Chapter 19- The Vietnam War

France owned these Colonies reorganized as Indochina

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

During world war two who took control of Indochina

Japan

Viet Minh

Communist-dominated resistance group

After Japan was defeated in World War two what happened to Vietnam

It declared independence

Capital city of Vietnam

Hanoi

With U.S aid France attempted to retake what country

Vietnam

What theory gave reasoning to help France take back Vietnam

The domino theory

Did France win the fight against Vietnam

no they lost after 8 years to Ho Chi Minh’s army at the city of Dien Bien Phu

What country backed Vietnam

The Soviet Union and communists forces

Where was a international conference held after the war between France and Vietnam

Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva Accords

documents stating rules about Vietnam after war

Vietnam was divided between what parallel

17th parallel

What else was also established after a the 17th parallel

Demilitarized zone

SEATO

South East Asia Treaty Organization

What was the purpose of SEATO

to prevent the Domino theory in SE Asia

Ho Chi Minh’s communist forces controlled which part of Vietnam

The North-Soviet Union and China

Ngo Dinh Diem controlled which part of Vietnam

The South which was also supported by the United States

The Capital city of the South

Saigon

A date was set for elections to reunify Vietnam under one government, but what happened

The South backed out, because they thought they were not going to win

What happened due to the South backing out of elections

It created the beginning of military conflict between the North and South ready to fight a civil war

A total of six presidents were involved with the Vietnam War

1. President Harry S. Truman
2. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
3. President John F. Kennedy
4. President Lyndon B. Johnson
5. President Richard M. Nixon
6. President Gerald R. Ford

How was Harry Truman involved in the Vietnam war

had chosen to support the reestablishment of French Colonial rule rather than accept a Communists Vietnam

How was Dwight D. Eisenhower involved in the Vietnam War

his administration had sent advisors and other military aid to South Vietnam and who had cited the domino theory as justification for interviewing

How was President John F. Kennedy involved in the war

sharply increased aid to South Vietnam, authorized the creation of the army’s Special Forces-the Green Berets-but was assassinated before he could enact other policies

How was Lyndon B. Johnson involved in the Vietnam war

who is the most closely identified as being responsible for the conduct and fighting of the Vietnam War

How was Richard M. Nixon involved in the war

administration began a program of de-escalation that led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam and the end of America’s involvement

how was president Gerald R. Ford involved with the war

whose administration oversaw the actual end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam

According to the Geneva Accords all communists living in the South were required to move where

the North

According to the Geneva Accords all the non-communists in the North were required to move where

the South

Communists Soldiers undercover in the South that formed the core guerilla organization

Viet Cong

The nickname for the Viet Cong

Charlie

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam…South Vietnam’s army

Eisenhower sent what to ARVN

aid, 675 U.S army advisors

JFK was elected and increased what

the number of military advisors to 16,000

What happened to Diem

Assassinated on Nov. 2, 1963

Tonkin Gulf Incident

The USS Maddox was off the coast of North Vietnam in international waters, was attacked by three N. Vietnamese torpedo boats

USS Maddox

a destroyer on an intelligence gathering mission

After the assault, Pres. Johnson ordered what

strikes against the port where the torpedo boats are harbored

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

a joint resolution of Congress, the resolution was passed by a vote of 88-2 in the Senate and unanimously in the house

The Blank Check

LBJ was given the authority to take all necessary measures including the use of armed force

How old were soldiers in Vietnam

19 years old

How were men inducted into the service

Volunteered or drafted by law

Conscription

compulsory enlistment for state service typically into the armed forces

Deferments

the postponement of a persons conscription

The deferments for men in the U.S were

Health reasons and enrollment in college

Why was deferment unfair to poor people and African Americans

They could not afford to spend the money to go to college

In 1969 the government implemented which system to draft men

a lottery and end to deferments

Draft Dodgers

fled the country to avoid being sent to war

known as cowards and traitors

Helicopters

“horses” gave the troops mobility and battlefield firepower

“Airmobile Operations”

a military doctrine that was created for a new style of fighting with helicopters

Helicopters could

1. rapidly carry troops to isolated areas and land in clearings too small or rugged for airplanes
2. swoop in at a moment’s notice and provide close, hovering treetop level fire support against enemy positions
3. provide quick evacuation of the wounded
4. to be used in the search and rescue missions of downed pilots

the first major direct U.S military activity in Vietnam took place where land, sea, or air

The air

Operation Rolling Thunder

a bombing campaign over the North Vietnam staring in March

Goals of operation Rolling Thunder

he wanted to weaken the enemy’s ability and will to fight

Interrupt the flow of supplies and troops moving into the South from the North

target North Vietnam military resources such as military bases, airfields, roads, bridges, railroads, industrial centers and power pants

Main Goal of Operation Rolling Thunder

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Ho Chi Minh Trail

600-mile long network of paths that snaked from N. Vietnam thru Laos, Cambodia to S. Vietnam

Agent Orange

American planes were spraying chemicals in the jungles that destroyed vegetation, respiratory problems and caused cancer and birth defects

Naplam

a jellied form of a gasoline, to make fire bombs that destroyed farms and forests

Cluster Bombs

sprayed sharp metal fragments when they exploded

Carpet bombing

a strategy where strings of bombs were dropped from high altitudes in order to destroy large areas of land with no specific target

POW

Prisoners of War

Most famous POW camp

Hoa Lo in North Vietnam also known as the “Hanoi Hilton”

John McCain

Senator who spent 5.5 years in a POW Camp

How Successful was Operation Rolling Thunder

\-did not weaken enemy’s war effort…flow of troops and supplies to the South increased. It boosted their morale and strengthen their resolve.

