The United States andthe War in Vietnam

1945-1975

Costs of the War

• More than 58,000 Americans killed

• 1.5 to 2 Million Vietnamese killed

• Cost to the US more than $ 100 billion

• Cost to Vietnam in destruction, disruption, dislocation, disease, and more

• 18 million gallons of toxic defoliants

Main Question

Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?

Outline

I. My AnswerII. My Evidence

i. Trumanii. Eisenhoweriii. Kennedyiv. Johnsonv. Nixon

III. Lessons worth Learning

Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?

Publicly Stated Reasons

1) “To help South Vietnam”

2) “To contain Communism”

3) “To preserve American credibility”

Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?

“Real” Reasons

1) To contain Communism

2) To preserve American credibility

3) Domestic Politics

4) Hubris

Truman: 1945-1952 From Colonialism to the Cold War

• Viet Minh fight against Japan during WWII• Ho Chi Minh reaches out to the US• 1946 war between France and Viet Minh• 1950 US begins direct support of France

– Recognizes French Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam as “free states” in Feb. 1950

– Economic and military aid– American military and intelligence “advisors”

Truman: 1945-1952 From Colonialism to the Cold War

Why?

• US need for French support in Europe

• People’s Republic of China, Oct. 1949

• PRC and the Soviet Union recognize the “Democratic Republic of Vietnam” Jan. 1950

• The Korean War, begins June, 1950

Eisenhower: 1953-1960 From the French to Diem

• From 1950-54, US pays for 80% of the war• Dien Bien Phu, March-May 1954• 1954 Geneva Convention, April-July, 1954

– Divides Vietnam– Rise of Ngo Dinh Diem with US support– 1956 elections to unify Vietnam

• Resistance to Diem grows steadily• 1960 National Liberation Front formed

Eisenhower: 1953-1960 From the French to Diem

Why?

• “The possible consequences of the loss are just incalculable to the Free World.”

• “This war in Indochina would absorb our troops by divisions.”

• Eisenhower a cautious former General

Kennedy: 1961-63 From 1000 to 16000 “Advisors”

• Battle of Ap Bac, Jan. 1963• Buddhist protests in South Vietnam, May-

June 1963• Diem killed in Coup, Nov. 1, 1963• North Vietnamese soldiers enter South in

large numbers (10,000 NVA with 170,000 VC)

Kennedy: 1961-63 From 1000 to 16000 “Advisors”

Why?

• To contain Communism

• Domestic political pressure

• Belief in American power

Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 586,000 troops

• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Aug. 1964

• Air strikes against North Vietnam

• March 1965 first American combat units arrive in South Vietnam

• By 1966, 180,000 American troops in SV

• By 1968, 586,000

Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 550,000 troops

Why?

• Surrounded by JFK’s advisors

• Deaths of Americans in Vietnam

• Communist containment

• Domestic Political Pressure

Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 586,000 troops

• Tet Offensive in Jan, 1968– Coordinated attack throughout South Vietnam– 84,000 PLAF soldiers involved– Heavy losses for PLAF, but psychological

victory

• Johnson drops out of Presidential race in March, 1968

Nixon: 1969-1975 the long road to “peace with honor”

• “Vietnamization”

• 1970 South Vietnamese forces with US support invade Cambodia

• 1971 similar invasion of Laos

• 1972 US Air Force heaviest bombing of NV

Nixon: 1969-1975 the long road to “peace with honor”

• Nixon visits China, Feb. 1972• Nixon visits Soviet Union, May 72• “Détente” makes cold war concerns less

pressing• 1973 a negotiated cease fire allows US

troops to withdraw• 1974 North Vietnamese troops invade SV• Spring 1975 NV troops capture Saigon

Nixon: 1969-1975 The long road to “peace with honor”

Why?

• Domestic politics

• The Nixon Doctrine

• The Madman Theory

Why did the United States not succeed militarily?

• Should the US have targeted “hearts and minds”?

• Should the US have invaded North Vietnam?

• My conclusion: US did not have the support of most Vietnamese people.

What I Learned

• North Vietnam was an oppressive, undemocratic state.– 2 Million refugees from Vietnam after 1975

What I learned

• Be cautious when planning the lives of others.

• Recognize the opportunity cost of war.

Want to learn more?

“Bibliographic Essay,” in America’s Lost War, by Charles Neu.

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