THE VIETNAM WAR YEARS

French Rule in Vietnam  Late 1800s – WWII: France rules most of Indochina  Ho Chi Minh: Leader of the Vietnamese independence movement  Helps to create the Indochinese Communist Party  1940: Japanese take control of Vietnam  Vietminh: Organization that aims to rid Vietnam of foreign rulers  September 1945: Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam an independent nation AMERICA SUPPORTS FRANCE

French Battle the Vietminh  French troops move into Vietnam  Fight to regain cities in the South  1950: US begins economic aid to France in an effort to stop the spread of communism Vietminh Drive Out the French  1954: Vietminh overrun the French at Dien Bien Phu  France surrenders  The Geneva Accords divide Vietnam at the 17 th Parallel  Election to unify the country scheduled for 1956 AMERICA SUPPORTS FRANCE

Diem Cancels Elections  Ho Chi Minh won popular support in the North by breaking up large estates & redistributing land to the peasants  South Vietnam’s anti-communist president – Ngo Dinh Diem – refuses to participate in the election  US promises military aid & training in return for a stable government in the South  Diem is corrupt, stifles opposition, & restricts Buddhism  1957: Vietcong – a Communist opposition group in the South – kills government officials  1959: Ho Chi Minh sends arms to the Vietcong along the Ho Chi Minh Trail THE US STEPS IN

Kennedy & Vietnam  Like Eisenhower, Kennedy backs Diem financially & sends military advisors  Diem’s popularity plummets due to corruption & the lack of land reform  Starts a strategic hamlet program to fight the Vietcong  Continues attacks on Buddhism – monks burn themselves in protest  November 1963: US supported military coup topples the government  Diem is assassinated THE US STEPS IN

The South Grows More Unstable  A succession of military rulers take control in the South Tonkin Gulf Resolution  In response to an alleged attack on the USS Maddox, LBJ asks for increased military powers  1964: Tonkin Gulf Resolution gives the president a “blank check”  February 1965: Operation Rolling Thunder orders sustained bombing of the North  March 1965: US combat troops enter Vietnam LBJ EXPANDS THE CONFLICT

Troop Build Up Escalates  Late 1965: General William Westmoreland – US commander in South Vietnam  Thinks the Southern Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) is ineffective  Requests increasing numbers of American troops  The majority of Americans support LBJ’s early Vietnam policies LBJ INCREASES US INVOLVEMENT

An Elusive Enemy  Vietcong use hit-&-run, ambush tactics & move among civilians  Use tunnels to help withstand airstrikes, launch attacks, & connect villages  Lace the terrain with booby traps & land mines FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE

The Battle for “Hearts & Minds”  The US wants to stop the Vietcong from winning the support of the rural population  However, tactics for exposing tunnels often wound civilians & destroy villages  Napalm: A Gasoline-based bomb that sets fire to the jungle  Agent Orange: A leaf-killing, toxic chemical  Search & destroy missions move civilians & destroy property  Forces villagers into the cities & refugee camps  By 1967, there are over 3 million Vietnamese refugees FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE

War Divides the Nation  Combat footage on nightly TV news shows the stark picture of war  Critics talk of a credibility gap between the administration’s reports and events on the ground  This uncensored access to information leads to protest marches & rallies against the war  Doves: Strongly oppose the war, believe the US should withdraw  Hawks: Favor sending greater forces to win the war THE PROTEST MOVEMENT EMERGES

A surprise Attack  1968: Villagers go to the cities to celebrate Tet – Vietnamese new year  The Vietcong hide among the crowds & attack over 100 towns & 12 US air bases  The Tet Offensive lasts 1 month before the US & South Vietnam regain control  General Westmoreland announces that the attacks are a military defeat for the Vietcong THE TET OFFENSIVE

Public Opinion Changes  After the Tet Offensive, fewer Americans support the war  The mainstream media begins to openly criticize the war  Walter Cronkite says the war is unwinnable  LBJ’s popularity drops – 60% disapprove of his handling of the war THE TET OFFENSIVE

Election of 1968  Senator Eugene McCarthy runs for the Democratic nomination as a dove  Senator Robert Kennedy enters the race after LBJ’s poor showing in New Hampshire  March: LBJ announces that he will not seek reelection Violence & Protest  April: Riots rock over 100 cities after Martin Luther King’s assassination  June: Kennedy is fatally shot after winning the CA primary DAYS OF LOSS & RAGE

Turmoil in Chicago  Vice president Hubert Humphrey wins the Democratic nomination  Over 100,000 demonstrators go to Chicago  Protestors try to march to the convention – beaten by the police – riots A TURBULENT RACE

Nixon Triumphs  Former vice president Richard Nixon wins the Republican nomination  Promises to restore law & order & to end the war in Vietnam  Governor George Wallace runs as an independent candidate  Champions segregation & states’ rights  Nixon wins the presidency A TURBULENT RACE

The Pullout Begins  President Richard Nixon is disappointed in the negotiations over Vietnam  National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger works on a new plan  Vietnamization – US troops withdraw while South Vietnamese troops take over “Peace with Honor”  Nixon calls for “peace with honor” to maintain US dignity  Orders the bombing of North Vietnam & Vietcong hideouts in Laos & Cambodia NIXON & VIETNAMIZATION

Mainstream America  Silent majority: Moderate, mainstream people who support the war The My Lai Massacre  News breaks that a US platoon massacred civilians in My Lai village  Lt. William Calley, Jr. is convicted & imprisoned The Invasion of Cambodia  1970: US troops invade Cambodia to clear out enemy supply centers  1.5 million protesting college students close down 1,200 campuses TROUBLE ON THE HOME FRONT

Violence on Campus  1970: US National Guard kills 4 in a confrontation at Kent State University in Ohio  1970: Guardsmen kill 2 during a confrontation at Jackson State in Mississippi The Pentagon Papers  Nixon invades Cambodia – Congress repeals the Tonkin Gulf Resolution  Pentagon Papers reveal that the government had not been honest about its intentions regarding war  New York Times Co. v. Sullivan: Prohibits prior restraint TROUBLE ON THE HOME FRONT

“Peace is at Hand”  1971: 60% think the US should withdraw from Vietnam by the end of the year  1972: US attacks North Vietnam  Kissinger agrees to a complete withdrawal of US troops – “Peace is at hand” The Final Push  South Vietnam rejects Kissinger’s plan – talks break off & bombing resumes  Congress calls for an end to war – peace is signed in January 1973 The Fall of Saigon  Cease-fire breaks down – South surrenders after the North invades in 1975 THE WAR ENDS

The Legacy of Vietnam  US government abolishes the military draft  1973: Congress passes the War Powers Act  President must inform Congress with 48 hours of deploying troops  Congress must approve within 90 days  The war contributes to US cynicism about government & political leaders A PAINFUL LEGACY