Good Morning Vietnam!

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Good Morning Vietnam!

• Ch 30 notes

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Pre-US Military Involvement

• French fight for Indochina (1945-54)
• Ho Chi Minh
• Vietnamese national trained in China to gain
  independence for Indochina French colony
• Creates Vietminh political party/military
  declares Vietnam free in August 1945
• France sends troops to protect business interests
  (rice, rubber crops)
• US provides 15 million in aid to support fight
  against communist forces

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• Domino Theory
• President Eisenhower warns that if France loses
  Vietnam, other neighbor countries will fall to
  communism
• Dien Bien Phu (May 1954)
• N. Vietnam forces surround destroy 90 of all
  French troops
• France announces withdrawal
• Geneva Accords sign temporarily split Vietnam at
  17th parallel call for national reunification
  elections in 1956

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• US Diplomatic support (1954-63)
• In South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem creates
  pro-western govtbut appears to be well on his
  way to losing in elections
• Eisenhower pledges support to keep Diem govt.
  stable postpones elections
• 1957Vietcong (pro N. Vietnam forces) begin
  attacks

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• Kennedy pledges support to Diem in 1961so not to
  look soft on communism
• Sends 16,000 military advisors to Vietnamnon
  combat troops
• Diem (Catholic) institutes anti-Buddhist policies
  reorganization of village landsvery unpopular
• Leads to Buddhist immolation protests
• Unpopular Diem leads JFK to authorize coup to
  overthrow S. Vietnam govt.
• Diem assassinated 11/1/1963

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US Military Involvement

• Lyndon Johnson increases troops to S. Vietnam to
  stabilize new govt. from communist forces
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Aug. 1964)
• Reaction to the attack of the USS Maddox off
  the coast of Vietnam
• 98-2 vote to give LBJ all powers to send military
  troops
• Feb. 1965Operation Rolling Thunder
• 50,000 troops deployed along w/ sustained bomb
  campaign of N. Vietnam (180,000 by end of year)

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• War Tactics
• N. Vietnam
• Guerrilla warfare
• Using cover of jungle, tunnels, ambushes to
  counteract large firepower of US
• Blended in traditional forces into general
  population

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• US
• War of attrition
• Using body count numbers to evaluate success
• Search Destroy Missions
• Destroying villages in order to root out imbedded
  enemy
• Napalm Agent Orange
• Gas bombs to burn jungle and destroy tunnels
• Hearts Minds Campaign
• Program to win support of Vietnamese people
  through acts of kindness
• Failed miserably due to lack of understanding on
  part of US commanders

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Effects of Agent Orange
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• Troop Morale
• Draftees, lack of progress instability of S.
  Vietnam all led to decline in troop moraleand
  increase in widespread criminal activity (drug
  use, etc.)
• Television War
• Vietnam 1st war televised uncensored
• living room war led to dramatic, violent images
  of war never before seen at homeinfluenced
  popular opinion against the war
• Credibility Gap
• Public grew distrusting of leaders claiming
  victory images showing defeat

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Photos of Vietnam
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Vietnam Protests