The Vietnam War 1954 - 1975

1. The Vietnam War 1954 - 1975 Chapter 25

2. Moment in History 1

3. Why It Matters War caused bitter divisions within the U.S.: * Supporters of the war: “Patriotism demands that communism be halted!” * Opponents: “Vietnam war is immoral!” Many young people protested or dodged draft. Victory was not achieved, although more than 58,000 American soldiers died. After the war, the nation had many wounds to heal.

4. How/Why did the U.S. get involved in Vietnam? American efforts to containthe spread of communism led to U.S. involvement in the affairs of Vietnam. COMMUNISM

5. Early American Involvement in Vietnam American officials felt Vietnam was important in their campaign to contain the spread of communism. French Indochina

6. Background Information Early 1900s - nationalism was strong in Vietnam. • Vietnam was a French colonythat wanted independence. • Several political parties formed, including communism. • Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Nationalists, had become acommunist.

7. When WW II broke out, the French abandoned Vietnam. By 1941, Japanese took control of Vietnam for its rubber, rice, and minerals (needed for Japan’s war effort). Ho Chi Minh organized the Vietminh, which united Communists and non- Communists to force Japan out.

8. At the end of WWII in 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation. France sent in troops to regain its colonial empire; asked the U.S. for help. American officials were against France controlling Vietnam, but they did not want Vietnam to be Communist either …….CONTAINMENT!

9. The United States, supported the French against the Vietminh. Eisenhower defended the U.S. policy in Vietnam with the domino theory– the belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in Southeast Asia would also fall. domino theory

10. The Vietminh Drive Out the French Despite aid from the United States, the French struggled against the Vietminh. The Vietminh oftenused the tactics of guerrillas. Hit-and-run and ambush tactics. Blend in with civilians.... difficult to fight!

11. In 1954 the French commander ordered his forces to occupy the mountain town of Dien Bien Phu. A huge Vietminh force surrounded the town. French were forced to make peace and withdraw from Indochina.

12. Negotiations to end the conflict, called the Geneva Accords, divided Vietnam between the Vietminh (communists) controlling North Vietnam and a pro-Western regime in South Vietnam. NORTH VIETNAM CAMBODIA SOUTH VIETNAM The Accords also recognized Cambodia’s independence.

13. In 1956 elections were held to form a single government. The U.S. protected the new government in the Southled by Ngo Dinh Diem,a pro-Westerner and anti-Communist. Tension between North and South Vietnam escalated. The U.S. was caught in the middle. Eisenhower presidency 1953-1961

14. American Involvement Deepens Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold national elections. Ho Chi Minh and his followers created a new guerrilla army known as the Vietcong. Their goal: reunify North and South Vietnam under communism. United States continued to send aid to South Vietnam. Vietcong fighter plants a land mine

15. Many Vietnamese opposed Diem’s government; Vietcong continued to grow. JFK supported South Vietnam, agreeing that it was important to contain communism in Southeast Asia. JFK’s presidency 1961-1963

16. South Vietnam’s Pres. Diem wasunpopular.Why? * His government wascorrupt. * Catholic Diem discriminated againstBuddhism.

17. Diem was overthrown and later assassinated. • This further weakened South Vietnam’s government, forcing the U.S. to become more involved. (so that communists wouldn’t take over)

18. After Kennedy’s assassination, President Johnson inherited the problem of Vietnam, which will ultimately drive him out of the White House. ...another U.S. president burdened with the Vietnam problem... Lyndon B. Johnson presidency 1963-1969

19. Johnson and Vietnam President Johnson was determined to prevent South Vietnam from becoming Communist. Politically, Democrats needed to keep South Vietnam from becoming Communist, or the GOP would use it against them.

20. Aug 1964, LBJ announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on two US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. • Congress passedGulfofTonkin Resolution; authorized president to take “all necessary measures” to repel any attack on U.S. forces. • Congress had given its war powers to the Pres.

21. After Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed, Vietcong began attacking bases where American advisers were stationed in South Vietnam. Johnson sent bombers to strike in North Vietnam.

