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The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War o WHAT: Explain the reasons the U.S. helped the French fight the Vietnamese. o WHAT: Explain the ways the U.S. opposed Communism in Southeast Asia. o WHAT: Explain how the U.S. increased its involvement in Vietnam. o WHY: Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the following: ° The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e. g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting ° The Truman Doctrine ° The Berlin Blockade ° The Korean War ° The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis ° Atomic testing in the American West, the 'mutual assured destruction' doctrine, and disarmament policies ° The Vietnam War ° Latin American policy

The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

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Page 1: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

o WHAT: Explain the reasons the U.S. helped the French fight the Vietnamese.

o WHAT: Explain the ways the U.S. opposed Communism in Southeast Asia.

o WHAT: Explain how the U.S. increased its involvement in Vietnam.

o WHY: Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the following: ° The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e. g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting ° The Truman Doctrine ° The Berlin Blockade ° The Korean War ° The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis ° Atomic testing in the American West, the 'mutual assured destruction' doctrine, and disarmament policies ° The Vietnam War ° Latin American policy

Page 2: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

(2Th 3:14) And if any man obey

not our word by this epistle,

note that man, and have no

company with him, that he may

be ashamed.

Page 3: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Chapter 29: Vietnam War

• America’s involvement in

Vietnam had roots in:

• European colonialism

• Cold War politics

• Vietnamese call for National

Independence.

Page 4: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

A French Colony Since 1800s (Indochina)

o Vietnam

o Cambodia

o Laos

o The French ruled with a iron fist.

Page 5: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Ho Chi Mihn:

• Led a resistance against French

colonial rule in the early Twentieth

Century.

• Ho traveled the world trying to gain

support for Vietnamese

independence.

• He embraced Communism and

accepted Soviet Support.

Page 6: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 7: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The U.S. faced a difficult decision

o France wanted to regain control after the Japanese defeat of WWII.

o The U.S. supported decolonization.

o The U.S. wanted France as an ally to contain the Soviet Union (Cold War)

o Truman believed anticommunist forces in France was more important than Vietnamese independence.

o The French Revolution influenced Communism.

Page 8: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The U.S. faced a difficult decision

• Truman sacrificed his own anticolonial sentiments to ensure an anticommunist Western Europe.

• The U.S. agreed to aid France in its efforts to regain control over Vietnam.

• When China became Communist in 1949, the U.S. contributed $2.6 billion dollars to France’s war efforts.

• Containing Ho Chi Minh’s communist Vietminh became a national priority.

Page 9: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Domino Theory:

• Eisenhower continued U.S. aid to France.

• Eisenhower believed in the domino theory.

• That if Vietnam fell to Communism, its closest neighbors in Asia would follow.

• And end up threatening Australia

• Eisenhower did not give military aid to the French.

• He did not want to give military aid to colonialism.

Page 10: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 11: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Discussion Question:

• President Truman opposed colonialism but decided to support France in Vietnam because he wanted their support in the Cold War. If you were in Truman’s situation, would you sacrifice your personal convictions to get something you wanted?

Page 12: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

France Loses Indo-China

o France lost its eight year struggle

to regain Vietnam (1954).

o When the French garrison fell at

Dien Bien Phu.

Page 13: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Geneva Accords:

• Peace treaty that gave independence to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

• Vietnam was divided at the seventeenth parallel into two countries; North and South Vietnam.

• Ho Chi Minh’s communist forces ruled the North.

• An anticommunist government governed the south and supported by the U.S.

• A Free election to unify Vietnam was planned (1956).

Page 14: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

American Aid to South Vietnam

o The South Vietnamese government was led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

o Diem was a ardent nationalist and anticommunist.

o But was unpopular with the Vietnamese people.

o The U.S. gave Diem economic and military aid.

o U.S. Intelligence predicted that Diem would lose the 1956 elections to Ho Chi Minh.

o The U.S. approved Diem cancelling the elections.

