The Vietnam War

Roots of the War• Pre-WWII Vietnam

– Indo-China = Colonial Possession of France• Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam

• WWII Vietnam– Controlled by Japan

• Viet Minh – League for the Independence of Vietnam– Ho Chi Minh = lead Viet Minh/resistance against Japan

» Aided by France and USA in resistance to Japan » A Communist – Supported nationalization of resources and industry» A Nationalist – wanted a free and independent Vietnam

• Post-WWII Vietnam – Nationalism Swept though country

• Bandung Conference in Indonesia– 29 Independent countries in Asia and Africa denounced colonization and sparked

the rise of “third world” Nationalism– France wanted to reclaim as a colonial possession

• September 2, 1945 – Democratic Republic of Vietnam Declared – Consisted of Northern Part of Country – Lead by Ho Chi Min

» Resisted Frances Colonial Claim

The Indochina War • France Vietnam v. Republic of Vietnam

– France Controlled Southern Vietnam• Capital = Saigon• Bao Dia = Head of State and under French control

– Supported by France, USA and Britain» By 1953 US paying for 2/3 of Cost of War

• Republic of Vietnam – Vietnam Nationals Controlled Northern Vietnam

• Capital = Hanoi • Ho Chi Minh = Head of State

– Supported by Communist China and Russia» Received weapons, money and training

• Cold War Influence – Containment = US wanted to prevent communism from

spreading to Vietnam– Domino Effect = if one country fell to communism then all the

countries around it would also fall– Truman Doctrine = Support those who fight communism – Battle Ground of Cold War

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Ngo Dinh Diem • President Eisenhower – Fearful communist would take all of Vietnam if

general election took place• Announced US was not bound by Geneva Accords

– Aided Vietnamese, mostly Catholics, who wanted to escape North

– Ngo Dinh Diem = placed in authority position by urging of US/Eisenhower• An anti-French and anti-Viet Minh

– Supported US controlled Vietnam » CIA supported/trained Diem’s police force

• Undemocratic and Authoritarian – Ousted Boa Dai and declared himself president

» Oppressed Buddhist – major religion in Vietnam » Engaged in political and economic corruption » Refused to join 1956 reunification elections

Viet Cong • Viet Cong – Southern Vietnamese resistance fighters who

opposed US and US supported governments • Followed Ho Chi Minh and Viet Minh and supported

independent Vietnam• Diem’s government policies bred opposition from

Vietnamese and helped with Viet Cong with recruiting – Used Guerrilla Warfare tactics

• Elaborate Tunnel System • Hit and Run fighting style • Experts in booby traps • Often peasants, women, children, farmers, etc…

– Main Opposition to US forces during the Vietnam War • Majority of Fighting in the South against Viet Cong• Very little fighting took place in the

Kennedy and Vietnam

Continue • Kennedy and Diem– Diem extremely unpopular with Vietnamese

• Corruption and oppression difficult for US to control– Troop build up of “Advisors” to help secure Diem Government

• Major protest against Diem became common – Buddhist Monks set themselves on fire in protest

» Images shock the world and brought international attention to Diem’s corruption

• By 1963 Kennedy decided Diem was a lost cause – November 1st 1963 – a military coup took place

• US assured Generals America would stand aside if coup took place– Diem was killed by his own military

» New government just as unstable and corrupt

Johnson and Vietnam • Johnson Administration – 16,000 troops “advisors” in Vietnam when took office in

November 1963• Continued Eisenhower and Kennedy policy of Containment in

Vietnam – American Presidents fearful of “losing” Vietnam to Communism

» Reluctant to fully commit American troops to combat

– Fearful that lose in Vietnam would compromise his presidency and Great Society Program • 1965 – 184,000 troops in Vietnam • 1966 – 385,000• 1969 – 542, 000, height of US involvement• By March 1973 Vietnam caused

– 58,000 Americans deaths– 300,000 Americans Injuries – Cost $150 Billion Dollars– Produced 570,000 Draft Offenders – Produced 563,000 Less-Then-Honorable Discharges – Divided the Country

Escalation • Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• Voted by Congress on August 7th, 1964• Provided Johnson the ability to declare war in Vietnam

– Gulf of Tonkin Incident• Official Story

– USS Maddox and C. Turner Joy attack by North Vietnamese Navy on August 2nd and 4th

– Attack was unprovoked

– Actual Event • Ships monitoring South Vietnam attacks on North • No evidence to support the attack• Robert McNamara, Sec. of Defense

– Admitted event never took place and was made up to influence congress to declare war

