Vietnam Background Ho Chi Minh Viet Minh Domino Theory Geneva Accords Ngo Dinh Diem Viet Cong Ho Chi Minh Trail Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

In the beginning…. French missionaries went to Indochina in 19 th cen. Vietnamese persecuted those French Catholics French sent in troops and eventually took over the country

“Uncle Ho” Ho Chi Minh led a movement to oust the French Helped to create the Indochinese Communist Party Worked for a free and independent Vietnam

WWII 1940 French troops left to defend the homeland Japanese took over Vietnam Ho helped to fight Japanese Free and independent Vietnam But…French wanted the country back F. took control of the South Ho took control of the north

First Vietnam War War between French and Communist Commies were led by Ho US sided w/ France Truman sent $15 million in aid to France By 1954, $1billion had gone to help France in Vietnam Ike continued Truman’s policy

Domino Theory Why support this war? Domino theory Ike said that the countries of SE Asia were like dominos; If one fell to communism, they all would. French were forced to surrender at Dien Bien Phu

Geneva Accords Viet Minh & South Vietnam anticommunist nationals Vietnam was temporarily divided at the 17 th parallel Elections were to be held

Saigon Demilitarized Zone (1954)

Elections Diem felt that Ho would win the election because of his immense popularity and cancelled the elections US supported Diem despite his corrupt gov’t Restricted religion to only Catholicism Buddhists were persecuted

More Fighting Former Viet Minh living in South began to attack Diem’s gov’t Diem gave this group a nickname Viet Cong = “Commie” Ho supported VC by Ho Chi Minh trail Supplies sent along the border of Laos and Cambodia-around the DMZ

US gets involved Ike showed some support for Diem Sent in military advisors to help the South Vietnamese Army fight the VC and the NVA JFK showed some support for Diem ,000 military advisors to S. Vietnam Diem became more corrupt & cruel

More US Diem instituted the Strategic Hamlet program Corralled people into controlled villages Controlled by Diem Idea was to deprive VC of support Actually increased support VC were fighting using guerilla warfare tactics Men and women fought

Diem is out US decided that Diem had to go Nov. 1, 1963 US led ousting of Diem Diem was assassinated Death of Diem made the country even more unstable Kennedy was prepared to withdraw troops Deteriorated into a Civil War JFK died and Lyndon B. Johnson took over

Gulf of Tonkin Incident USS Maddox fired upon by N.V. patrol boat Gulf of Tonkin Incident Aug. 2, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident Torpedo missed Maddox returned fire Two days later Maddox reported being fired upon No one saw any gunfire

Gulf of Tonkin cont. Johnson asked Congress for $$ and support to retaliate Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Gave LBJ power to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression” Passed Aug. 7, 1964

Vietnam War LBJ forgot to tell the people or Congress that the US had been conducting raids on North Vietnam Feb “Operation Rolling Thunder” Bombing mission of N. Vietnam Troops began showing up in Vietnam in March By June, 50,000 troops in South Vietnam fighting the VC