22. Some dissenters in the White House warned that if the United States became too involved, it would be difficult to get out. • But In March 1965, Johnson sent American ground troops to fight alongside the South Vietnamese troops against the Vietcong.

23. A Bloody Stalemate Emerges By 1965, 180,000 American combat troops were fighting in Vietnam, with the number doubling by 1966. Many Americans believed they could win in Vietnam.

24. To take Vietcong’s hiding places away, U.S. used: * Napalm, a jellied gasoline that explodes on contact. * Agent Orange, a chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs. Farmlands and forests were turned into wastelands.

25. The US underestimated Vietcong’s strength, stamina, and morale. • Johnson refused to order a full invasion of North Vietnam, fearing China would get involved in the war. (* Remember the Chinese army invading against UN forces in Korea?) LBJ agonized over what to do about Vietnam

26. Johnson also refused to allow a full- scale attack on the Vietcong’s supply line, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. • Not cutting off the Vietcong’s supplies made winning difficult. Why do you think LBJ was against an attack on the Trail?

27. As U.S. casualties increased, many US citizens began questioning American involvement in the war.

28. Images seen on television news greatly increased Americans’ opposition to the war.

29. The experience of Vietnam produced sharp divisions between Americans who supported the war and those who did not.

30. Burning draft cards

31. A Growing Credibility Gap Some Americans began to question the war and the government. A credibility gap had developed, making it difficult to believe what Johnson and his advisors said about the war.

34. An Antiwar Movement Emerges As war casualties increased, Americans, especially college students, began to publicly protest the war. 1965 - University faculties and students abandoned classes and formedteach-ins where they informally discussed the war and why they opposed it.

35. Protestorsfelt the draft system was unfair. • College students could delay draft until after graduation. • Low-income & limited education youth had to serve. • Result: poor people and minorities, especially black Americans, were called to fight the war. • Many draftees refused to serve. • Others moved to Canada and other nations.

36. A lottery system was created to try to make the draft more fair, but lower income Americans still made up the greater percentage of young men who fought the war.

37. By 1968 the nation seemed divided into two camps – the doves and the hawks. • The doves wanted the United States to withdraw from the war. • The hawks felt the United States should stay and fight.

38. 1968: The Pivotal Year On January 30, 1968, during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack known as the Tet Offensive. Guerrilla fighters hit American bases in South Vietnam as well as the South’s major cities.

39. Americans: "Has the administration been lying to us? Are we, in fact, losing this war?" Tet M/C 2-1a

40. Militarily, the Tet offensive was a disaster for the Communists, but it was a political victory that turned more Americans against the war. The President’s approval rating plummeted. Eugene McCarthyand Robert Kennedyentered the 1968 presidential race as “dove” candidates for the Democrat nomination. Eugene McCarthy Robert Kennedy

41. March 1968 - Johnson withdrew from the presidential race. "I will not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president."

42. Four days later, Martin Luther King was assassinated.

43. Two months after that, in June 1968, Robert Kennedywas assassinated. RFK Assassination

44. Washington, D.C. -- one of many cities that saw race riots in 1968….the “summer when American cities burned.”

45. In August there was a clash between protesters and police at the Democrat National Convention. The nation seemed to be in a state of chaos. 1968 Dem Convention

46. Democrat National Convention - Chicago, 1968 1968 Dem Convention

47. The chaos benefited the Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon. Nixon promised to regain order and end the war in Vietnam. An Independent candidate, Governor George Wallaceof Alabama, split the Democrat vote. George Wallace Richard Nixon

48. Democrat presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey lost by more than 100 electoral votes. Richard Nixon became President. Hubert Humphrey ...the last of the Vietnam War presidents... Richard Nixon presidency 1969-1974

49. Nixon Moves to End the War • President Nixon named Henry Kissinger Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, giving him authority to find a way to end the war. Kissinger used a policy he calledlinkageto improve relations with the Soviets and China which supplied aid to North Vietnam. He started up peace talks again with North Vietnam.

50. Nixon began a policy of Vietnamization– gradual withdrawal of US troops in Vietnam. South Vietnam had to assume more of the fighting.