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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War. Geography. < California South of China, East of Laos, and Cambodia Hanoi (N) Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (S) Hills and dense forests. Foreign Occupation. China; 200 BC – 939 AD; Agriculture abundance FR 1883 – 1941 Fr. Indochina Japan occupied during WWII

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The Vietnam War

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  1. The Vietnam War

  2. Geography • < California • South of China, East of Laos, and Cambodia • Hanoi (N) • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (S) • Hills and dense forests

  3. Foreign Occupation • China; 200 BC – 939 AD; Agriculture abundance • FR • 1883 – 1941 Fr. Indochina • Japan occupied during WWII • Ho Chi Minh led movement for freedom • He created League for the Independence of Vietnam or Vietminh • Granted w/ Japanese surrender in 1945; US supported • 1946 – 1954 French and Vietnamese at War • US supported France – Eisenhower $2 billion • Allie, domino theory • May 7, 1954 FR surrendered @ Diem Biem Phu

  4. Ho Chi Minh

  5. Geneva Conference • Spring 1954 • Terms • Cease-fire • Temporarily divided at 17th parallel • FR would w/draw S of • July 1956 general elections to reunify the country • US refused to endorse http://z.about.com/d/asianhistory/1/0/Z/0/-/-/NgoDinhDiemDOD.gif

  6. South Vietnam • Republic of Vietnam • Anti-communist • Ngo Dinh Diem = president • Refused July 1956 n’tl elections • Unpopular (3 reasons…) • National Liberation Front (NLF) was created in 1960 to overthrow Diem • Southern Vietminh w/ northern support • Vietcong = NLF’s communist rebel forces

  7. American Involvement • 1955 – 1961; Eisenhower • $200 bil/yr • 675 advisors • 1961 – JFK president • 16,000 “advisors” • Diem’s overthrow • Persecuted Buddhists who’s public protest drew attention, brought demand for reforms • US supported an overthrow; he was murdered • < month later Kennedy was assassinated

  8. http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/budist_monk_on_fire.jpghttp://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/budist_monk_on_fire.jpg

  9. The War Escalates

  10. Disorder followed Diem’s overthrow • NV increased aid to VC in south • War materials • Army units • Were gaining ground on the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

  11. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Nov 22 1963 Kennedy assassinated; Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) • Dec 1963 Sec of Def Robert McNamara recommends ground troops – need Congressional approval • Aug 1964 LBJ claimed 2 US ships were attacked, “unprovoked” in the Tonkin G. • USS Maddoxx – spying • 2nd never happened • Ploy to get congressional support • Resolution • > presidential authority; “All necessary measures…” • Broad

  12. Operations Rolling Thunder(1st Phase of escalation) • March 2, 1965 - 1968 • Bombing raids against NV in order to: • Weaken NV’s will to fight • Assure SV of US commitment • Destroy Ho Chi Minh Trail • Over 100 American fighter-bombers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rolling_Thunder

  13. Results: • A million tons of bombs dropped on NV • Created POWs • Did NOTHING to NV’s morale • When it failed, LBJ expanded air attacks on Laos and SV. • Napalmhttp://www.vietnamwar.com/phanthikimphuc.htm • Cluster bombs • Defoliants (Agent Orange) http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/09/03/AO_070903095230512_wideweb__300x371,1.jpg

  14. Ground War(A week after Operation Rolling Thunder) • March 1965 – 1967 ground troops grew from 3500 to 536,000 • Search and destroy missions • Pacification – moved residents to refugees camps and burned the villages • Denied NV territorial gains • Body count measured success • Results: • Destroyed resources • Am $ ruined enconomy (corruption, prostitution, black market, inflation)

  15. Why No Change? • Limited commitment? • No all-out invasion b/c fear of nuclear war • Disengagement was politically unacceptable

  16. American Forces In Vietnam • April 1965 Selective Service began a draft • The soldiers • @ 1st professionals • Af Ams served in high numbers • @ height, most were drafted: 19, poor, < educated • Deferments / Exemptions • 10,000 service women were nursed

  17. Morale Ebbs • Could not make territorial progress • Vietcong had strong will to fight

  18. By the late 1960s public opinion began to turn against the war. Americans Divided

  19. The Media and the War • TV camera crews, war correspondents, and photographers went w/ soldiers into combat. • Americans saw images that contradicted the government’s optimist report

  20. The Antiwar Movement Americans began to ask: Is Vietnam the US’s responsibility? Is it worth it? • Hawks and Doves • Hawks = supported the war’s goals, but said needed MORE • Doves = opposed the war

  21. Students for a Democratic Society • Against: • University doing military research • Draft • Presence of the ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corp) • Recruitment efforts • Organized debates, rallies, demonstrations • 1st demonstrations in Washington D.C., April 17, 1965

  22. Civil Rights Activists argued many points • War was taking $ from poverty programs • Fighting for Democracy in Vietnam, but still fighting racism at home 5. Opposition to the anti-war movement • Patriotic duty • Rejected antiwar tactics = protests, rallies, violence, negative media attention

  23. Government in Conflict • Supporters: supporting an ally, if didn’t who would ever trust the US again? • Criticism from within the g’vt • Senator J. William Fulbright = Dove; the war was too extreme • Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara = “Continuation…would be dangerous, costly in lives, and unsatisfactory to the American people.”

