Occupation of Vietnam — Japan occupied Vietnam during WWII.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu — Battle in 1954 where the Vietminh defeated France, ending French rule in Vietnam.

Geneva Convention of 1954 — Agreement that temporarily divided Vietnam into communist North Vietnam and noncommunist South Vietnam.

U.S. Military Advisors — American soldiers sent to train and support South Vietnamese troops before full combat involvement.

USS Maddox and Gulf of Tonkin Resolution — After reported attacks on U.S. ships, Congress gave LBJ power to expand the war.

Operation Rolling Thunder — Massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam.

Assassinations of MLK and Robert Kennedy — Major political assassinations in 1968 that increased tension and unrest in America.

Battle of Khe Sanh — Major 1968 battle between U.S. Marines and North Vietnamese forces.

Tet Offensive — Surprise attacks by North Vietnam and the Vietcong in 1968 that shocked Americans and weakened support for the war.

Attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon — Tet Offensive attack that showed the enemy could strike major targets.

1968 Democratic National Convention — Convention in Chicago marked by violent clashes between protesters and police.

Election of Richard Nixon — Nixon won the presidency in 1968 promising "peace with honor."

My Lai Massacre — Mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers in 1968.

The Lottery (Draft Lottery) — System that randomly selected young men for military service.

Bombing of Cambodia — Nixon ordered secret bombings to destroy communist supply routes and bases.

Kent State and Jackson State — Student protests where police or National Guard troops killed demonstrators.

Pentagon Papers — Leaked documents showing the government misled Americans about the Vietnam War.

Paris Peace Accords — 1973 agreement that ended direct U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Withdrawal of American Troops — Gradual removal of U.S. soldiers from Vietnam in the early 1970s.

War Powers Act — Law limiting the president's power to send troops into combat without Congress.

Fall of Saigon — North Vietnam captured Saigon in 1975, ending the Vietnam War.

Domino Theory — Belief that if one country became communist, nearby countries would also become communist.

Containment — U.S. policy aimed at stopping the spread of communism.

Napalm — Flammable weapon used in bombs that caused devastating fires.

Agent Orange — Chemical sprayed to destroy jungle cover and crops; caused major health problems.

Vietcong Tunnels/Guerrilla Warfare — Underground tunnel systems and surprise attack tactics used by the Vietcong.

Hawks and Doves — Hawks supported the war; Doves opposed the war.

26th Amendment — Amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Ho Chi Minh Trail — Supply route used by North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia.

Americanizing the War — When the U.S. took over most fighting by sending large numbers of troops.

Vietnamization — Nixon's policy of turning fighting responsibilities over to South Vietnam.

"Baby Killers" — Insult some protesters used against American soldiers after reports of civilian deaths.

"Disrespectful Loyalty" — Criticizing the government because people believed it would improve the country.

Living Room War — Nickname for the Vietnam War because TV brought graphic war footage into American homes.

Credibility Gap — Difference between what the government said about the war and what Americans believed.

Vietnam War Memorial — Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Americans who served and died in Vietnam.

Results and Impacts of Vietnam War — Vietnam became communist, over 58,000 Americans died, public trust in government decreased, and antiwar movements grew.