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The Vietnam War. 1954-1975. Prelude to the War. France controlled “Indochina” since the late 19 th century Japan took control during World War II With U.S. aid, France attempted re-colonization in the postwar period.
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The Vietnam War 1954-1975
Prelude to the War • France controlled “Indochina” since the late 19th century • Japan took control during World War II • With U.S. aid, France attempted re-colonization in the postwar period
The French lost control to Ho Chi Minh’s VietMinh forces in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu • President Eisenhower declined to intervene on behalf of France.
International Conference at Geneva Vietnam was divided at 17th parallel • Ho Chi Minh’snationalist forces controlled the North • Ngo Dinh Diem, a French-educated, Roman Catholic claimed control of the South
U.S. Military Involvement Begins Repressive Dictatorial Rule *Diem’s family holds all power *Wealth is hoarded by the elite *Buddhist majority persecuted *Torture, lack of political freedom prevail
The U.S. Response The U.S. aided Diem’s “democratic” government in an effort to stop the spread of Communism. Eisenhower sent financial and military aid. 675 U.S. Army advisors sent by 1960.
Early Protests of Diem’s Government Self-immolation by a Buddhist Monk
U.S. Military Involvement Begins Kennedy elected 1960 Increases military “advisors” to 16,000 1963: JFK supports a Vietnamese military coup d’etat – Diem and his brother are murdered (Nov. 2) Kennedy was assassinated just weeks later (Nov. 22)
President Johnson Sends in Ground Forces Tonkin Gulf Incident 1964(acc. to Johnson, the attacks were unprovoked) Tonkin Gulf Resolution • “The Blank Check”
The Ground War 1965-1968 One major difference was that there were no territorial goals. The Viet Cong received supplies over the Ho Chi Minh Trail
The Ho Chi Minh Trail What is REALLY interesting about the Ho Chi Minh Trail? Pssst…. I’ll give you a hint… Where is it?
ENTER THE MEDIA Walter Cronkite reporting live from Vietnam Another major difference was that body counts were reported on TV every night ( know as the first “living room” war)
DEATH FROM ABOVEThe Air War1965-1968 1965: Sustained bombing of North Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder begins(March 2)
-1966-68: Ongoing bombing of Hanoi non-stop for 3 years! Esp. the Ho Chi Minh Trail. -Downed Pilots became P.O.W.s (Prisoners of War)
Carpet Bombing The intensive bombing of a designated area in a close pattern by many aircraft, usually B-52s, as though laying a wall-to-wall carpet.
NAPALM • Napalm (trade name) is a powder. Mixed with gasoline, it is a tactical weapon used to remove vegetative cover and instill fear. • Fire bomb fuel gel mixture (napalm) is a mixture of fuel and gelling solution that are combined to produce a thickened mixture. The fuel gel mixture is stringy and sticky, and readily adheres to most surfaces.
This Pulitzer-Prize winning photograph was taken in 1972, The child is running naked down a road, screaming in pain from the napalm that was burning through her skin. The photograph has come to epitomize the tragedy of the Vietnam War and had a profound negative impact on the American public’s support of the war.
A new set of rules Vietcong: • South Vietnamese farmers by day; guerillas at night. • Very patient people willing to accept many casualties. • The US grossly underestimated their resolve and their resourcefulness. • The U.S. soldiers had no idea who was a friend or an enemy.
-After Nguyen Ngoc Loan raised his sidearm and shot Vietcong operative Nguyen Van Lem in the head he walked over to the reporters and told them that, "These guys kill a lot of our people, and I think Buddha will forgive me." -Captured on NBC TV cameras and by AP photographer Eddie Adams, the picture and film footage flashed around the world and quickly became a symbol of the Vietnam War’s brutality. -Eddie Adams’ picture was especially striking, as the moment frozen is one almost at the instant of death. Taken a split second after the trigger was pulled, Lem’s final expression is one of pain as the bullet rips through his head. A closer look of the photo actually reveals the bullet exiting his skull.
The tet offensive -N. Vietnamese Army + Viet Cong attack South simultaneously (67,000 attack 100 cities, bases, and the US embassy in Saigon) -They take every major southern city
-U.S. + ARVN beat back the offensive -Viet Cong destroyed -N. Vietnamese army debilitated -BUT…it’s seen as an American defeat by the media
AmericanMorale Begins to Dip -Disproportionate representation of poor people and minorities. -Severe racial problems. -Major drug problems. -Officers in combat 6 mo.; in rear 6 mo. -Enlisted men in combat for 12 mo.
THE MY LAI MASSACRE • My Lai Massacre, 1968 • 200-500 unarmed villagers killed by U.S. Soldiers, led by Lt. William Calley,Platoon Leader
My Lai Massacre Aftermath • Lt. Calley was the only U.S. soldier convicted of crimes related to the My Lai Massacre • Calley was sentenced to 40 months, most of which spent in his apartment on his military base. • However, when the news of the massacre reached the states, support for the war among the American people greatly decreased.
HERE COME THE HIPPIES! • The youth of America, and around the world, began to openly protest the war in Vietnam.
The Protests Turn Ugly KENT STATE PROTEST • May 4, 1970 • 4 students shot dead. • 11 students wounded
THE PROTESTS CONTINUE Jackson State University • May 10, 1970 • 2 dead; 12wounded Democratic National Convention In Chicago 1968 Student Protestors at Univ. of CA in Berkeley, 1968
