Vietnam: Moving Toward Conflict Chapter 22 – Section 1

History of Vietnam Controlled by France before WWII. Occupied by Japan during WWII France sought to again control Vietnam after the war. The Vietnamese people wanted independence. Peter Dewey – an officer in the OSS stated in 1945 “Cochinchina (southern Vietnam) is burning – the French and British are finished here, and we (U.S.) should steer clear of Southeast Asia”

America supports France Contrary to Dewey’s recommendation, the U.S. supported France in their quest to control Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh – the leader of the Vietnamese independence movement – was disappointed in the American decision and looked to communist leaders in China and the USSR for support.

Vietminh vs. French Ho Chi Minh’s Army became known as the “Vietminh.” The goal of the Vietminh was to win Vietnam’s independence from foreign rule. Despite U.S. aid, the French could not retake Vietnam after WWII. The final battle came in 1954 at the city of Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam.

The Geneva Accords With the Vietminh victorious – a peace treaty was arranged in Geneva, Switzerland. The “Geneva Accords” decided to split Vietnam at the 17 th Parallel. Ho Chi Minh would control North Vietnam while anti- communist Ngo Dinh Diem would control South Vietnam.

1956 Elections In addition to dividing Vietnam, the Geneva Accords also arranged for a national election in 1956 between Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem refused to take part in the elections, however, because he sensed that he would lose. The U.S. supported his decision.

Ho Chi Minh & Ngo Dinh Diem

Vietcong By 1957, South Vietnamese, who were at one time anti-communist, began to attack the Diem government. These south Vietnamese were known as “VC” or Vietcong. By 1959, Ho Chi Minh began supplying the VC with weapons. The VC became a source of frustration for the U.S. during the war.

Ho Chi Minh’s Support of the Vietcong Ho Chi Minh was very successful in supplying the VC. He used a series of trails through Laos and Cambodia known as the “Ho Chi Minh Trail.”

Why did the South Vietnamese Change Loyalty? The Diem government was a failure. –Corrupt –No land distribution for the peasants. –Religious persecution –Suppression of any opposition

Why did the U.S. Get Involved? President Eisenhower continued to aid the French in Vietnam because he believed in the Domino Theory: Fear that when one country falls to communism, it will lead to a chain reaction – like a row of dominos.

Kennedy & Vietnam The U.S. increased its involvement in Vietnam through John F. Kennedy’s presidency. Kennedy vowed to “Swim with Diem” Kennedy’s confidence was shaken in Diem, however, because of the actions of the VC and Buddhist Monks. The U.S. eventually supported a military coup of Diem, in which Diem was assassinated. A few weeks later, Kennedy was assassinated.

LBJ & Vietnam Eventually, escalation in Vietnam would be the decision of Lyndon Johnson. Unwilling to watch America lose a war on his watch – Johnson looked for ways to commit the American military to the conflict. He found his reasons in the “Tonkin Gulf Incident”

Tonkin Gulf Resolution The Tonkin Gulf incident is an event that had tremendous political consequences. In an attack that was later deemed “doubtful to have occurred” the U.S. retaliated with massive bombing of North Vietnam. President Johnson also urged Congress to issue the Tonkin Gulf Resolution – which gave LBJ the power to make war.