The Vietnam War: Lead-up, Leadership, and the Credibility Gap
Profile of Leaders and Ideological Conflict
Ho Chi Minh * He was the communist leader of North Vietnam. * He attained the status of a hero to many Vietnamese people due to his military service as a General during World War II. * He is credited with defeating the Japanese forces during World War II. * He defeated French Indochina, leading the push for Vietnamese independence from colonial rule. * His popularity stemmed from his stance against colonialism and Japanese militarism, aiming to keep Vietnam for the Vietnamese rather than being exploited by external powers. * While popular, he was also noted as a brutal leader in certain respects.
Ngo Dinh Diem * He was the anti-communist leader positioned in the Southern part of Vietnam. * He was supported by the United States primarily because of his anti-communist stance, despite his government's significant flaws. * His administration was characterized by corruption. * His brother served as the head of the secret police, which was used to maintain control. * President Eisenhower utilized the slogan "Sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem," acknowledging his poor leadership but prioritizing containment of communism.
The U.S. Dilemma * The United States was forced to choose between supporting Ho Chi Minh (a popular World War II hero who was communist) or Ngo Dinh Diem (a corrupt, anti-communist leader with a secret police). * Despite Ho Chi Minh and Eisenhower both being World War II heroes who fought against Japan, the U.S. policy of containment prevented any support for a communist leader.
The Division of Vietnam and the Canceled Election of 1956
Geographic Division * The country was divided at the 17th Parallel. * The North was under the sphere of influence of Ho Chi Minh and was communist. * The South was under Ngo Dinh Diem and was anti-communist.
The Geneva Accords * These were peace talks held in Switzerland. * The accords called for a national election to be held in to unify the country under a single leader.
Cancellation of the Election * Intelligence from the CIA and the Eisenhower administration indicated that approximately of the population would likely vote for Ho Chi Minh. * Viewing this as a failure of the containment policy, the United States supported the cancellation of the elections. * The cancellation prevented the spread of communism but also subverted the democratic process and the principle of "consent of the governed."
Religious Persecution and Resistance in South Vietnam
Religious Conflict * Ngo Dinh Diem was a Catholic leader in a country where the majority of the population was Buddhist. * Diem engaged in systematic persecution of those who did not share his Christian faith. * Buddhists were the primary targets; Buddhist monks were persecuted, and Buddhist churches (temples) were attacked. * The speaker draws a historical parallel between this treatment and the persecution of Jewish people and their synagogues during World War II.
Self-Immolation as Protest * Definition: Self-immolation is a graphic and tragic form of protest where an individual sets themselves on fire in a public space to draw attention to injustice. * It is compared to a hunger strike as a form of sacrifice for the betterment of others, though it is significantly more shocking. * The Act: A Buddhist monk would travel to a high-traffic urban area, such as a public road intersection, sit down, pour gasoline over themselves, and light themselves on fire. * This non-violent yet extreme act was intended to capture the attention of the international community and human rights activists regarding the plight of South Vietnamese Buddhists.
U.S. Escalation under the Kennedy Administration
Military Advisors * In , President John F. Kennedy increased the U.S. presence by sending military advisors to Vietnam. * Technical Distinction: These were officially labeled as "military advisors" and not "combat troops," though their presence significantly increased regional tensions. * The mission was to support South Vietnam and prevent the spread of communism without officially entering a state of war.
Political Instability * Kennedy recognized that while Diem was an anti-communist ally, he was a "terrible" leader whose actions were destabilizing the region. * When an assassination plot against Diem was revealed, the CIA and the Kennedy administration did nothing to intervene or stop it.
The Assassinations of 1963 and Territorial Instability
Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem * Diem was murdered in a coup, which led to further destabilization in South Vietnam. * The leaders who replaced him were often worse and equally corrupt.
Assassination of John F. Kennedy * Kennedy was assassinated only days after the death of Ngo Dinh Diem in . * At the time of his death, Kennedy was reportedly weighing the option of recalling the military advisors, as he felt the conflict was not essential to the existence of the United States. * Because of his death, the troops were not recalled, and the situation continued to escalate.
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the Escalation to Combat
Geography of the Gulf of Tonkin * Located in the northern part of Vietnam near the border with China. * Vietnam is described as being shaped like Florida—long with an extensive coastline.
The Naval Encounter * The U.S. Navy sent ships, including a destroyer called the USS Maddox, to patrol northern waters off the coast of Vietnam. * Tensions were high as the ships moved between international waters and North Vietnamese territorial waters. * North Vietnam launched a torpedo at the USS Maddox; the torpedo missed, and the U.S. sunk the attacking boat. The U.S. ship was unharmed.
The Second Incident and the Lie * A second torpedo attack was reported. * The Reality: The second torpedo attack never happened; it was a fabrication. * President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) knew the second attack was a lie but used it as a justification to escalate the conflict.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution * This resolution was the closest the United States came to a formal declaration of war. * It authorized the transition from sending "military advisors" to sending actual "combat troops." * "Grandma's Nightshirt": LBJ described the resolution using this metaphor. Initially, people thought he meant it "covered everything" (provided broad authority). Later, it was understood that it was a "cover-up" for the lies surrounding the incident.
The Pentagon Papers and the Development of the Credibility Gap
Daniel Ellsberg * An employee of the Rand Corporation who was performing work at the Pentagon (the U.S. military headquarters outside Washington D.C.). * In the s, Ellsberg discovered top-secret documents that detailed a long-term pattern of deception by the U.S. government regarding Vietnam. * The documents showed that multiple administrations—both Democratic and Republican—from the s, s, and s had lied to the public.
Leaking the Papers * Ellsberg had his five children help him make copies of the top-secret documents on a Saturday. * He provided the documents to The New York Times and The Washington Post.
New York Times v. United States * The Nixon administration attempted to block the publication of the classified documents. * The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the newspapers, stating that it is more dangerous for the government to lie to the American people than it is to release classified information.
The Credibility Gap * Definition: A profound sense of distrust among the American public toward the government. * During World War II, there was a high level of trust in leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). * FDR Context: Although FDR's reputation is stained by the policy of Japanese internment camps, he was perceived as having high integrity, evidenced by the fact that his four sons served in the military during World War II despite being from a millionaire family. * The "decades of lies" regarding Vietnam permanently damaged this trust, creating a gap that persists in modern politics, where citizens remain uncertain if their leaders (regardless of party) are telling the truth.