Vietnam: US Involvement and Escalation

1. Vietnam:US Involvement and Escalation Chapter 22, Section 2 Notes

2. Objectives • Explain the reasons for the escalation of US involvement in Vietnam • Describe the military tactics and weapons used by US forces and the Vietcong • Explain the impact of the war on American society

3. The United States sent troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turned into a stalemate. Robert McNamara Dean Rusk William Westmoreland Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Napalm Agent Orange Search and destroy mission Credibility gap Main Idea and Terms/Names

4. Johnson increases Involvement • 1965 – Johnson and his foreign policy advisors decide to send troops to fight • Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara • Secretary of State Dean Rusk • Congress strongly supported Johnson’s strategy • Americans supported Johnson’s containment of communism • 61% supported

5. Johnson increases Involvement • By the end of 1965 – 180,000 Americans were sent to Vietnam • William Westmoreland – American commander in Vietnam • Continued requesting more troops • Was not impressed with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) • By 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

6. Fighting in the Jungle • US thought its superior weaponry would lead it to victory • The Jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics turned the war into a stalemate • Vietcong used hit and run and ambush tactics • Knew the jungle terrain – advantage! • Vietcong had a network of elaborate tunnels • Withstand airstrikes and disappear quickly • Connected villages to launch surprise attacks

7. Vietcong Tunnel System Link • http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/vietnam/tunnels.htm

8. Fighting in the Jungle • The jungle was laced with booby traps and land mines • The US had laid land mines throughout the jungle • Vietcong reused American mines • Nerve-racking for US troops to walk through the jungle

9. A War of Attrition • Westmoreland’s strategy was to destroy the Vietcong morale • A war of attrition – gradually wearing down the enemy with continuous harassment • Used a body count to keep track of the number of Vietcong deaths • Vietcong had no intention of quitting • Received supplies from China and USSR • The US misunderstood the Vietcong – it was a battle for existence

10. Battle For Hearts and Minds • US began a campaign to win the “hearts and minds” of S.Vietnamese villagers • Would keep them from supporting Vietcong • However, this was a difficult task • US planes dropped napalm • Gasoline based chemical that set fire to the jungle • US sprayed Agent Orange to kill the jungle • These chemicals wounded civilians and left their villages in ruins

11. Battle For Hearts and Minds • Search and destroy missions • US troops uproot civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong and burned their villages • Villagers fled to cities or refugee camps

13. Sinking Morale • US troops’ morale sunk • Frustrated with guerilla warfare • Brutal jungle conditions • Failure to make substantial headway against enemy • Some soldiers believed in the cause, but many soldiers were legally required to fight a war they did not support • turned to alcohol and drugs • Corruption of S. Vietnamese government – civil war within a civil war

14. The War at Home • Great Society Suffered • The war was costly and the US economy suffered • Inflation rate jumped to 5.5% • Johnson asked for a tax increase to help fund the war and check inflation • Congress agreed, but only if the funding for Great Society programs was reduced • Living Room War – combat footage appeared on the nightly news • Quoted body count statistics

15. The Credibility Gap • What the government reported and what was really happened • Americans saw images on TV that did not match up with the optimistic gov. report • Fulbright hearings • Senator Fulbright televised a series of hearing in which the Johnson administration defended their Vietnam policies