Moving Toward Conflict: Vietnam 22-1

Main Idea To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the US used its military to support South Vietnam. Domino theory stated that the US had to intervene in order to keep Southeast Asia from becoming communist.

Why It Matters Now The US’ support role in Vietnam began what would become America’s longest and most controversial war in its history.

America Supports France in Vietnam The French had controlled Vietnam before WWII. After WWII, an independence movement started that was communist in nature. The US wanted to contain the spread of communism and stop the “dominoes from falling,” so we supplied the French with economic and military support to keep down the rebellion.

French Rule in Vietnam French colonists in Vietnam owned plantations and exploited the labor of the Vietnamese farmers. Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader, worked to create an independence movement to get rid of French rule. His Vietminh helped him to organize the movement.

France Battles the Vietminh France didn’t want to give up Vietnam, so for approx. the next 10 years they fought the Vietminh for control of Vietnam. The US pumped nearly $1 billion into France’s war effort in 4 years.

The Vietminh Drive out the French The French were forced to surrender to the Vietminh after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May of Other countries quickly scrambled to contain communism. The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam in half much like the Korean peninsula, with the north being held by the Vietminh and the south being controlled by anti-communists supported by the USA.

The USA Steps In The US provided military and economic aid (Truman policy) to South Vietnam. The leadership in the south proved to be corrupt. Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of South Vietnam, suppressed opposition of any kind and restricted Buddhist practices, angering many people.

Kennedy and Vietnam As the south became more unstable due to Diem’s unpopular leadership, growing attacks from the north, lack of land reform and violent persecution of Buddhists, Diem began to loose the support of the USA. The US wanted South Vietnam to cancel their elections because we were afraid the Communists would win. Diem was assassinated in a US-supported military coup.

President Johnson Expands the Conflict Kennedy is assassinated a few weeks after Diem, so Johnson takes power. Johnson was afraid of being seen as “soft” on communism. In August of 1964, the USS Maddox, which was patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin off of the North Vietnamese coast, was fired at on two different occasions.

President Johnson Expands the Conflict The alleged attacks prompted President Johnson to launch bombing strikes on North Vietnam. He asked Congress to give him powers to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression.”

President Johnson Expands the Conflict Congress adopted the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in reply to Johnson’s request. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution allowed Johnson broad military powers in Vietnam without any timeline for ending the conflict or oversight on the powers of the president by Congress.

President Johnson Expands the Conflict By Feb. 1965, the President unleashed “Operation Rolling Thunder,” the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam. By March, the first US combat troops were arriving in South Vietnam. By June, more than 50,000 US soldiers were battling the Vietcong, the Vietnamese Communist Military.