Chapter 22 Section 2 Johnson increases Involvement 1965 – Johnson and his foreign policy advisors decide to send troops to fight Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and Congress strongly supported Johnson’s strategy Americans supported Johnson’s containment of communism 61% supported

Chapter 22 Section 2 Johnson increases Involvement By the end of 1965 – 180,000 Americans were sent to Vietnam William Westmoreland – American commander in Vietnam continued requesting more troops and was not impressed with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) By 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

Chapter 22 Section 2 Fighting in the Jungle US thought its superior weaponry would lead it to victory, but the Jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics turned the war into a stalemate Vietcong used hit and run and ambush tactics Vietcong had a network of elaborate tunnels and connected villages to launch surprise attacks The jungle was laced with booby traps and land mines The US had laid land mines throughout the jungle Vietcong reused American mines Nerve-racking for US troops to walk through the jungle

Chapter 22 Section 2 A War of Attrition The strategy was to destroy the Vietcong morale It had become a war of attrition – gradually wearing down the enemy with continuous harassment Americans used a body count to keep track of the number of Vietcong deaths Vietcong had no intention of quitting The Vietcong received supplies from China and USSR The US misunderstood the Vietcong – it was a battle for existence

Chapter 22 Section 2 Battle For Hearts and Minds US began a campaign to win the “hearts and minds” of S. Vietnamese villagers They hoped it would keep them from supporting the Vietcong US planes dropped napalm- a Gasoline based chemical that set fire to the jungle US sprayed Agent Orange to kill the jungle These chemicals wounded civilians and left their villages in ruins Agent Orange Deformity

Chapter 22 Section 2 Search and destroy missions US troops uproot civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong and burned their villages Villagers fled to cities or refugee camps Sinking Morale US troops’ morale sunk and was frustrated with guerilla warfare and brutal jungle condition and failure to make substantial headway against enemy Some soldiers believed in the cause, but many soldiers were legally required to fight a war they did not support and turned to alcohol and drugs

Chapter 22 Section 2 The War at Home Great Society Suffered The war was costly and the US economy suffered and inflation rate jumped to 5.5% Johnson asked for a tax increase to help fund the war and check inflation Congress agreed, but only if the funding for Great Society programs was reduced Living Room War – combat footage appeared on the nightly news Quoted body count statistics Americans saw images on TV that did not match up with the optimistic gov. reports

Chapter 22 Section 2 Quiz 1.) When were the first combat troops sent to Vietnam? a b c ) What was American’s views on sending combat troops to Vietnam at the beginning? a. 61% agreed b. 61% disagreed c. 80% disagreed 3.) By the end of 1965, how many troops had we sent to Vietnam? a. 180,000 b. 500,000 c. 250,000 4.) By the end of 1967, how many troops had we sent to Vietnam? a. 250,000 b. 180,000 c. 500,000 5.) What type of war tactics did the Vietcong use? a. They were dominated by the air raids b. Get there first with the most men c. Hit and run and ambush tactics 6.) What had the Vietcong created to allow them the access needed to launch surprise attacks on the allied forces? a. Elaborate tunnels and connected villages b. Elaborate Naval equipment such as stealth boats to land quietly on the beaches c. Elaborate air force equipment to carry out stealth like air raids 7.) What were some of the dangers of the jungles in Vietnam? _________________________________________ 8.) Name one way in which the Allied forces tried to break the morale of the Viet Cong. a. They kept a body count to let them know how many of their soldiers had been killed b. They tried to show military superiority by bombing North Vietnam c. All of the Above 9.) Who were the Vietcong getting supplies from? a. Japan and Cuba b. Germany and France c. China and Russia 10.) What was the Viet Cong fighting for? a. They were fighting for democracy b. They were fighting for their independence c. They were fighting to make sure they did not come under U.S. rule

Chapter 22 Section 2 Quiz con’t. 11.) Name the gasoline based chemical that burned Vietcong villages? a. Agent Orange b. Napalm c. Anthrax 12.) What did the Allied forces spray to kill the jungle? a. Agent Orange b. Napalm c. Anthrax 13.) Name one unintended consequence of using these chemicals? a. It made the allied forces equipment not work right b. It killed innocent women and children in nearby villages c. It made it harder to gain the support of the North Vietnamese people 14.) What happened to U.S. troops morale during the Vietnam war? a. It stayed high b. It stayed the same c. It began to lower as the war went on 15.) What happened to many soldiers because of their experience in the Vietnam war? a. Many became communist when they realized how unjust the U.S. troops had been b. Many migrated to South Vietnam to continue to fight against the Vietcong c. Many turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with what they had witnessed 16.) What Government program lost funding during the Vietnam war? a. The New Deal b. The Great Society c. The NAACP 17.) Give one name this war was given? a. The Video War b. The Technology War c. The Living Room War 18.) Name one way in which the American people began to distrust the government. a. People saw the Vietnam War events differently than they were being reported b. People believed that the Government lied about the draft c. People believed that the Government sent us to war although the majority of America disagreed at the time of entering the war. 19.) What part of Vietnam was the Vietcong fighting from? a. North Vietnam b. South Vietnam c. The 17th parallel 20.) Name the major way the Vietnam war was funded? a. The South Vietnamese funded most of the war for the Allies b. Raising taxes c. The French funded most of the war for the Allies