THE VIETNAM WAR THE VIETNAM WAR CONTINUEDCONTINUED

THE U.S. AT HOME AND THE U.S. AT HOME AND ABROADABROAD

PROBLEMS IN VIETNAMPROBLEMS IN VIETNAM

• War of AttritionWar of Attrition

• No battlefieldsNo battlefields

• Little infrastructure to destroyLittle infrastructure to destroy

• Monsoon season causes problemsMonsoon season causes problems

• Pesticides used to destroy the jungle Pesticides used to destroy the jungle injured our S. Vietnamese alliesinjured our S. Vietnamese allies

• World opinion against usWorld opinion against us

• China and USSR aid N. VietnamChina and USSR aid N. Vietnam

19681968

• 1968 was a bad year for 1968 was a bad year for the U.S.the U.S.

• Tet offensive occurs, Tet offensive occurs, things were suppose to things were suppose to be going wellbe going well

• Tet Vietnamese New Tet Vietnamese New YearYear

• Two pronged attackTwo pronged attack• N. Vietnamese engage N. Vietnamese engage

U.S. at the borderU.S. at the border• Vietcong attack U.S. Vietcong attack U.S.

EmbassyEmbassy• Military win, public Military win, public

opinion lossopinion loss

1968 cont.1968 cont.

• Mounting Death TollMounting Death Toll

• Anti-war protestsAnti-war protests

• LBJ up for re-electionLBJ up for re-election

• 1968 Democratic Convention protests1968 Democratic Convention protests

• Nixon wins for RepublicansNixon wins for Republicans

• Does not want to be the first Does not want to be the first president to lose a warpresident to lose a war

End of the WarEnd of the War

• VietnamizationVietnamization

• Nixon Doctrine-No Nixon Doctrine-No more military help more military help for Southeast Asiafor Southeast Asia

• Paris peace talks Paris peace talks failfail

• We are stuck in We are stuck in war we don’t want war we don’t want to be into be in

STUCK IN VIETNAMSTUCK IN VIETNAM

• Nixon secretly expands the war into Nixon secretly expands the war into Laos and CambodiaLaos and Cambodia

• The press gets hold of the Pentagon The press gets hold of the Pentagon PapersPapers

• Nixon is forced into resignationNixon is forced into resignation

• Saigon falls to the VietcongSaigon falls to the Vietcong

LOSSESLOSSES

• 58,000 men dead58,000 men dead• 300,000 men wounded300,000 men wounded• $150 billion spent$150 billion spent• Lost yet another territory in Lost yet another territory in

Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia• Maybe the biggest loss is faith in the Maybe the biggest loss is faith in the

government and the division government and the division between the old and youngbetween the old and young