From Aid to Intervention Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated in August 1963 JFK was assassinated in November 1963 LBJ inherited the Vietnam conflict 16,000 U.S. troops were in Vietnam by 1963 Within his first year, LBJ increased the U.S. commitment by 10,000 troops

Summary Sentence: “LBJ Speaks to the Nation” Write a summary sentence on the message LBJ gave the to the U.S. about our involvement in Vietnam. – What event led to increased support? (military) – Why are we increasing our support? (non-military)

WAIMH: LBJ and Vietnam

Johnson and Vietnam On Aug. 2, 1964, two U.S. destroyers were torpedoed by N. Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin LBJ ordered U.S. aircraft to attack N. Vietnam ships Aug. 7  Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution  – What powers does the resolution give to the president? – What is the interest of the U.S. in Vietnam?

A Bloody Stalemate Emerges March 1965  Operation Rolling Thunder started a constant bombing of N. Vietnam By 1966, over 300,000 troops were fighting in Vietnam Vietcong used ambushes and guerilla warfare within the jungles U.S. used napalm to set fire and Agent Orange to decay trees, shrubs, farmland, and forest on fire

North Vietnam began sending supplies and soldiers to South Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh trail to aid the Vietcong LBJ refused to invade N. Vietnam in fear of China entering the war Hard for U.S. to win the war by not trying to conquer N. Vietnam

DQ: Vietnam How did Lyndon Johnson fundamentally change the nature of U.S. involvement in Vietnam? Was this, then, “Lyndon Johnson’s war?”

The Quagmire Deepens By 1967, 500,000 U.S. soldier were in Vietnam – About 20,000 Americans had been killed Most U.S. officials believed the communists could not withhold the U.S. militarily Soviet Union and China aid North Vietnam The Viet Cong was strong in the South Search and destroy missions were used to find Vietcong living in villages About 4 million Vietnamese were put into refugee camps while the U.S. dropped 3 million tons of bombs on North and South Vietnam

Summary: Acrostic V I E T N A M W A R