Continue • Operation Rolling Thunder – Intense bombing campaign of the North

• Sparked by Viet Cong attacks on US Troops– North was supplying Viet Cong via HCM Trail– Bombing designed to stop supplies – didn’t work

• General William C. Westmoreland– US Commander in Vietnam

• Sponsored “Search and Destroy” missions– Difficult to determine who was Viet Cong– Increased aggression against Viet Cong villages and regions

• Supported the use of – Agent Orange – Defoliant and cause of cancer and birth defects

today – Napalm – liquid fire

» Both designed to eliminate canopy cover used by VC

Television and War • Living Room War – Vietnam War was the First Television War• American’s could watch the war unfold

– Nightly News showed daily video of the conflict– The body count was given daily – Often the images were unpleasant and disturbing

• US Strategy was played out– War of Attrition • Continue the war until the north gets tired of fighting

– US citizens became tired of seeing the war on TV before Vietnamese became tired of fighting» Anti-War movement developed from watching the war» Vietnamese had more political will to fight then the

average American

Tet Offensive

Nixon and Vietnam• Richard Nixon Elected in 1968– Reflected “Silent Majority”• Conservative White middle class Americans who were

concerned with the radical behavior of the 60’s– Inherited a difficult “nightmare” position in

Vietnam • 530,000 troops in Vietnam• Large and active anti-war movement • Campaigned on a “secret plan” to secure the Conflict

– Pulling out of Vietnam difficult» Wanted “peace with honor”

• Could not abandon 17 million loyal south Vietnamese• Millions of Vietnamese have been killed, eroded US and

international support for war

Continue • Nixon’s three approaches to Vietnam– Henry Kissinger, Sec. of State and National

Security adviser, outlined Nixon’s Foreign Policy • Negotiations in Paris for the withdrawal of Communist

forces from the south – Preserve US-backed regime of President Nguyen Van Thieu– Communist wanted to unite Vietnam under their control

• Quell domestic unrest about the war– Vietnamization – equipping and training of south Vietnamese

so they can replace US soldiers, and reduce US troops numbers

– 1973 – eliminated the draft, only 50,000 troops in Vietnam• Expanded bombing campaign of the North

– Designed to bomb the north into submission– 14 mount secret/illegal bombing of Cambodia

Divisions at Home• How and why did the Anti-War movement start? – Low Military Moral

• “No own wants to be the last grunt to die in this lousy war”– Drug abuse was rampant – 4X troops hospitalized for drug abuse then combat wounds– Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome was common – Demoralization of the troops cause resentment towards the war

– My Lai Massacre• Lieutenant William Calley ordered the murder of 347

unarmed civilians in the village of My Lai– Story broke in 1969 – shocked the nation– Demonstrated traumatic events placed upon the people of

Vietnam and US soldiers – First of several similar stories to become public

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War Without End • Shift in Paris negations took place in 1972– Public resentment for war was very strong

• Presidential elections were approaching– Supporting war was political liability

– Henery Kissinger (US) and Le Duc Tho (North Vietnam) entered discussion• US dropped its insistence that all North Vietnamese troops

must be withdrawn before US withdraws from Vietnam– Radical Shift in US policy – South Rejected US Approach – fearful communist would easily

take over

– Christmas Bombings• Took place after Re-Election of Nixon

– Massive Bombing North– Generated World Wide Protest and US Protest– Pushed Nixon to seek peace

Continue • January 27, 1973– Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring

Peace in Vietnam• Nixon/Kissinger claimed bombing force North to seek

peace– Kissinger doubted south could defeat the north

• In reality the north never changed their position– Kept 150,000 troops is south – Committed to reunification of Vietnam

• March 29, 1973– Last American Troops left Vietnam– Cease fire soon ended and Vietnamese Civil War

broke out

Continue • 1975 communist north launched a massive

invasion of south – Congress refused to grant assistance to south• We promised South assistance if invaded

• April 30, 1975– US Televisions showed helicopters lift US embassy

officials to ships of the coast as north tanks rolled into Saigon

– Longest war in US history finally over – Vietnam would be closed to US citizens for many

years

Bitter Legacy • 2 Million Plus Deaths on both sides – North Vietnamese

• 600,000 Soldiers Died • Count Civilian Loses

– US• 58,000 Soldiers Died• 300,000 Wounded• 150,000 suffered emotional or drug disorders

• Eroded confidence and respect in the military – Revelations of American atrocities disrupted view as peace

keeper – People at home became discontent with military

establishment – Vietnamese Syndrome – US reluctant to place troops in

combat zone because fear of causing another Vietnam