The Vietnam
War
Background to the War
France controlled “Indochina” since the late 19th century
Japan took control during World War II
France attempted re-colonization in the postwar period
The US was stuck in the middle…
We opposed colonialism.
We did not want to see Vietnam fall to
Background to the War
Fall of China
Korean War
aid the
French for
fear of the
Background to the War
•
The French, however, lost control to Ho Chi
Background to the War
• Geneva Accords
– Vietnam was divided
at 17th parallel
– Ho Chi Minh’s
nationalist
forces controlled the North
– Ngo Dinh Diem, a
French-educated, Roman Catholic
Background to the War
•
A date was set for democratic elections to
reunify Vietnam
•
Diem backed out of the elections, leading to
U.S. Military
Involvement Begins
•
Repressive dictatorial rule by Diem
– Diem’s family holds all power
– Wealth is hoarded by the elite
– Buddhist majority persecuted
– Torture, lack of political freedom prevail
•
The U.S. aided Diem’s government
– Ike sent financial and military aid
U.S. Military
Involvement Begins
• Kennedy elected 1960
• Increases military “advisors” to 15,000
• 1963: JFK supports a Vietnamese military coup
d’etat – Diem and his brother are murdered (Nov. 2)
• Matters get worse as Vietnamese government
grew increasingly weak and unstable
• Kennedy was assassinated just weeks later (Nov.
Johnson Sends Ground Forces
•
Remembers Truman’s “loss”
of China
Domino Theory
revived
I’m not going to be the president who saw
Domino Theory
• Describe it – In your own words, construct a definition of this
theory.
• Compare it – Think of two things in history to which this theory is
similar, and two to which it is different.
• Associate it – What does this theory make you think of? How does
this theory connect to other issues/topics in history?
• Analyze it – How would you break this issue down into smaller
parts? What smaller issues created this theory?
• Apply it – How can this theory be used to help you understand
other issues/topics? How does it relate to today’s society?
• Argue for/Against it – Take a stand. Would you have supported
Domino Theory: Describe it
•
The idea that if one country (Vietnam) fell to
Communism, other countries in the
Domino Theory: Compare it
Similar
• Colonialism – French gain control of several countries in N. Africa (scramble for Africa)
• German’s take over Europe (Poland, France) – Hitler’s campaign in WWII
Different
• Policy of Isolationism – remaining out of foreign affairs
• Recognizing the
Domino Theory: Associate it
•
Truman Doctrine/Monroe Doctrine – the
United States promises to ‘protect’ smaller
countries from the threat of
communism/colonization.
•
The U.S. acts as a ‘fatherly’ figure and
Domino Theory: Analyze it
•
Smaller issues
– American desire to show dominance (superpower)
– Cold War tensions: U.S. does not want the Soviets
to gain control
– Red Scare – fear of communism
– Heightened military confidence from WWII
– Feeling good about ourselves for ‘protecting the
Domino Theory: Apply it
•
United States intervenes in Iraq and
Domino Theory: Argue for/against
For
Opinion
Against
Johnson Sends Ground Forces
•
Tonkin Gulf Incident
1964
(according to Johnson, the attacks were
unprovoked)
•
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
– “The Blank Check”
– Authorized the president to take “all necessary
measures to repeal… and to prevent further attacks…”
– Congress’s war powers are handed to the
The Air War
1965-1968
• 1965: Sustained bombing of North Vietnam
• Operation Rolling Thunder (March 2, 1965)
• 1966-68: Ongoing bombing of Hanoi
nonstop for 3 years! Especially targets the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
U.S. Troops Deployments
in Vietnam
0
100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000
1961 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968
The Ground War
1965-1968
• No territorial goals
• Body counts on TV every night
(first “living room” war)
• Viet Cong supplies moved by way of the Ho Chi Minh
Who Is the Enemy?
•
Vietcong:
– Farmers by day; guerillas at night
– Very patient people willing to accept many
casualties.
– The US grossly underestimated their resolve and
their resourcefulness.
The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the
New Style of Fighting
•
Seek and destroy missions
•
Guerilla warfare
•
Carpet Bombing – napalm
•
Agent Orange – chemical
used to strip vegetation
•
American forces were
fighting a war of attrition
American Morale Begins to Dip
•
Unfair draft system: a disproportionate
number of African Americans were drafted
because they could not afford college
•
Number of Americans killed or wounded
continued to grow
The Ground War
1965-1968
•
General Westmoreland, late 1967:
We can see the
1968 – The times they are
a-changin
TURNING POINT FOR THE UNITED
STATES
The Tet Offensive, January 1968
N. Vietnamese Army + Viet Cong attack South
January 30th, 1968
Militarily
• The Vietcong troops launched
a large-scale, surprise attack on American airbases and cities in South Vietnam.
• HUGE failure – The
American/South Vietnamese troops were able to expel them in less than a month.
• Thousands of Vietcong were
killed during this attack.
Politically/Socially
• This was a huge success for the N.
Vietnamese.
• General Westmoreland &
President Johnson were proud of their victory.
• American people – We thought
you said the enemy was on the ‘brink of defeat’. How were they able to mobilize such a massive attack?