Page 15: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

DEBATE:

• How do you feel that America supported to

stop the elections in Vietnam when it

realized that the Communist would win?

Was it hypocritical?

Page 16: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Communist Opposition Grows: National Liberation Front

• The NLF, a Communist rebel group in the South.

• Formed in 1957 to overthrow South Vietnam and unite Vietnam under Communism.

• NLF guerrilla fighters called Vietcong.

• The Vietcong assassinated government officials and destroyed roads and bridges, and used surprise hit and run tactics (insurgency),

• Thy were supplied by Communist North Vietnam.

Page 17: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Communist Opposition Grows: National Liberation Front

• Diem (Roman Catholic) alienated

the Buddhist majority signing anti-

Buddhist legislation.

• Diem also refused to enact reforms

for the people.

• Diem was highly unpopular in his

own nation.

Page 18: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Kennedy Sends American Troops to Vietnam

o After JFK was elected, he sent special forces military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Army.

o By 1963, more than 15,000 American “advisers” were fighting in Vietnam.

o Diem continued to alienate South Vietnamese citizens.

o Buddhists protested his restrictive policies and some protested by setting themselves on fire.

o On November 1, 1963, Americans worked with anti-Diem generals to remove him from power.

o Diem was later assassinated.

Page 19: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Kennedy Sends American Troops to Vietnam

• Three weeks after Diem’s fall, JFK was assassinated.

• Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new President.

• Johnson thought all Communists were the same not recognizing the subtle differences.

Page 20: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Congress gives Johnson Broad Powers

• On August 2, 1964 an American

destroyer off the Gulf of Tonkin

was allegedly attacked by North

Vietnamese torpedo boats.

• Johnson responded by ordering

an airstrike on North Vietnam.

Page 21: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Congress gives Johnson Broad Powers

• LBJ asked Congress to authorize the use of force to defend American troops.

• Congress overwhelmingly supported Johnson’s request.

• The resolution authorized the President tremendous war powers.

• It allowed him to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam.

• Fight a war against North Vietnam without ever going back to Congress to ask for a declaration of war.

Page 22: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 23: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War: American Involvement Grows:

o WHAT: Explain the factors that caused President Johnson to increase troops in Vietnam.

o WHAT: Assess the nature of the war in Vietnam and the strategies and challenges of both sides.

o WHAT: Evaluate the effects of low morale on American troops and on the home front.

o WHY: Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the following: ° The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e. g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting ° The Truman Doctrine ° The Berlin Blockade ° The Korean War ° The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis ° Atomic testing in the American West, the 'mutual assured destruction' doctrine, and disarmament policies ° The Vietnam War ° Latin American policy

Page 24: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Mat_12:25 And Jesus knew

their thoughts, and said unto

them, Every kingdom divided

against itself is brought to

desolation; and every city or

house divided against itself

shall not stand:

Page 25: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 26: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Escalation: o In February 1965, Johnson

dramatically altered the U.S. role in

the Vietnam War.

o The Vietcong attacked and killed

American troops at Pleiku.

Page 27: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER

o LBJ ordered the start of “Operation

Rolling Thunder.”

o In response to the American troops

killed in the Pleiku attack

o It was a sustained bombing campaign

of North Vietnam.

o LBJ hoped that the intensive bombing

would stop North Vietnam from

supporting the Vietcong.

o And force them to a peace treaty.

Page 28: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

AMERICANIZATION:

o An increased military presence in Vietnam to do more of the fighting to win the war.

o American ground troops did most of the fighting.

o The South Vietnamese Army took a secondary role.

o This strategy was developed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and General William Westmoreland, the American commander in South Vietnam.

o Who advised LBJ on this plan.

Page 29: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 30: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Escalation:

• Operation Rolling Thunder increased American troops in Vietnam.

• It “Americanized” the war effort.

• Beginning in March 1965 American airstrikes bombed North Vietnam.

• And Vietcong strongholds in South Vietnam.

