11th Grade history - Ch. 22.1 - 22.5

Ho Chi Minh

leader of indochinese communist party, started revolts against frnace

leader of north vietnam and VC\

widely loved for being a warhero, giving land to peasents

French in Vietnam

Built on peasent land for rice and rubber extraction

exploited Vietnemese people, took away freedom of speach, assembly,

Domino theory

Japan took control of Vietnam in 1940

Eisenhower sent 2.6 billion to aid france in taking back control of Vietnam

they were afraid Vietnam would turn communist like the mess in Korea

belief that countries would fall one after another to communism like dominos in Indochina if one started it

Dien Bien Phu

despite massive us aid, french could not reclaim vietnam

may 1954 French were overrun in Dien Bien Phu after only two months, surrendered and left Vietnam

Geneva Accords

agreement that temporarily divided Vietnam on the 17th parallel

peace agreement decided by large countries(Us USSR Laos GB etc)

communists, HCM, north vietnam at Hanoi

anticom, Saigon, south vietnam

Division in Vietnam

Division was caused by the divide in North and south vietnam which was negotiated in Geneva Accords

Diem/coup

Diem headed south vietnam as president, but was corrupt

did not distribute land to peasents unlike HCM, restricted Buhddism, executed and imprisoned buhddists, forced villagers to relocate

South Vietnam began to become unstable when buhddists would set themselves on fire in protest of Diem

US wanted to assassinate him, JFK nearly wanted him exiled, US stages a coup and kills Diem

JFK Vietnam policy

“swim with Diem” policy caused by catastrophy of the bay of pigs

busy with dealing with bay of pigs so he was not immediately focused on vietnam

sent 16k military ADVISORS to help south vietnam

had said he wanted to withdraw from Vietnam

Vietcong

Communist group in south Vietnam who staged attacks on Diem’s government

commonly known as the “VC”

supported by Ho Chi Mihn, sent them arms and supplies though HCM trail

Ho Chi Minh trail

trail created by N.V. to supply ammo and guns to the Vietcong in S.V.

goal was to fight the south vietnam internally

periodically staged guerilla warefare attacks on the south

sucessfull in creating mistrust amoung the southern army because they could never know which villigers were for or against the VC

LBJ Vietnam policy

very afraid of being “soft” on communism, similar to JFK

64’ N.V. patrol boat torpedoed an USS Maddox (LBJ claimed) which was patrolling gulf of Tonkin(north vietnam coast)

event prompted congress to allow LBJ to begin bombing north vietnam

U.S.S. Maddox

was the US destoryer patrolling north vietnam

it was reported that they saw missiles being fired at them, later the crew claimed this never happened

“attacks” gave LBJ probable cause to begin attacks on N.V.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

granted broad military powers to LBJ

was not a declaration of war, vietnam war never fully declared legally

Us began to send troops to Vietnam

LBJ policy of Containment

many supported this policy, LBJ sent American troops to south vietnam after 65’ to contain communism, strategy won him election

Robert McNamara

secretary of defense

wanted to escalate the war in Vietnam

believed defeating communism was a vital thing for the world

Dean Rusk

secretary of state

believed that Us was a pillar of peace in the world

William Westmoreland/aggressive deployment

Commander of American troops in south vietnam

kept requesting and receiving US troops because the South Vietnemese could not fight for themselves

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam

REQUIRED US troops and aid in order to stand up for themselves

this weakness caused US to send more and more troops

Problems with Jungle warfare

Hit and run and ambush techniques, hide in trees/bushes/surroundings, hidden in plain sight disguised as peaceful villagers, set booby traps and land mines

Vietcong tunnels

small and narrow tunnels made for the Vietnamese body type

functioned like and underground village

Tunnels allowed safty from airstrikes, launch suprise attacks

“hearts and minds” failed strategy

Vietcong saw the war as a battel for their very souls which gave them the fight to win

Americans just viewed it as a military struggle

Napalm

gasoline based bomb dropped by the US that set the jungle on fire

Goal was to expose the Tunnels and Vietcong hideouts

left villages in ruins, villigers with wounds

agent orange

leaf killing toxic chemical sprayed by the US to clear the jungle leaves

had long term side effects of cancer and birth defects

search and destroy missions

tactic of uprooting villagers suspected of VC ties, burned villages and killed livestock

“had to destroy the town in order to save it”

sinking US morale

Low soldier morale led to drugs and alchohol abuse

killed superior officers

A new president of SV led more monks to burn themselves

Great Society suffers

LBJ’s domestic freedom programs were defunded in order to fund the war

“Living room” war

first war televised, combat footage on every night

exposed Westmoreland and McNamara’s lies about the war “almost being over” and they can “see the light at the end of the tunnel”

showed americans in body bags

credibility gap

people began to no longer believe the Johnson Administration because they were lying

people became split evenly about supporting or opposing the war

William J Fulbright Hearings

chairman of senate foreign relations comittee

charged LBJ with Lack of candor

questioned those from administration and asked them to defend their war ideas

contributed to growing doubts about war

“manipulative draft”

many did not support the war but were still drafted

prompted men to fin ways out of the draft

medical exemptions, joining national or coast guard, college deferment

because of deferments, most soldiers were lower economic classes

African-Americans and women in Vietnam

Blacks represented 20 percent of combat deaths but 10 percent of US population

caused congress to introduce draft lottery to enlist higher class citizens

racism also infected many platooons, MLK spoke out

thousands of women enlisted as nurses and for the Red cross, women not allowed to serve in combat

