 Vietnam is a small nation in SE Asia  It, along with Cambodia and Laos, made up French Indochina  They were all colonies of the French  Vietnam is mountainous and the climate is that of a tropical rainforest

 Vietnam was taken by Japan in WWII  France regained territory after the war  Nationalistic feelings by the Vietnamese led to a national uprising against the French

 The leader of the Vietnamese nationalists was Ho Chi Minh.  His followers were known as the Vietminh  His efforts at independence were backed by the USSR  In 1947, Ho Chi Minh led his people in a war against France.

 The U.S. backed France - Why???  Ho Chi Minh was communist  In 1954, the French launched an attack at the city of Dienbienphu.  The French were massacred  The Geneva Conference divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel.

 North Vietnam was communist and it’s leader was Ho Chi Minh - (Hanoi)  South Vietnam was democratic and it’s president was Ngo Dinh Diem - (Saigon)  In 1956, President Eisenhower, of the U.S., committed 700 military advisors to the South  We trained the ARVN Army - South Viet

 Ngo Dinh Diem turned out to be a corrupt leader in the South.  Diem was known to openly persecute Buddhists.  He also was believed to have pocketed much of the aid we sent to the South  We continued to back Diem

 When President Kennedy came to office, he increased $$ and advisors to Vietnam  S. Vietnam’s army was ineffective against the Vietcong or VC (S. Vietnamese guerillas)  The North Vietnamese Army relied heavily on the VC to infiltrate the South

 Kennedy was assassinated in  Lyndon B. Johnson became President and  Stepped up involvement in Vietnam  Increased U.S. troops to 23,000  Based his foreign policy on the domino theory  Belief that if one nation falls to communism it will have a domino effect - all fall.

 In 1964, Johnson went to Congress asking for permission to fight in Vietnam.  He claimed an American ship was fired upon in the Gulf of Tonkin. (Twice)  Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - Pres. wages war w/out declaration from Congress.

 By 1965, we had 50,000 ground troops fighting in Vietnam.  U.S. began extensive bombings in North Vietnam.  By 1967, Johnson instituted a military draft  Unfair - many were exempt  U.S. involvement at all time high

 From ‘71, U.S. forces grew enormous  The draft proved to be very unpopular  Our purpose in Vietnam was clear - contain communism  However, our military objectives were not.

 As fighting grew more intense in Vietnam, civil unrest at home reached a fever pitch  Why?  #1 - The media was there covering the war  #2 - Americans saw terrors of war daily  #3 - Confusion as to our goals  #4 - Varying degrees of fear of communism

 U.S. population split between Hawks and Doves  Hawks - pro-military involvement in Vietnam to contain communism  Doves - anti-military involvement in Vietnam regardless of consequences  With difficulty abroad, things were not much better at home.

 The nature of the warfare was difficult for our soldiers - Why?  #1 - Guerilla warfare with people who have been fighting on their land for 20 years  #2 - The Vietcong (VC) were very elusive  #3 - No clear battle lines - we held the day; they held the night  #4 - Tours of Duty

 #5 - Growing unrest at home  #6 -Dissention in the ranks between officers and their men  #7 - Drug use by the soldiers  #8 - Supply lines for Vietcong (Ho Chi Minh Trail) went thru Laos and Cambodia  #9 - My Lai Massacre - our soldiers were seen as baby killers at home. Hanoi Jane Fonda

 Early in 1968, VC launched a simultaneous attack in many cities.  US and ARVN forces maintained control of each city, but sustained heavy losses.  Americans were growing more weary of the news.  Tet was militarily a loss for VC, but a PR victory.

 In order to make an honorable withdrawal, we had to slow down the North. Nixon:  A. Stepped up bombing in the North  B. Tried to block the Ho Chi Minh Trail  C. Ordered targets in Laos and Cambodia  We finally began to withdraw troops in ‘74 and ‘75  Diem was assassinated in ’63 and replaced by a slew of military officers.

Richard Nixon was elected President in ‘72 with the understanding that the U.S. would withdraw with honor. Nixon’s plan was called Vietnamization. He wanted to make this a war among the Vietnamese. With protests at home and heavy casualties in Vietnam, the war was a political mess

 In March of 1975, after the resignation of Nixon, Saigon fell to the communists.  President Ford announced that the Vietnam War era was over.  But veterans continued to suffer from the effects of war. No parades or fanfare.  Civil War in Cambodia led to over 1 million deaths at the hands of Pol Pot (Khmer Rouge)