American involvement in Vietnam.

“Was it worth the cost?”

The Folly of the French French colonialism. Dien Bien Phu. Fortified French garrison taken by the Vietminh. French surrender. Vietnam is divided at the 17th parallel. Containment????

Ho Chi Minh “he who enlightens.” Nationalist or communist leader of Vietnam. Modeled the North Vietnamese Constitution after the Dec. of Indp. and US Constitution.

Ngo Dinh Diem President of South Vietnam from Corrupt. Became an embarrassment to the US. Overthrown in a coup in 1963 and assassinated.

Escalation of the war.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution - 8/64 Destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy are attacked by NV patrol boats. Johnson obtains a “blank check” from Congress allowing attacks on NV without a declaration of war.

“Rolling Thunder”

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning…..”

Air Assault

Airborne

USS Pueblo

Would the US attack North Korea? US intelligence gathering ship. International waters. US involvement in Vietnam. Released after 11 months of torture.

1968 The Tet Offensive

Impact of the Tet Offensive Tactical US victory. “Light at the end of the tunnel.” General Westmoreland Protests. Americans lose faith in the war and in Johnson. 68 election. My Lai

“We had to destroy the village to save it.”

Shifting the Burden Vietnamization: Training and letting the South Vietnamese (ARVN) army fight the war. By 1972, over 500,000 troops were withdrawn. Cambodian & Laoatian problem: NVA sanctuaries. Nixon orders US troops and planes to attack. Strong protest reaction across the country.

American protest movement

The Protest Movement Mixture of peace and violence. Kent State. May 4th,

The end of a long struggle 1973 Paris Peace Agreement. Wityhrawal of US troops. Reunification by peaceful means. Status quo of territory. Communist victories come to Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos by 1975

The Year: Tet Offensive. 1968Request for 206,000 more troops. 1968Robert Kennedy enters the presidential race. 1968Johnson announces halt of bombing over North Vietnam and also announces his intention not to run for another term.

68 continues 1968Martin Luther King assassinated, April FBI launches a campaign (Code named COINTELPRO) to counter the growing antiwar movement. 1968Robert Kennedy assassinated. 1968Demonstrations at Democratic convention in Chicago.

68 continues 1968Johnson stops all bombing of North Vietnam. 1968Richard Nixon narrowly defeats Hubert Humphrey in the presidential election.