New Left

youth movement that opposed the war, opposed socialism and communism unlike “old” left

wanted changes for Americans socitey

students demanded campus issues: dress codes, curfews, dormitory issues, etc

SDS

Students for a Democratic Society

believed large corporations and the government had taken over America

wanted more individual freedom and participatory democracy

Free Speech movement

founded out of a clash between students and teachers about free speech at University of Berkeley California

criticized government institutions

protest movement

protests against the war began to grow, SDS helped organize them

urged students to flee to canada/sweden

arguments against the war: civil war US not involved, both North and south corrupt, US was not the world police

doves vs hawks

two sides of america, Doves=opposed the war very strongly, hawks=wanted to unleash more military force to win the war

many hated anti war protesters as Soliders were dying for them

LBJ’s determination

felt the pressure to choose a side, either doves or hawks, continued slow escelation policy

caused intertermoil, McNamara resigned

Tet offensive

Truce set for Tet(Vietnams lunar new year celebrations), funerals held, people streamed to SV cities

VC hid in coffins and would suprise attack SV and US soldiers

lasted a month, killed five americans

VC lost 32k Americans and ARVN lost 3k

shook American’s trust in the government, enemy semmed to be everywhere, mainstream media crticised war, doves 28% before 40% after, hawks 58% before 40% after, walter cronkite told viewers vietnam would end in stalemate

Clark Clifford

filled McNamar’s defense secretary position, believed war unwinable

Shift in public opinion

doves 28% before tet 40% after, hawks 58% before tet 40% after

nearly 60 percent of americans disproved LBJ war policies

Robert F. Kennedy

JFK’s brother, democratic party wanted him to run

RFK ran once he saw LBJ weakening

assainated by Sirhan Sirhan

Hubert H. Humphrey

candidate against McCarthy, upheld LBJ war beliefs, caused antiwar protesters to flood chicago

Eugene McCarthy

Ran against LBJ on platform that he would end the war

gained 42 percent vote, LBJ 48 percent which was seen as a defeat

LBJ responded by saying US would make negotiations for ending the war, LBJ ended up stepping down from rerunning

George Wallace

third-party candidate, helped nixon win

captured those who believed in school segregation and southern states

Richard Nixon

Was defeated by Kennedy in 1960 and 1962

campaigned as republican representative and promised restoration of law and order

vaguely promised to end war

defeated Humphrey

began pulling out troops from Vietnam

Vietnamization

plan for gradual US withdrawl so SV could take active combat role

US troops in Vietnam dropped from 500k to 25k over next three years

Henry Kissinger

National security advisor, German immigrant 3 degrees from harvard, created plan of Vietnamization with Nixon

“peace with honor”

Nixon planned on maintaining US image while withdrawing, did not want to look like a coward

however nixon planned suprise bombings on VC while withdrawing troops, wanted to be capable of anything

Silent Majority

Moderate maintream americans who quietly supported war

Nixon planned to appeal to them

My Lai massacre

NYT Seymour Hersh reported US platoon under William Calley Jr massacred My Lai village

Calley was searching for VC but couldn’t find any, so they decided to shoot 200 innocents

Invasion of cambodia

US troops invade Cambodia in 1970 to cut of VC supply of reasources, “peace with honor” US did not want to withdraw and look weak

1.5 million college students responded by closing 1200 campuses in protest

Kent state/jackson state killings

student protest led to ROTC burning, mayo unleashed national guard

guard killed 4 and injured 9 protesters who where throwing rocks at them

pentagon papers/daniel ellsberg

papers leaked by former defense department worker Daniel Ellsberg

7k page document written for McNamara, showed plans for the US entering the war even when LBJ promised not to send US troops, also showed war with no end as long as VC persisted

confirmed American’s belief that the government was not telling the whole story

“christmas bombings”

bombs in Hanoi and Haiphong, largest NV cities

US dropped 100k bombs over 11 days

1973 war ends

1971 more than 60 percent of americans wanted the war to end

North Vietnam troops would remain in South Vietnam

Nixon promises to respond with “full force” to violations of peace agreement

Saigon falls 1975

ceasefire collapsed after the US left, US sent money but not troops

1975 Saigon captured by VC

US death toll

58k killed 303k wounded

NV and SV deaths = 2 million, southeast asia highly unstable

veterans return home

Veterans faced indifference and hostility when returning home

15 percent(3.3 million) developed PTSD, many had nightmares headaches and memory lapses, used drugs and alchohol, suicide

US created Vietnam veterans memorial

Turmoil continues in vietnam

Communists imprisoned 400k south vietnemese, labor camps

1.5 million fled vietnam, citizens in support of America war effort, buisness owners, poor vietnamese

cambodia/khmer rouge

US invasion caused Civil war in cambodia, Khmer Rouge took over as head of communism in Cambodia, executed a least 1 million

war powers act

president must allert congress at within 48 hours of sending forces into a hostile area without a declaration of war

troops may not remain there for longer than 90 days unless congress approves the president or declares war

effects on US

government abolishes draft, doves believed increasing us force would have led to a stalemate, hawks believed more power would have won the war, president’s war-making powers change, americans think about risks of entering other countries more