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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