• American pilots dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on enemy positions (1965-1973)

• (Three times more than dropped by all sides in WWII).

Page 31: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Escalation:

o American pilots also dropped Napalm

(jelled gasoline) that burned down

large acreage of jungles in Vietnam.

o Agent Orange was sprayed to kill the

heavy jungle vegetation and to

destroy the Communist food supply.

o With more airstrikes, more American

troops were sent.

Page 32: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

War Tactics:

o American soldiers generally fought lightly armed Vietcong guerrillas.

o In small engagements and not in large battles.

o The Vietcong dug tunnels to hide from American bombing raids.

o Set booby traps to injure and cripple American troops.

Page 33: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 34: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

War Tactics:

o Ho Chi Minh’s military doctrine hinged on fighting only when victory was assured.

o Which meant never fighting in the opponent’s terms.

o The strategy was to wear out the American troops.

o The leaders of North Vietnam and the Vietcong remained convinced that if they could avoid losing the war.

o The Americans would eventually leave.

Page 35: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 36: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Costly and Frustrated: More American Casualties

o By the end of 1965, there were

184,300 U.S. Troops in Vietnam.

o 636 American soldiers had died in

the war.

o Three years later, there were more

than half a million U.S. troops.

o 30,000 American troops killed.

Page 37: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Costly and Frustrated

o American forces won the larger battles.

o It could not decisively win the war

o The war became a stalemate.

o The U.S. wanted to establish a stable South Vietnamese government.

o Win the hearts and minds of their citizens.

o The South Vietnamese government was corrupt.

o The Americans were not popular outside the cities.

Page 38: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 39: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Costly and Frustrated

• The war did not emphasize

gaining territory.

• The U.S. and its allies did not

invade North Vietnam.

• Or attempt to destroy the

communist regime.

Page 40: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Costly and Frustrated

• Like the Korean War, the U.S. did not want to trigger the Chinese and Soviets to enter the conflict.

• U.S. forces supported the survival and development of South Vietnam.

• South Vietnam was besieged by the Vietcong and their North Vietnamese allies.

• U.S. troops could never fully tell who were their friends from their enemies.

Page 41: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Dangers of a New Battlefield

o U.S. forces had to fight indecisive battles in Jungles and rice paddies.

o Vietcong would sneak under the foliage.

o Much of the fighting took place at night where the Vietcong did hit and run attacks.

o This reduced the effectiveness of American planes, artillery, and troop tactics.

o The Vietcong knew the land which gave them the advantage.

Page 42: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 43: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

ACTIVITY

Compare the tactics of the American

colonists during the American

Revolution and the Vietcong. Do you

think there were similarities?

Page 44: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Dangers of a New Battlefield

• More than 55,000 U.S.

servicemen gave their

lives in the war.

• Some 10,000 American

women served in the war

as nurses.

Page 45: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Morale Declines:

• As the war lengthened, many Americans began to question the war.

• By the end of 1965, most U.S. troops in Vietnam were drafted.

• American troops began to feel that they were dying to defend a nation whose people were unwilling to defend themselves.

• Some felt indifference and hostility from the people of South Vietnam.

Page 46: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War: Turning Point:

o WHAT: Explain the Tet Offensive and the American reaction to it.

o WHAT: Summarize the factors that led to the outcome of the 1968 presidential election because of Vietnam.

o WHAT: Explain the events that led to the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War and how it impacted American society.

o WHY: Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the following: ° The era of McCarthyism, instances of domestic Communism (e. g., Alger Hiss) and blacklisting ° The Truman Doctrine ° The Berlin Blockade ° The Korean War ° The Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis ° Atomic testing in the American West, the 'mutual assured destruction' doctrine, and disarmament policies ° The Vietnam War ° Latin American policy

Page 47: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Psa_120:7 I am for peace: but

when I speak, they are for war.

Page 48: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

General Westmoreland’s Assessment:

• Claimed that the Vietcong were

declining in strength.

• Could no longer mount a major

offensive.

