The Vietnam War Years, 1954-1975

1
The Vietnam War Years, 1954-1975
2
Moving Toward Conflict

• To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia
  (Vietnam), the United States uses its military to
  support South Vietnam

3
French Rule in Vietnam

• Late 1800s- WWII, France rules most of Indochina
• Ho Chi Minh- leader of Vietnamese independence
  movement- helps create Indochinese Communist
  Party
• 1940-Japan takes control of Vietnam
• Vietminh-organization that aims to rid Vietnam
  foreign rule
• September 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam an
  independent nation

4
French Indochina War

• France Battles in the Vietminh
• French troops move into Vietnam, French fight,
  regain cities in the South
• 1950, U.S. begins economic aid to France to stop
  communism

5
The Vietminh Drive Out France

• Domino Theory- countries can fall to communism
  like a row of dominos
• 1954, Vietminh overrun French at Dien Bien Phu
  and France surrenders
• Geneva Accords divide Vietnam at 17th parallel
  CommunistNorth AnticommunistsSouth
• An Election to unify the country was called for
  in 1956

6
War Unfolds in Vietnam North vs South

• Diem (leader of South Vietnam) Cancels elections
  in 1956
• Ho has brutal, repressive regime but is popular
  for land distribution
• South Vietnams anti-Communist president Ngo Dinh
  Diem refuses elections
• U.S. promises military aid for stable, reform
  government in the South
• Diem is corrupt, stifles opposition, restricts
  Buddhism (Buddhist Monks Oppose Diem by setting
  themselves on fire in the streets)
• Vietcong (Communist opposition group in South)
  kills officials
• Ho sends arms to Vietcong along Ho Chi Minh Trail

7
Kennedy and Vietnam

• Like Eisenhower, JFK backs Diem Financially
  sends military advisors
• Diems popularity plummets for corruption, lack
  of land reform
• Diem starts strategic hamlet program to fight
  Vietcong (villagers were being moved from
  ancestral homes
• Diem presses attacks on Buddhism and monks burn
  themselves in protest
• U.S.- supported military coup topples government
  Diem assassinated

8
President Johnson Expands the Conflict

• The South Grows More Unstable
• Succession of military leaders rule South
  Vietnam country unstable
• LBJ thinks U.S. can lose international prestige
  if communists win
• The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• Alleged attack in Gulf of Tonkin LBJ asks for
  power to repel enemy
• 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave LBJ broad
  military powers
• 1965 eight Americans killed, LBJ orders sustained
  bombing of North
• U.S. combat troops sent to South Vietnam to
  battle Vietcong

9
Johnson Americanizes the War

• Johnson drastically increased troops in Vietnam
• 1965- 60,000 troops by April, 120,000 troops by
  July
• 1966- 385,000 troops
• 1967- 500,000 troops
• United States became the main responsibility for
  South Vietnam to resist communism.

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American Troops Face Difficult Conditions

• North Vietnamese Army- knew the land and had
  underground extensive tunnels as their base
  camps. These tunnels were undetectable by the US
  military.
• NVA used guerrilla warfare (surprise attacks)
• Agent Orange- herbicide, named for the color of
  barrels it was stored in was used to kill plants
  and trees and strip the forest of the Vietnam
  jungles. It also contaminated soil, food, and
  exposed civilians and soldiers to the toxins.

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General Westmoreland

• War of Attrition- wear down enemies strengths by
  eliminating troops
• Search and Destroy Strategy- platoons (small
  units of soldiers) would search our insurgents
  and draw them into a fight then call an air
  strike to destroy the enemy.
• Body count became a key tactic
• US soldiers fell victim to land mines (explosive
  devices buried underground)

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War divides South Vietnam

• SOUTH VIETNAMESE
• Some South Vietnamese people joined the Viet Cong
• Some remained neutral
• Some supported the South Vietnam government of
  democracy
• Pacification- policy designed to promote security
  and stability in South Vietnam
• Economic development in rural Vietnam
• ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)- removed
  Viet Cong from villages

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Pacification has problems and Viet Cong remain
popular

• ARVN- lack leadership skills and dedication to
  provide security in the villages. Also lacked
  the desire to fight,
• Search and Destroy missions created more enemies
  than friends (wrecking homes and food supplies of
  villagers)
• Napalm- jellied gasoline dropped from planes
  which burned forests brought the greatest agony
  on the Vietnamese people

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Opposition to the War

• TV and NEWS- bring the war to living rooms (first
  news reports were positive then negative)
• Escalating costs- 30billion and 500,000 soldiers
  (1,200 dying per month)
• Credibility Gap- difference between the reality
  of the war and Johnsons portrayal of it.
• Hawks vs Doves- Public opinion divided.
• Hawks- containment
• Doves- US action immoral and futile

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26th Amendment

• 1971, 26th Amendment was passed lowering the
  voting age from 21 to 18.
• Young men felt if there were able to fight for
  their country they should be able to vote on
  their leaders.
• Tinker v Des Moines- students have the right to
  engage in symbolic speech
• Des Moines, Iowa 3 students aged 13-16 wore black
  armbands to school to protest the war. They were
  suspended and sued the school.