• Skepticism increases – Soon after,
Impact of the
Tet Offensive
•
Domestic U.S. Reaction: Disbelief, Anger,
Distrust of Johnson Administration
•
Planted a seed in the minds of
Americans – Something is
terribly wrong with this war.
– The war has become a stalemate,
or even worse – a defeat.
Johnson’s approval plummets
• Presidential Approval Rating (Feb 1968)
– Overall = 35%
– Support for his handling of the war = 26%
• April 1968 – Martin Luther King is
assassinated by James Earl Ray.
– Riots followed.
• Presidential Race to be held in 1968 –
President Johnson decides not to run again.
– Democrats were looking for someone else
to nominate. Robert Kennedy jumped on the opportunity to run.
– It seemed as though he was going to win,
but he was assassinated on June 5th by an Arab nationalist named Sirhan Sirhan.
• Democratic National Convention – They chose
Presidential Candidates
• After the Democratic Convention, there was a
full-scale riot in the streets of Chicago.
– Violence became associated with the Democratic
party, and this hurt the Democratic nominees in the election.
• Republican Party – Represented structure and
control.
– Candidate – Richard Nixon.
• He promised that he had a plan to end the war, but he did
not explicitly state what the plan entailed.
1968 Presidential Race
Democratic Republican Independent Party
- Robert Kennedy (Assassinated)
- Hubert Humphrey (Vice President)
- Richard Nixon - George Wallace
- Hubert Humphrey was part of the unpopular LBJ
administration – unpopular. - Thousands of protestors gathered to demand the Democratic National
Convention to develop an anti-war stance.
- He promised to restore ‘law and order’ to the United States. (1968 – chaotic/violent year) - He promised to make a
plan to end the war. - Public support was now
primarily Dove.
- Outspoken segregationist from Alabama
- His campaign focused on returning the ‘old order’ - He planned to stop the
Nixon wins the Presidency
• Humphrey – He was hurt,
because he initially supported the war in Vietnam.
– Johnson tried to help him by
announcing that the bombings in N. Vietnam would stop, and they had a plan to develop a
ceasefire.
• It was too late.. The public
associated Humphrey with Johnson.
• Nixon’s promises of an end to the
war helped to win him the vote. Would he carry out on those
promises?
– He won with only 43% of the
A New President
•
He promises to end the war and restore order
at home…
The Vietnam War – At home
Some people believed it was absolutely necessary for the United States to step in and take control in Vietnam. These people
American troops arrive in Vietnam –
‘65
• Spirits are high – The American military had a
great deal of confidence
a. We were successful in World War II b. This is going to be quick and easy!
• Many young men felt proud to be serving their
country and stopping the spread of Communism (Average age of a soldier – 19)
• Americans at home supported the government’s
Credibility Gap
• As the war dragged on, Americans began to
realize that the war had come to a stalemate.
• The government continually told them that the
enemy was on the ‘brink of defeat’. General William Westmoreland reported positive
information from South Korea.
• However, their sons, husbands and brothers were
still fighting and the death toll was still rising.
• People became skeptical – The first “Television
Congress reconsiders
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – Maybe we gave the
President too much power.
– Was this the right decision?
• February 1966 – Senate Foreign Relations
Committee begins holding ‘educational hearings’
– Secretary of State Dean Rusk comes to talk about the
current state of the war in Vietnam.
– George Keenan (American diplomat) argued that
Public Opinion
• The war was becoming
increasing unpopular.
• Senseless fighting and brutality. • The Americans were shocked by
what they saw their soldiers doing in Vietnam. Why are we here?
• “To kill on military orders and be
a criminal, or to refuse to kill and be a criminal is the moral agony of America’s Vietnam
generation.”
• Young Americans had to make a
The Antiwar movement
•
Teach-Ins (March 1965) – University of
Michigan
– Teachers and students ditched their classes and
sat around discussing what was going on in Vietnam.
– May 1965 – National Teach-In with more than
Government Response?
•
President Lyndon Johnson remained fiercely
anti-communist and refused to stop fighting.
– The anti-war movement was very young, and
Johnson claimed that they could not be taken seriously.
•
1968:
– Hawks – 53% of the American population favored
stronger military action in Vietnam.
Protesting the Draft
• These are young people (many were students) that gathered together to
protest the draft. Many felt as though the war in Vietnam was a Civil War and the United States had no business becoming involved.
Antiwar Movement connects with the
Civil Rights Movement.
• The Draft – Unfair – A disproportionate amount
of low-income families/African American.
– 1967 – 20% of the deaths in Vietnam were African
American. This percentage is twice their
representation in the population of the United States.
– Linked to the Civil Rights Movement. MLK publicly
expressed his discontent (1967).
• “Somehow this madness must cease.”
• Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) –
Focused on the War AND Civil Rights.
Anger at the Draft
• Originally college students could defer the draft
while they were in school.
– As the war escalates, there is a greater need for
soldiers, and suddenly the college students are also at risk.
– An increase in protests and demonstrations among
this massive population.
• Approximately 500,000 Americans refused to go.