• However, the North Vietnamese

and Vietcong were planning a

major attack.

Page 49: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Tet Offensive: January 30, 1968

o Named after the Vietnamese lunar new year.

o Where the Vietcong launched a coordinated attack on 36 provincial capitals and 5 major cities including Saigon.

o The U.S. Embassy was attacked.

o The plan was to take and hold the cities and win the support of the people in the cities to fight.

o The Communists thought that the offensive would end the war.

Page 50: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Tet Offensive Is The Turning Point

• The U.S. and South

Vietnamese forces defeated

the Vietcong forces.

• The U.S. forces won a

tactical victory.

• However, it was a strategic

blow to the Americans.

Page 51: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Tet Offensive Is The Turning Point

• It demonstrated that the

Communists had not lost the

will or the ability to fight on.

• Brutal fighting broadcasted in

network television horrified

the American public.

Page 52: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 53: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Tet Offensive Is The Turning Point

o LBJ asked his new secretary of defense (Clark Gifford) his assessment of the war.

o Gifford advised Johnson that the U.S. may not win the war.

o And that it should pursue a peace settlement.

o LBJ announced that America would limit bombing of North Vietnam (two months after Tet).

o And seek an negotiated settlement to the war.

Page 54: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Discussion Question:

• Why do you think that Tet appeared to be

a defeat when in reality the U.S. and

South Vietnamese won a military victory?

What made the American public think it

was a defeat?

Page 55: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Johnson Steps Down

• LBJ was also challenged within his own

party for the presidency.

• Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy

challenged Johnson’s own party

nomination.

• LBJ shocked the nation announcing he

will not run for another term for

president.

Page 56: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Antiwar Protests Gain Intensity:

• With increasing American casualties, there was distrust of the Johnson Administrations assessment that the war was being won.

• A Protest movement began to form in college campuses throughout the nation.

• Young adults from the Baby-boomer generation led anti-war protests.

• The antiwar movement gained support of prominent individuals and celebrities.

Page 57: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Assassinations:

o On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee.

o Before his death, King voiced his opposition to the Vietnam War outlining his social and moral reasons for peace.

o Two months later Robert Kennedy was also assassinated.

o He was the frontrunner for the Democratic Party during the presidential election.

Page 58: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 59: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Richard Nixon becomes the President of the United States:

• Richard Nixon wins the 1968 Presidential election.

• Nixon promised to deliver an end of the Vietnam war with “peace with honor.”

• Nixon wanted the U.S. out of Vietnam, but also demanded honorable peace terms.

• Promised to listen to the great quiet forgotten majority, the non-shouters and non-demonstrators.

Page 60: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Peace Talks (1968)

• Peace talks began in May 1968.

• They were slow from the outset

because of disagreements and a

lack of compromise.

• When Nixon took office in January

1969, his peace delegation

believed they could break the

impasse.

• Move the peace process forward.

Page 61: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Peace Talks (1968):

• The Americans and South Vietnamese wanted all Communists troops out of South Vietnam.

• They also wanted prisoners of war (POWs) returned.

• North Vietnam demanded a withdrawal of all American troops from Vietnam.

• Formation of a coalition government in South Vietnam with Vietcong representation.

Page 62: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

VIETNAMIZATION:

• Nixon’s plan would have U.S. forces would withdraw gradually.

• South Vietnamese (ARVN) troops assumed more combat duties.

• The hope was that American aid and the ARVN fighting would secure South Vietnam.

• This was also described as peace with honor.

Page 63: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Nixon Attacks Cambodia:

• To reduce the flow of communist supplies to the Vietcong.

• Nixon ordered the secret bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia.

• This was a controversial move because it widened the war.

• It help to undermine the neutral government in Cambodia.

• The result was no improvement.

Page 64: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Nixon attacks Cambodia:

• The peace negotiations were

slow.

• Nixon grew impatient and

attempted to break the Stalemate.

