The Vietnam War Years 1954-1975

America Supports France 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 17th Parallel Election to unify the country scheduled for 1956

THE US Steps in 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

LBJ Expands the Conflict 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

LBJ Increases US Involvement Troop Build Up Escalates LBJ’s advisors encourage troop build up Sec of Defense – Robert McNamara Sec of State – Dean Rusk The majority of Americans support LBJ’s early Vietnam policies 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

LBJ Increases US Involvement

Fighting in the Jungle An Elusive Enemy A Frustrating War of Attrition 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 A Frustrating War of Attrition Westmoreland tries to destroy Vietcong morale through attrition Vietcong receive supplies from China & the USSR – remain defiant US sees the war as a military struggle – the Vietcong view it as a battle for survival

Fighting in the Jungle The Battle for “Hearts & Minds” The US wants to stop the Vietcong from winning the support of the rural population Weapons 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 Sinking Morale Fulfilling a Duty Guerilla warfare, jungle conditions, & lack of progress work to lower US morale Many soldiers turn to alcohol & drugs for relief Fulfilling a Duty Most US soldiers believe there is justice in halting the spread of communism Fight courageously

The Early War at home The Great Society Suffers The Living Room War The war grows more costly as troops numbers increase LBJ gets a tax increase to help pay for the war & check inflation He must accept a $6 billion funding cut for his Great Society programs The Living Room War 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 Senator J. William Fulbright’s hearings add to doubts about the war

The Early War at home

The Working Class goes to war A “Manipulatable” Draft The Selective Service System, draft, calls men 18-26 to military service Thousands look for ways to avoid the draft Many – mostly white & affluent – get college deferments 80% of US soldiers come from lower economic levels

The working class goes to war African Americans in Vietnam African Americans serve in disproportionate numbers in ground combat The Defense Department corrects the problem by instituting the draft lottery in 1969 Racial tensions were high in many platoons – added to low troop morale Women Join the Ranks More than 10,000 women volunteer to serve in Vietnam – mostly as military nurses

The roots of opposition The New Left New Left: Youth movement of the 1960s Includes the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) & the Free Speech Movement (FSM) Critical of big business & government Want greater individual freedoms Campus Activism New Left ideas are popular on college campuses Students protest a variety of issues, including the Vietnam War

The protest movement emerges The Movement Grows 1965: Protest marches & rallies draw tens of thousands 1966: Student deferments require good academic standing SDS calls for civil disobedience Small numbers of returning veterans protest Protest songs From Protest to Resistance Antiwar demonstrations & protests increase – some become violent Some men burn their draft cards & refuse to serve, some flee to Canada

The protest movement emerges

The protest movement emerges War Divides the Nation Doves: Strongly oppose the war, believe the US should withdraw Hawks: Favor sending greater forces to win the war 1967: The majority of Americans support the war & consider the protesters to be disloyal Johnson Remains Determined LBJ slow escalation of the war is criticized by both hawks & doves Combat stalemate leads Defense Secretary McNamara to resign

The tet offensive 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 LBJ appoints Clifford Clark as the new Secretary of Defense Concludes the war is unwinnable LBJ’s popularity drops – 60% disapprove of his handling of the war

Days of loss & rage Election of 1968 Violence & Protest 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

A Turbulent Race Turmoil in Chicago Vice president Hubert Humphrey wins the Democratic nomination Over 100,000 demonstrators go to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley mobilizes the police & the National Guard Protestors try to march to the convention – beaten by the police – riots Convention delegates divided over the Party’s antiwar plank

A Turbulent Race

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

Nixon & Vietnamization 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

Trouble on the home front 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

The war ends “Peace is at Hand” The Final Push The Fall of Saigon 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

A painful legacy American Veterans Cope Further Turmoil in Asia 58,000 Americans & over 2 million Vietnamese die in the war Returning veterans face indifference & hostility at home About 15% develop post-traumatic stress disorder Further Turmoil in Asia Communists put 400,000 South Vietnamese in labor camps 1.5 million flee the country Civil war erupts in Cambodia – Khmer Rouge seize power Hope to establish a peasant society Kill at least 1 million people

A painful legacy 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