The Vietnam War Years

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The Vietnam War Years

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The Roots of American Involvement

• American Involvement in Vietnam began with U.S.
  support of France after WWII.
• The French rule in Indochina dated back to the
  late 1800s.
• Ho Chi Minh was a leader of Vietnamese resistance
  fighters.

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The Roots of American Involvement

• Unrest in 1930s, forced Ho Chi Minh to flee from
  French authorities.
• During WWII Japan occupied Indochina.
• The Vietminh was formed to free Vietnam from
  foreign rule.

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The Roots of American Involvement

• Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in order to fight
  the Japanese.
• He would lead the Vietminh in joining other
  groups to liberate Vietnam.

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The Roots of American Involvement

• At the end of WWII the French tried to regain
  their former colonies.
• The U.S. supported the French efforts in
  regaining their former colonies.
• Cold War fever is one of the main reasons for the
  U.S. decision to support the French.

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The Roots of American Involvement

• In 1954 President Eisenhower announced his domino
  theory.
• The battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the end of
  French attempts to hold on to its colonies.
• The Geneva Accords split Vietnam at the 17th
  parallel and mandated elections be held.

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The United States Steps In

• The United States sent advisors to Vietnam after
  French forces withdrew.
• Ngo Dinh Diem is eventually made president in the
  South.
• The 1956 elections are cancelled by Diem in the
  fear of a communist victory.

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The United States Steps In

• In 1957 an insurrection began in the south.
• Viet-cong were South Vietnamese rebels - later it
  would be called the NLF (National Liberation
  Front).
• The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a network of trails and
  paths that supplied the VC in the south.
• Kennedy is elected President in 1960.

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The United States Steps In

• Diems popularity continued to sink as corruption
  and a lack of land reforms continued.
• Buddhists begin to protest against Diems
  government.

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The United States Steps In

• U.S. Backed a military coup.
• November 1, 1963 Diem is toppled from power and
  killed.
• November 22, 1963 President Kennedy is
  assassinated.

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President Johnson Expands the Conflict

• Johnson becomes president after Kennedys death.
• Johnson escalates U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
• August 2, 1964, Gulf of Tonkin incident.

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President Johnson Expands the Conflict

• The Gulf of Tonkin incident happened when North
  Vietnamese patrol boats attacked a U.S. destroyer
  in what the U.S. claims was international waters.
• Two days later there was another reported
  incident involving two U.S. destroyers.

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President Johnson Expands the Conflict

• The Tonkin Gulf Resolution, gave the President
  authority to take military action.
• Operation Rolling Thunder, the first in a series
  of sustained bombing missions.
• In June of 1965 U.S. combat troops arrived and
  began battling the Vietcong.