• In 1970, Nixon ordered ground

attacks on North Vietnamese

Army and Vietcong bases in

Cambodia.

Page 65: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Nixon attacks Cambodia:

• Nixon hoped to aid the pro-American Cambodian government’s fight against the Khmer Rouge.

• The Khmer Rouge was a Communist movement supported by North Vietnam.

• North Vietnam remained determined to keep their terms.

• Antiwar protests became more intense in the U.S.

Page 66: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 67: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Violence on College Campuses

o Four Students were killed at Kent State University in Ohio by National Guardsmen.

o The National Guard fired on protestors believing they were being shot at.

o At Jackson State University an African American university, two students were killed by police in an confrontation.

Page 68: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Violence on College Campuses

• There were also counter

protests supporting Nixon’s

policies.

• In New York there were clashes

between pro-war protestors and

anti-war protestors.

Page 69: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 70: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

War Atrocities Shock the Nation

• On March 16, 1968, American forces led by Lt. William Calley killed four to five hundred villagers in My Lai.

• The U.S. troops were searching for enemy troops in an area with a strong Vietcong presence.

• Some brave American troops sought to prevent the massacre .

• The American public was horrified.

• Calley was convicted of war crimes.

Page 71: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 72: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

The Pentagon Papers:

• Was published by The New York Times (1971).

• A classified document on American involvement in Vietnam.

• The document revealed American leaders were not honest to the American people and Congress about Vietnam.

• Nixon tried to block the full publication in New York Times v. United States.

• But the Supreme Court stated that the article could be published.

• My Lai and the Pentagon Papers caused the public to bring pressure to Nixon to end the war.

Page 73: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Paris Peace Accords (1973)

• Signed by The United States,

South Vietnam, and North

Vietnam, and the Vietcong.

• A cease fire was agreed upon

and U.S. troops would leave

South Vietnam.

• POW’s would be exchanged.

Page 74: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Paris Peace Accords (1973)

• North Vietnamese troops will

remain in South Vietnam.

• The National Liberation Front

would be a legitimate political

party in South Vietnam.

• The South Vietnamese

government would remain in

power pending a settlement.

Page 75: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Saigon Falls

• The war in Vietnam was over for the U.S.

• For the Vietnamese, it continued.

• The cease fire was not honored.

• North Vietnamese forces defeated the South and took Saigon.

• Vietnam was unified as a Communist nation.

Page 76: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 77: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War

• More than 58,000

American soldiers died.

• 300,000 wounded.

• Estimated 2 million

Vietnamese were killed.

• Southeast Asia Suffers

Further Turmoil

Page 78: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War

• Communist regimes also took

Laos and Cambodia.

• In Cambodia, the ruling Khmer

Rouge committed genocide.

• Killing everyone who had ties to

the west or previous Cambodian

governments (2 Million

executed).

Page 79: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War

• American troops who returned were treated with indifference.

• Some Veterans suffered physical and psychological troubles.

• Finally by 1982, Americans began to honor these veterans with the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.

Page 80: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Vietnam Changes American Policies:

o The War was a great cost financially

o A great human cost of many young soldiers killed, wounded or suffering from PTSD.

o The war also altered American domestic and foreign policies.

o The Great Society Campaign fell victim because the war was so expensive.

Page 81: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Vietnam Changes American Policies:

o The war undermined America’s trust in their leaders.

o Americans were more suspicious of foreign commitments.

o There was no longer a unified agreement on how to approach the Cold War.

o The United States was less likely to intervene in other countries.

Page 82: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

War Powers Act:

• Passed by Congress that restricted

the President’s war-making powers.

• By requiring him to consult Congress

within 48 hours of committing

American forces to foreign conflict.

Page 83: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 84: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Discussion Question:

• If you were president at that time what

would you do in regards to Vietnam?

Would you send troops or would you not

get involved?

Page 85: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War
Page 86: The Vietnam War: Origins of the Vietnam War

Discussion Question:

• Do you think the United States abandoned

South Vietnam?