The War Unfolds

1. The War Unfolds The Early Years of Vietnam

2. Background • From the 1880s until after WWII the French controlled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (French Indochina) • The Viet Minh formed to overthrow French colonial rule • Led by Ho Chi Minh who leaned toward Communism

3. Post WWII Conflicts • After WWII, the French refused to grant Vietnamese independence and drove the Viet Minh back into the north • Ho Chi Minh asked President Truman to officially recognize North Vietnam’s independence • He refused since it was led by the Communist Party • US feared the domino theory would come to pass • The U.S. decided to help France regain colonial control of Vietnam • 1949 The French established a government in the South setting up Emperor Bao Dai as their “puppet” head of state

4. 1st Indochina War • The Viet Minh recruited hundreds of thousands of soldiers and fought the French to a stalemate • Geneva Accords • Divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel temporarily • Bao Dai would remain leader in the south as Ho Chi Minh would remain in the North • Elections would be held and the country united under the government decided by popular vote

5. The U.S. Gets Involved • The U.S. did not want voters to choose a Communist to lead the country • The US pressured Bao Dai into naming Ngo Dinh Diem Prime Minister of South Vietnam • Under our “guidance” Diem refused to sign the Geneva Accords and participate in a national election • The U.S. quickly acted to organize and sign the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) • We guaranteed protection to SE Asian countries who might be under the threat of Communism

6. Rebellion in the South • The south was full of Viet Minh and Communist sympathizers angry at Diem • The U.S. helped Diem create the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to fight the Viet Minh • Diem was an unpopular leader whose policies lost support of the Vietnamese people • Buddhist monks set themselves on fire in protest

7. Kennedy and Vietnam • Kennedy believed that the ARVN could still be effective • Increased American military advisors from 800 to 16,700 • “Agent Orange” was used extensively causing thousands of deaths and birth defects among the Vietnamese • Kennedy was informed by the CIA of a possible military coup to overthrow Diem – US steps aside • Diem and his brother were assassinated November 1, 1963 • South Vietnam now left in control of the military

8. President Johnson • LBJ assumes office 3 weeks after Diem’s assassination • Johnson’s Sec’y of Defense Robert McNamara pushed for expansion of the war • Johnson did not want to be the first American president to lose a war

9. Gulf of Tonkin • August 1964, the US gov’t claims that N. Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin • Later shown that the attack never took place • Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • Gave the president widespread power to expand the war in Vietnam

10. Political Divisons

11. The Draft • All men 18-26 were required to register for the draft • At its peak, there were over500,000American soldiers in Vietnam

12. Draft Resistance • Young men had few choices when they were eligible for the draft • Receive a student deferment • Claim a physical disability • Try to file as a conscientious objector based on moral or religious grounds • Move to Canada – (an estimated 100,000 did)

13. Student Activism • The war in Vietnam would prove to be one of the most divisive eras in US history • As the war escalated under LBJ, protests began on college campuses across the country • In 1968 over 200 demonstrations took place on college campuses

14. 1968 • By the end of his term, LBJ was a virtual prisoner in the White House • In March 1968, Johnson shocks the nation by announcing that he wouldn’t run for re-election • Bobby Kennedy is in the race (and against the war) but is gunned down in June

15. 1968 Democratic Convention • The Democratic Convention is held in Chicago in August • Anti-war protesters and police clash outside the convention • Hundreds are injured as police use tear gas and clubs against protesters • VP Hubert Humphrey is the Democratic nominee

16. Election of 1968 • Richard Nixon (R), Hubert Humphrey (D), George Wallace (I) • Nixon campaigns on a law and order platform and a secret plan to end the war • Humphrey is saddled with Johnson’s war policy • Nixon wins the electoral votes 302-191

18. Paris Peace Talks • Prior to the end of his term, Johnson cut back on bombing and called for peace negotiations • Paris peace talks began in May 1968, but no agreement was reached

19. Nixon’s Vietnam Policy • June 1969, Nixon announces new policy of Vietnamization • US troops to be withdrawn; replaced by S. Vietnamese soldiers • At the same time, Nixon ordered secret bombings of major targets in Laos, Cambodia, and N. Vietnam

20. Cambodia • April 1970, Nixon announces campaign to expand the war into Cambodia • Goal was to flush out Communist camps there • This action intensified anti-war sentiment in the US

21. The “Silent Majority” • In a speech in 1969 on Vietnam, Nixon referred to a group of Americans he believed supported his policies • He called them the “silent majority” because they weren’t as vocal as his opponents were

22. Kent State • In 1970, students on the campus of Kent State University (in Ohio) protested against the invasion of Cambodia • Ohio governor calls in the National Guard to control the protesters • Guardsmen fire into the crowd of students killing 4

23. American Withdrawal • Days before the 1972 election, NSA Henry Kissinger announces that “peace is at hand” • January 1973, a formal agreement is signed • US promises to withdraw all troops within 60 days

24. Fall of South Vietnam • Fighting between the north and south would continue for another 2 years • By April 1975 N. Vietnam would complete its conquest of the south • Since then, Vietnam has been a united Communist country

25. Legacy of the Vietnam War • 58,000 American GI’s killed • 300,000 wounded • $150 billion • Damage to America’s image in the world • Millions of Vietnamese casualties