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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War. Eisenhower Administration. Background. During WWII Japan occupied the French colony of Indochina . Japan was opposed by guerrilla forces led by Ho Chi Minh US backed Ho Chi Minh’s efforts to remove the Japanese. 1941. Japanese Expansion 1933 1941

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The Vietnam War

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  1. The Vietnam War

  2. Eisenhower Administration

  3. Background • During WWII Japan occupied the French colony of Indochina. • Japan was opposed by guerrilla forces led by Ho Chi Minh • US backed Ho Chi Minh’sefforts to remove the Japanese 1941 • Japanese Expansion • 1933 1941 • Control Attacks

  4. Background • At end of WW II, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation • US President Truman refused to recognize Ho Chi Minh and the independence of Vietnam. • With U.S. aid, France attempted re-colonize Vietnam • Ho got support from rural areas and the north (Vietminh) • French got support from cities and the South

  5. HO CHI MINH “You can kill 10 of my men for every one I kill of yours, yet even at those odds, you will lose and I will win” • Founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party • Traveled for almost 30 years around the world. Visited France, England, Russia, China, Thailand and the United States. • In that time he learned to speak fluent Russian, Chinese and English. • Patriot or Communist? • Motivated the Vietnamese to rebel and fight against France/US for independence. • Became Vietnam’s first president. Ho Chi Minh 1890-1969 "If ever the tiger pauses, the elephant will empale him on his mighty tusks. But the tiger will never pause and  the Elephant will die of exhaustion". 

  6. May 7, 1954 - Despite American aid (money) the French were defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu and they were forced to surrender.

  7. Geneva Accords May-July 1954 Vietnam was temporarily split at the 17th parallel. National elections were to be held in 1956 to unify the country.

  8. Geneva Accords • Ho Chi Minh’s nationalist forces had most of their support in the north and the rural areas • Ngo Dinh Diem, a French-educated, Roman Catholic got most of his support from the south and the cities.

  9. vn map Domino Theory The United States must contain communism and not allow it to spread. If it does, it would lead to more countries falling to the communists. .

  10. NGO DINH DIEM • He presided over an increasingly corrupt, nepotistic and repressive regime. • In 1956 he cancelled the elections called for by the Geneva Accords. Why did the US support him?

  11. Opposition to Diem led to the formation of the National Liberation Front, better known as the Vietcong (VC), in 1957 VC are SOUTH Vietnamese people who support Ho and oppose Diem. They will be the primary opponent of the US.

  12. Ho Chi Minh Trail

  13. Kennedy Administration

  14. Self-Emulation by a Buddhist Monk protesting against the brutality of Diem’s government (1963)

  15. Buddhist monks

  16. Buddhist monks Civil disobedience by the monks led world opinion to turn against Diem. In 1963, with the support of the US, he was overthrown and assassinated.

  17. Johnson Administration

  18. Gulf of Tonkin

  19. News footage of Gulf of Tonkin incident and Johnson’s response

  20. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Joint Resolution of Congress H.J. RES 1145 August 7, 1964 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. Section 2. The United States regards as vital to its national interest and to world peace the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. Consonant with the Constitution of the United States and the Charter of the United Nations and in accordance with its obligations under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, the United States is, therefore, prepared, as the President determines, to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom. Section 3. This resolution shall expire when the President shall determine that the peace and security of the area is reasonably assured by international conditions created by action of the United Nations or otherwise, except that it may be terminated earlier by concurrent resolution of the Congress

  21. U.S. Troop Deployments in Vietnam

  22. Operation Rolling Thunder Targets?

  23. To escape bombing the VC dug extensive tunnels

  24. General William Westmoreland

  25. US - Search and DestroyVC – Guerilla Warfare

  26. How do you know if you are winning?

  27. Extensive use of helicopters

  28. Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH)

  29. Agent Orange – a defoliant that was used to clear jungle vegetation

  30. Pacification programs sought to win the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese.

  31. The TetOffensive – January 1968 US troops defending the AmericanEmbassy in Saigon

  32. Tet offensive – LBJ’s dilemna Westmoreland asked for 206,000 more troops (an increase of 40%). Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford - “We seem to have a sinkhole. We put in more – they match it. I see more and more fighting with more and more casualties on the US side and no end in sight to the action.” What should Johnson do?

  33. Impact of the TetOffensive – turning point in public opinion/support

  34. Protests

  35. Growing opposition to the draft

  36. Growing opposition to the war and the draft • “We were taking the young Black men who had been crippled by our society and sending them 8000 miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in Southwest Georgia and East Harlem. We have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and White boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same school.”

  37. Muhammad Ali

  38. Uncensored media coverage of Vietnam influenced public opinion

  39. Uncensored media coverage

  40. Changing public opinion Jan 1968 March 1968 Hawks 62% 41% Doves 22% 42%

  41. Nixon Administration

  42. My Lai MassacreIt happened in March of 1968, publicized November of 1969

  43. Protests at Kent State – May 4, 1970

  44. Election of 1968 – The Democrats Lyndon Johnson – Sitting President Eugene McCarthy – anti war platform (appealed to middle class liberals) Robert Kennedy – campaigned against poverty, racism and the war Hubert Humphrey – VP. Joined the race after Johnson dropped out. Kennedy looked like the favorite to win…but what happened?

  45. 1968 Democratic Convention - Chicago

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