  24. War at Full Tide

  25. The Tet Offensive • January 30, 1968; the Vietnamese New Year • Over 70,000 VC guerillas and NV soldiers attacked over 100 cities and 12 US military bases in the South. • Lasted 1 month

  26. Results • US General Westmoreland claimed victory • 2000 US dead • 4000 ARVN dead • ~40,000 communist dead • Vietcong more determined than ever • Revealed US leaders misled the public. • Americans lost confidence in LBJ

  27. Walter Cronkite reporting in 1968 on the Tet offensive in Vietnam. movies.nytimes.com/.../television/26watc.html

  28. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President. But let men everywhere know, however, that a strong, a confident, and a vigilant America stands ready tonight to seek an honorable peace--and stands ready tonight to defend an honored cause— whatever the price, whatever the burden, whatever the sacrifice that duty may require. Thank you for listening. Good night and God bless all of you. President Lyndon B. Johnson - March 31, 1968

  29. Nixon • LBJ didn’t run for reelection in 1968 • Nixon wins Rep nomination w/ promise to end war. • End-of-the-war plan = Vietnamization • Gradually turn over the fighting to the SVs. • Improve relations w/ communist China and Soviet Union. • Early 1969 secretly spread the fighting to Cambodia. • Destroy NV supply lines • 1970 sent 80,000 US and ARNV troops in

  30. Increased Antiwar Sentiments • Kent State Massacre (May 4, 1970) • Protesting students were fired upon by the National Guard • 4 killed 9 injured • Jackson State (May 14, 1970) – police fired at a dorm and killed 2, injured 4 • Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in Dec. 1970 • Pentagon papers published in the NY Times proved the government misled the people.

  31. Nixon’s war continues

  32. My Lai Massacre • March 1968 Lt. William L Calley ordered his platoon to murder 350 villagers in retaliation • Reporter Seymour Hersh of the New York Times broke the story in Nov 1969 • 6-soldier jury sentenced him to life in prison • Nixon reduced; paroled in 1974

  33. Decline of Anti-War Protest • Police harassment • FBI/CIA intervened and broke up • Use of terrorism lost support • Vietnamization • # of troops down • Ended draft • All-volunteer by 1973 • Other causes: Feminism and environmentalism

  34. Détente • Goal: peaceful co-existence w/ USSR and CH would encourage them to stop sending aid to NV • Good time – tension b/wn USSR and CH • Feb 1972 = Nixon visited CH • May 1972 = Nixon visited USSR • Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty = limited production and deployment of ICBMs

  35. American W/drawal • Increased combat activity and pressure from USSR and CH encouraged negotiations • Oct 1972 Cease-fire agreement • Henry Kissinger (US) • Le Duc Tho (NV) • Terms • W/drawal of Am troops • Return of all Am POWs • Continue presence of NV soldiers in SV • US aid to NV for reconstruction • Election of ’72 = Nixon wins b/c of • SV rejects; NV refuses to compromise

  36. Nixon Wins Reelection of ’72 • Democratic nomination troubled again • 26th Amendment lowered voting age to 18 • Sec. of Def. announced breakthrough in negotiations.

  37. December Bombings • US bombs civilian and military targets • Dec 17-30, 1972 • Most devastating bombings of the war

  38. Paris Peace Accords • Jan 27, 1973 Cease Fire signed • Signed by NV, SV, US, VC • US w/drawal for Am POWs • US secretly pledge to help SV if NV attacked to get SV to agree • DID NOT resolve the civil war!

  39. Fall of Saigon • W/o Am aid SV was weak • Communist were more disciplined • Unpopular • March 1975 NV launched its final offensive • US helicopters evacuated SV government officials and soldiers from US Embassy • Largest helicopter evac ever • TV • 120,000 Vietnamese were evacuated • April 29, 1975 Vietnam is united; • Communist • Saigon = Ho Chi Minh City

  40. http://www.planetwaves.net/contents/images/saigon.jpg

  41. Vietnam’s legacy

  42. American Veterans • 2.6 million fought • 58,000 dead • 300,000 wounded • 2300 MIA • 600 POWs • The Veterans: • 250,000 – 350,000 homeless • Drug addictions • Traumatic • Jobless • 1000s with disabilities • Public’s rxt was negative

  43. SE Asia/Vietnam After the War • Dead: • 1 million SV • 185,000 ARVN • ~500,000 SV civilians • ~1,000,000 NV? • 879,000 Vietnam orphans • 181,000 disabled • 10 million refugees • 730,000 to America (mostly from Laos) • Ameraisians

  44. American Foreign Policy • Lost international credibility • War Powers Act in 1973. • Report use of military w/in 48 hours • 60 day limit • Control of Media

  45. American Economic andSocial Effects • $150 billion! • took 4 from domestic programs • Increased debt • Fueled inflation • Deep distrust of Government • lies about success • Questioned Gulf of Tonkin incident • Secret war in Cambodia

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