Wallace

Ho Chi Minh

(1890-1969) leader of the Communist Party in Indochina after WWII; led Vietnamese against the French, then North Vietnamese against the United States in the Vietnam War

Domino Theory

the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control

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; free elections were never held.

Ngo Dinh Diem

(3 January 1901 - 2 November 1963) was the first president of South Vietnam (1955-1963). Anti-communist dictator who repressed all opposition; harsh towards Buddhists in his own country, and was backed by U.S. until assassinated in a coup de tat.

Vietcong

the guerrilla soldiers of the Communist faction in South Vietnam, also know as the National Liberation Front

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

a Resolution adopted by Congress in 1964 after the US was allegedly fired on by North Vietnam, thus giving the President broad powers to wage war in Vietnam

Napalm

Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks in an effort to destroy the dense jungle vegetation.

Agent Orange

a herbicide used in the Vietnam War to defoliate the dense jungles in Vietnam, later linked to causing cancer.

Search and Destroy missions

an operation developed for United States troops in Vietnam; troops would move through a designated area destroying enemy troops as they found them; relied heavily on the helicopter to transport troops to trouble-spots quickly.

Credibility Gap

This was the gap between the people and the government that grew as the people became disillusioned with the Vietnam War. TV broadcasts brought the brutality of war home to Americans and changed their perceptions of America's involvement in it.

Dove

someone who prefers peaceful solutions rather than armed conflict in the conduct of foreign relations. More in favor of this approach by the War's end.

Hawk

person who advocates immediate firm action, including the use of force, to resolve international crises. More in favor of this approach at the start of the War.

Tet Offensive

a massive surprise attack by the Vietcong on South Vietnamese towns and cities in early 1968, which although militarily speaking was a victory for the US, it was a loss with public perception of how the War was going. After Tet, more Americans disapproved of the War rather than supporting it.

Vietnamization

President Richard Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces, ("Peace with honor")

Silent Majority

Term used by President Nixon to describe Americans who opposed the counterculture (vocal minority), and were generally in support of Vietnamization.

Guerilla Warfare

A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war; fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes

Cu Chi Tunnels

Underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers to hide, communicate, and move supplies.

Punji traps

Booby traps laid in the ground with sharp bamboo sticks.

Operation Rolling Thunder

bombing campaign over North Vietnam, supposed to weaken enemy's ability and will to fight

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A network of jungle paths winding from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam, used as a military route by North Vietnam to supply the Vietcong during the Vietnam War.

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam

Kept the war going strong because he feared otherwise the US would appear weak, thought American strength and resolve could win the war and that it would force the North to bargain (it didn't work). Johnson's ratings dropped and in 1968 he halted the bombing and announced he would not run for president.

Reasons for Draft Protest

• 18 year olds were drafted and not allowed to vote.

• the wealthy could get a deferment by staying in college.

• Minorities were drafted in disproportionate numbers.

Deferments

an excuse, issued by the draft board, that lets a person be excused from military, (medical, conscientious objector, college)

My Lai Massacre

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

Secret Bombing of Cambodia

Bombing missions with the goal of destroying the strongholds of the Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces in Cambodia. This was initially kept secret from Congress and the American public. Eventually came out and led to Kent State protests and the War Powers Resolution.

Kent State Shootings (1970)

The Ohio National Guard shot into a crowd of students protesting American involvement in Cambodia, killing four.

Counterculture Movement

1960s

*Began at Berkeley with free speech movement

*Beliefs included women's liberation, anti-materialism, and opposition to the war in Vietnam

*Experimented with drugs and sex

*Young people who favored the counterculture were called "hippies"

*The Woodstock Music and Art Festival in NY State (1969) marked the culmination of the counterculture movement

Paris Peace Accords (1973)

Ended the U.S. phase of the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon (1975)

Soon after the Paris Peace Accords removed the last of the American troops from South Vietnam, the Vietnam War escalated, and a full-scale offensive launched in March 1975 brought the fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, a month later. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam was reunited under the rule of the North Vietnamese Communist government.