Vietnam War Road to Vietnam

Ho Chi MinhVC North Vietnamese Soldier

Soviet Supplied Weapons

Booby Traps

Protests

I. Why did Kennedy support the war? 1.Reassert American military might. 2.N. Vietnam  communist aggressor and Soviet pawn. 3.Believed in “limited brushfire wars”. 4.Special Forces 5.Before they developed into nuclear war.

II. Escalation of U.S. Involvment Allies sign the Atlantic Charter: 1.U.S. rejects colonialism —Vietnam declares independence 1.Ending100 years of occupation —China becomes Communist

Escalation (cont’d) —U.S.  “Pacific Rim” from Communism —France loses its empire in S.E. Asia 6.Dien Bien Phu Geneva Conference 8.Make Laos and Cambodia ind. countries. 9.TEMPORARILY divide Vietnam at the 17 th parallel. 10.N. and S. Vietnam  free elections in 1956 to reunited the country under a single government.

Escalation (cont’d) —U.S. prevents free elections in Vietnam. 1.U.S. fears Ho Chi Minh and the communists would be voted into power. 8.Domino Theory —780 military advisors are in S. Vietnam. “advisors” in support of Ngo Dinh Diem.

Escalation (cont’d) —LBJ continues JFK’s support of S. Vietnam —Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1.Gave LBJ power to “prevent further agression.” 2.Use of more troops 3.Did not need Congressional approval —LBJ begins aerial bombardment & direct involvement of U.S. ground troops.

12. March , the first US combat troops arrived in Vietnam ,000 troops by years end

III. TET —Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) 1.39 U.S. bases; S. Vietnam. 2.Demonstrated the NVA was: 1.Better equipped 2.Better trained 3.More determined to win the war 3.War not almost over.

TET (cont’d) 2. Psychological victory for NVA 3. Beginning of the end for U.S. 4. LBJ lost half his support; did not run again in ’68

IV. Counterculture & Anti-War Movements 1.Break away from conformity 2.Long hair; clothing parents didn’t like  Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)  Free Speech Movement 1.Protest University policies 2.Lectured on social issues from civil rights to Vietnam

Counterculture (cont’d) Woodstock 6.Hendrix, Joplin Dylan 7.“Flower Children” 8.Protest Vietnam 1.“Make love not war”

Counterculture(cont’d) 9.Sexual Revolution 10.Casual Sex, multiple partners!! —National Organization for Women (NOW); Betty Friedan : Equal Rights Amendment 1.No discrimination based on sex. 2.Fails many times…even today.

V. Nixon & the End of the Vietnam War : Nixon Pres. 2.1 st issue  Vietnam 3.How to have “honorable peace”? 4.Vietnamization: Turn war over to S. Vietnam  500,  under 30,000

Nixon Years (cont’d) Ho Chi Minh Trail Bombing in Cambodia  Kent State ↓

Nixon Years (cont’d) 9.My Lai Massacre 10.“Baby Killers”

Nixon Years (cont’d) : Pentagon Papers; leaked by Daniel Ellsberg to NY Times 1.Congress lied during LBJ 2.War to avoid embarrassment 3.Truth of Gulf of Tonkin 12.Nixon  get out ASAP 13.Peace talks begin…but breakdown

Nixon Years (cont’d) 14.“Christmas Bombings” 15.March 29, 1973: last US troops leave Vietnam

Nixon Years (cont’d) 16.March 29, 1973  Nixon Resigns 17.April 1975 Saigon falls to Communists ↓

VI. Costs 1.58,000 US KIA 2.2,600 MIA 3.300,000 WIA million+ Vietnamese KIA 5.$176 billion 6.U.S. couldn’t defend freedom around the world. 7.American $ and technology could not do everything 8.U.S. will be haunted until 1991 Gulf War

Costs (cont’d 9.War Powers Act 1.Limit pres. power to wage war w/out Congressional ok