– Flee the country (Canada)
– Burn the draft card (Act of defiance)
Anti-War Demonstrations
Anti-War Demonstrations
Democratic Convention in Chicago, 1968
Anti-War Demonstrations
May 4, 1970
4 students shot dead.
11 students wounded
Kent State University
Jackson State University
May 10, 1970
The End of the Vietnam War
(1969-1975)
Nixon’s Presidential Promise
• Nixon won the 1968 election because he
promised he had a ‘plan to end the war.’
– He never described what the plan was….
• The United States had a very violent and chaotic
year.
– Assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther
King.
– My Lai Massacre
– Democratic National Convention – Riots in Chicago
Easier said than done..
1. Linkage 2. Vietnamization
- Nixon appointed Henry Kissinger as the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs.
- Linkage: His plan was to improve US relations with the Soviet Union and China. (Cut back aid to N. Vietnam) - 1969: He began secret Peace Talks
with North Vietnam.
- They discussed – cease-fire, prisoners of war & the future of Vietnam
- The anti-war movement began demanding that the troops come home from war.
- Slowly, Nixon began to withdraw American soldiers from Vietnam. - As the American troops were
replaced by more South Vietnamese troops.
- 1969 – 25,000 soldiers came home. - This is NOT a surrender
- We are still fighting – increased air strikes against N. Vietnam and
surrounding supporters (Cambodia).
Public Reaction
• We thought you were trying to end the war – this is an
EXPANSION.
– The Cambodians are not involved in this fight. Why are we attacking them?
• This incident greatly upset the American public – Many
protests.
• Kent State University – May 4th, 1970
– Ohio National Guard opened fire on demonstrators – Killing 4 students and injuring 9 others. (Tear gas and rifles).
• Jackson State College – 2 students were shot and killed • Americans are furious that Nixon did not keep his
The Pentagon Papers:
• 1971 – Daniel Ellsberg (former Defense Dept.
worker) gave top-secret documents to the NY Times.
• These papers revealed that government officials
during the Johnson Administration privately
questioned the war while publicly defending it.
• The President made decisions without the
consent of Congress (Gulf of Tonkin Res.)
– Americans felt betrayed – Our government WAS lying
to us.
June 28th,
1971
The truth comes out.. Now that we have all of the information we DEMAND an end to the war.
WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM
April 1972
• Nixon no longer
demanded that the North Vietnamese troops leave South Vietnam before a peace treaty would be signed.
• Henry Kissinger worked
diligently to reach a
Nixon comes through on his promise
(just in time)
•
Nixon made sure to publicize his attempts at
peace negotiations in the months before the
election.
•
November 1972 – He wins over Democratic
Future of South Vietnam?
•
President Nguyen Van Thieu – You can’t leave
us with the N. Vietnamese troops still in South
Vietnam
– They will quickly and easily destroy us.
•
Kissinger could not convince the North to
remove troops from the South.
– They broke off peace talks entirely.
Christmas Bombings
•
We must force them to continue the peace
talks.
•
American B-52s began a destructive air raid
and dropped thousands of bombs on North
Vietnam. (11 Days)
•
The Peace Talks resumed.. But the
Communists did not give in to the demands.
– Thieu gave up his hope of removing N.
January 27th, 1973
• CEASEFIRE – Restoring peace in Vietnam • Conditions:
– United States will withdraw all troops – Exchange Prisoners of War
• What about South Vietnam?
– By 1975, the American troops were entirely removed from
Vietnam, and the N. Vietnamese had launched a full-scale attack on the South.
– Thieu begged the U.S. for help. Nixon had promised to help if
the N. Vietnamese attacked, but he was preoccupied with a scandal.
– April 30th – South Vietnam falls. Saigon becomes Ho Chi Minh
The Costs
•
3,000,000 Vietnamese killed
•
58,000 Americans killed; 300,000 wounded
•
Under-funding of Great Society programs
•
$150,000,000,000 in U.S. spending
One of the greatest casualties of the war in Vietnam is the Great Society... shot down on the battlefield of Vietnam.
Impact of the Vietnam War
Social
• Death toll:
– 58,000 Americans – 300,000 injured
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
– Veterans were forgotten
– We lost the war.
– No parades or celebrations.
What did we fight for?
• POW/MIA soldiers
– The government lied, and my
son/husband/brother is gone forever - resentment
Political
• 1973 – Congress passes the
War Powers Act.
– This places limits on the power
of the President.
– The opposite of the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution.
• President must tell Congress if
any troops are deployed (within 48 hours)
– He must withdraw the troops if
Congress does not approve.
The Impact
• 26th Amendment:
18-year-olds vote
• Nixon abolished the draft
all-volunteer army
• Disregard for Veterans
seen as “baby killers”
• POW/MIA issue lingered
• A new sense of isolationism
Foreign Policy - Isolationism
• This was the longest war in the history of the
United States.
– Ended in defeat – We were not able to stop
Communism, and we lost thousands of young men.
– The war cost the United States a great deal of time
and money as well.
• Shook our confidence – Cold War continues.
• Domestic – Can American’s trust their
government anymore?