\-Quickly rebuilt damaged roads and bridges along Ho Chi Minh Trail

\-Underground bunkers or Tunnels protected soliders and supplies

The Ground War

Ground troops located enemy positions and then called air strikes to bomb them. Once the area was cleared they moved on to other areas

The most famous military leader in the Vietnam and graduated from West Point

William Westmoreland

Who was Time Magazine’s “Man Of The Year” in 1965

William Westmoreland

What was the problem with Viet Cong and having no uniforms

South Vietnam and America could not tell the difference between a citizen or a Viet Cong fighter

Guerrilla Warfare

strike then melt back into the Jungle; use military tactics such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, and element of surprise

How did the enemy have an advantage during the war

Knowing the local geography, climate, and terrain

Vietnam was a tropical country with what

rugged, mountainous jungle; vast marshes, and rice paddies

Punji Stakes

deadly mines and booby traps, sharpened bamboo stakes concealed in a hole or mud

Viet Cong tunnel systems

elaborate tunnel systems that expanded for miles and included storage area, hospitals, kitchens, wells, sleeping chambers, firing bunkers, and training areas

What were the problems for American troops

tunnel systems

Soviet and Chinese aid'

America’s first living room war lead to protests

Difficult to tell who was the enemy

Guerrilla Warfare

Enemy knew local geography

Deadly mines and booby traps

Tet

a series of massive coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese regular army and Viet Cong guerillas

What does Tet mean to Vietnamese

Vietnams New Year Holiday and before the war there was always cease fire to celebrate Tet

What did North Vietnam do during the Tet Holiday

lead the largest communist assault, attacked 100 Southern cities and 12 U.S. military bases

Where did the offensive assault begin

The U.S. embassy in Saigon, 19 Viet Cong charged the embassy and blew a hole in the concrete wall then opened fire

The Vietnam war was not measured by it its gain of territory, but

the body count of each side

Politically Tet was seen how

as an American defeat by the media, and criticism grew

After Walter Cronkite broadcasted a TV report where he gave a personal negative assessment of the situation what happened

Johnson’s popularity dropped from 48% to 36%, then he announced he would not seek reelection

Election of 1968

Democrat Hubert Humphrey

Democrat Robert Bobby Kennedy

Republican Richard Nixon

Independent George Wallace

Who won the election of 1968

Richard Nixon by a close margin was reelected in 1972

Who was assassinated on June 6, 1968

Bobby Kennedy the Democratic Forerunner while giving a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles

Who Assassinated Bobby Kennedy

Sirhan, Sirhan an immigrant from Jordan and was upset with Robert’s support of Israel

What happened at the Democratic Convention in Chicago

chaos interrupted in the streets outside the Convention hall, protestors gathered to bring end to the war, police responded with brutality

What did Richard Nixon promise during the campaign

1. to restore law and order and bring about social harmony at home
2. to bring peace with honor, an honorable end to the Vietnam war

Vietnamization

This was Nixon’s plan to turn over more fighting to the South Vietnamese, while bringing soldiers gradually home.

Nixon’s secret war

He was keeping his promise of ending war, until he made an announcement that the military will be expanding forces to Cambodia, he did not check with congress or anyone, they were not happy

Impact of Nixon’s secret war

mass protests escalated across the country; Nixon had told the public that the war was coming to an end and now he was escalating it

Polls in 1969 showed that how much of America opposed the war

1/2

What was the Nationwide Day of Protest

October 15, 1969

In November 1969 the largest anti-war protest in the nations history to occured where

D.C police lined up rows of buses in the front of the white house to form a barrier between protesters and Nixon who was inside

What was “Vietnam Vets against the War”

a group of 800 VN veterans who threw down their medals in front of the capital building

Where was the anti-war movement very strong

college campuses

One of the most famous anti-war protest took place on what campus

Kent State University in Ohio on May 4, 1970

What Happened at Kent state

Protesters set fire to the ROTC building on campus, so the Governor sent in the National guard, students gathered on the lawn for a rally and troops ordered a disperse, kids threw rocks at police, 4 students were killed, 9 wounded

What did the families of students that were wounded or killed do after the protest and shots

Filed a wrongful death lawsuit, guardsmen were eventually acquitted in 1974, families were paid a monetary settlement totaling $675,000

What was the hot song after the Kent State incident

“Ohio” by Crosby Stills, Nash and Young

The Paris Peace talks

a series of attempts to reach peace and a settlement to the Vietnam war, first time was initiated by the U.S, shortly after conclusion of Tet offensive