1. The Vietnam War

2. French colonial governments had ruled most of Indochina since the 1800s.
The French exploited Indochina’s wealth by owning plantations, claiming mineral rights, and imposing high taxes. 2

3. Ho Chi Minh Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh
worked to free Vietnam from French colonial rule.
Led the Viet Minh
Unable to get support from western nations, he embraced communism and received support from Soviet communists.
Established a communist government in North Vietnam

4. Origins of the War
The United States became involved in Vietnam for several reasons.
1. The United States wanted France as an ally in the Cold War so we support them
2. The United States also wanted to fight the spread of communism.

5. In 1954, President Eisenhower introduced the domino theory, which said that if Vietnam became communist, its closest neighbors would follow.
If communism spread throughout the region, Eisenhower feared, it could threaten Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. 5

6. Despite U.S. financial support, the French were defeated by Vietminh forces at Dien Bien Phu.
The Vietminh hammered at French forces and laid siege to the base for 55 days.
After suffering more than 15,000 casualties, the French surrendered on May 7, 1954.
In the peace accord that followed, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam gained independence from France.

7. Vietnam was divided into two countries.
Ho Chi Minh’s communist government ruled North Vietnam.
An anticommunist government, supported by the United States, ruled South Vietnam.

8. Signed anti-Buddhist laws
South Vietnam’s president, Ngo Dinh Diem, was not a popular leader.
A group of rebel guerilla fighters, called the Vietcong (VC) by Americans, formed to oppose the Diem government
He was corrupt
Signed anti-Buddhist laws

9. Kennedy and Vietnam
In 1961, President Kennedy sent Special Forces (Green Berets) to help fight the Vietcong.
The U.S. also sent financial aid.
The Diem government remained unpopular, however, and the Kennedy administration worked behind the scenes to remove Diem from power.

10. Johnson’s Blank Check Kennedy dies and Johnson inherits Vietnam
Gulf of Tonkin Incident: It is reported that North Vietnam fired on a U.S. ship in the Gulf of Tonkin
Johnson orders an airstrike
Johnson asks Congress for more war powers
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
It allowed him to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam.
It enabled him to fight a war against North Vietnam without asking Congress for a declaration of war. 10

11. Fighting in Vietnam

12. Johnson Administration 1963-1969
Escalation
More money
More troops (500,000 in1967)
Bombing Campaign: Operation Rolling Thunder

13. Hardships of War Low morale Jungle Fighting Anyone could be the enemy
Fighting a constantly moving enemy
Psychology issues
Addictions
Disease
Lack of support from the home front

14. Napalm: jellied gasoline that burned Used to clear villages and jungle
How did we fight in the jungles?
Napalm: jellied gasoline that burned Used to clear villages and jungle
Phuc sustained third-degree burns to half her body and was not expected to live. After surviving a 14-month hospital stay and 17 operations, Phuc eventually recovered.
Napalm is the most terrible pain you can imagine," said Kim Phuc. “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Napalm generates temperatures of 800 to 1,200 degrees Celsius.“
The village was suspected by US Army forces of being a Viet Cong stronghold. Kim Phuc survived by tearing off her burning clothes.

15. Agent Orange was the nickname given to a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. Cropdusting in Vietnam during Operation Ranch Hand lasted from 1962 to 1971.

16. The Uncertain Enemy
· Jungle warfare was difficult, and it was hard to locate the enemy.
·It was very difficult to identify which South Vietnamese were our allies and which were supporting the Vietcong.
Ex Vietcong showing secret tunnels, November 7, 2004

17. Nixon Administration 1969-1974
“Honorable” end to the war
Vietnamization: turn the fighting back to the Vietnamese
BUT Secretly bombing Cambodia
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Peace negotiations
U.S. troops withdrawn in 1973
South Vietnam “fell” 1975
War Powers Act of 1973