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1968 A Year of Crisis

• Tet Offensive January, 1968 85,000 North Viet
  Cong soldiers attacked cities, villages, military
  bases and air fields in the South including the
  US Embassy. 45,000 Viet Cong died.
• The Tet Offensive shocked Americans, to see the
  enemy inside the walls of the US Embassy on their
  television was a scary sight. Many Americans
  questioned whether the US could hold off the
  Vietnamese.

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1968 A Year of Crisis

• Johnson decided not to run for reelection
• Tet Offensive was a political catastrophe, only
  26 of the public supported him afterwards
• Johnson did reject General Westmorelands idea to
  send 206,000 more troops
• Johnson did say in his final speech he would try
  and deescalate the conflict and then told
  Americans I shall not seek, and I will not
  accept, the nomination of my party for another
  term as your president.

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1968 A Year of Crisis

• ELECTION of 1968
• Johnsons VP Herbert Humphrey ran for the
  Democrats and Richard Nixon for Republicans
• At the DNC (Democratic National Convention) in
  Chicago violence erupted by angry antiwar
  protesters when Humphrey accepted Johnsons
  Vietnam Platform for Vietnam. Chicago police
  clashed with protesters and tear gas and rifle
  butts were used to calm them down.
• The Republican National Convention was a tidy
  affair and this led to Richard Nixons victory as
  our next president.

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Getting out of Vietnam

• Nixon had a Dilemma Achieving Peace with
  Honor
• Vietnamization- South Vietnam will gradually take
  over the war and Nixon will reduce troops in
  Vietnam
• Self-government, Self-development, Self-defense

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Invading Cambodia and Laos

• Although Nixon promised the American people to
  get out of Indochina, he had planned secret
  attacks on the Viet Cong in Cambodia and Laos.
• Many of the Viet Cong received their supplies to
  launch attacks on the South through supply lines
  in Cambodia and Laos. By invading these neutral
  countries, Nixon wanted to show his commitment to
  Vietnam.
• April 1970, Nixon invaded Cambodia and February
  1971, Nixon invaded Laos.
• These invasions were a partial success but his
  process of Vietnamization had failed
• when South Vietnamese
• troops were easily defeated Laos.

22
My Lai Massacre

• In 1968 US soldiers massacred the South Vietnam
  village of My Lai during a search and destroy
  mission. After finding no Viet Cong the soldiers
  rounded up 500 women, children, and men and
  executed them.
• This massacre was covered up by the military for
  a year until journalist Seymore Hersh published
  and article describing the killings.
• Americans were outraged and Nixon ordered to
  speed up the process of withdrawing troops.

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Demonstrations against the WAR

• Moratorium 2 million people gathered to take
  the day off and reflect Vietnam.
• Kent State Shootings After the invasion of
  Cambodia college campuses were outraged and held
  demonstrations across the nation.
• May 4th, 1970 at Kent State University in Ohio,
  students were protesting and had previously
  burned the ROTC building on campus. The National
  Guard was called to stop the protests, after
  students continued to chant and throw rocks the
  national guard fired, killing 4 students and
  wounding 9.
• 10 days later a similar situation occurred at
  Jackson State College in Mississippi that left 2
  dead.
• Our society was divided.

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Pentagon Papers

• 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, former Department of
  Defense official leaked a top-secret study known
  as the Pentagon Papers. This study revealed how
  previous administrations and deceived congress
  and the public about Vietnam.
• Congress stopped the publication of the papers
  but it was brought to trial in New York times Co.
  vs United States, free speech won and the papers
  were published.

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War Powers Resolution

• Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, which
  placed limits on a presidents power to use armed
  forces in hostile situations without
  congressional authorization.
• This took away previously given powers to Johnson
  then Nixon in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

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American Involvement in the War Ends Kind of

• Nixon declares Peace is at Hand in 1972, mainly
  to get reelected.
• South Vietnams President was afraid the US was
  pulling out and demanded many changes at the
  Paris Peace talks, which made them fall through.
• Christmas Bombings Nixon was frustrated with
  the failed talks and wanted to punish North
  Vietnamese Army and bombed them on December 14th,
  1972.
• January 27th 1973 Paris Peace accords signed
  ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam
  with a cease fire and division of Vietnam at the
  17th parallel.

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Veterans return home and POW return home

• Veterans were not welcomed- they suffered from
  and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress disorder
  (PTSD), anxiety, irritability, nightmares, and
  depression.
• POW- Over 760 Americans were taken as Prisoners
  of War and at least 110 died.
• MIA- Over 2,600 Americans were Missing in Action
  and 1,800 are unaccounted for today.

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South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam

• Cease fire did not last long by March 1975 the
  North Vietnamese Army launched a full out
  offensive.
• President Ford refused to send military but sent
  aide to South Vietnam
• April 30th, 1975 South Vietnam surrendered to
  North Vietnam at Saigon and South Vietnam was
  dissolved.
• US had evacuated more than 1000 Americans and
  several thousand South Vietnamese