1. Section 2: US Involvement and Escalation

2. Section 2 Homework Quiz
Who was William Westmoreland? Why did he want more troops in Vietnam? What was the main US advantage in Vietnam? What was our weakness?

3. Who Is the Enemy? NVA: North Vietnamese Army Vietcong:
Farmers by day; guerillas at night.
Very patient people willing to accept many casualties.
The US grossly underestimated their resolve and their resourcefulness.
The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the conventional army loses if it does not win Mao Zedong

4. Who Is the Enemy?

5. The Ground War 1965-1968 No territorial goals
Body counts on TV every night (first “living room” war)
Viet Cong supplies over the Ho Chi Minh Trail

7. Credibility Gap?: We can see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”
The Ground War
General Westmoreland, late 1967:
Credibility Gap?: We can see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”

9. The Air War 1965-1968 1965: Sustained bombing of North Vietnam
Operation Rolling Thunder (March 2, 1965)
: Ongoing bombing of Hanoi nonstop for 3 years! Esp. targets the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Downed Pilots: P.O.W.s
Carpet Bombing – napalm

11. The Air War: A Napalm Attack

12. War of Attrition Westmoreland hoping to destroy morale
VC would not quit
US never lost a battle in Vietnam, but we did not win war
The Vietnamese were fighting for their country, we were not.
US soldiers did all that was asked of them, but could not fight the war the way they needed too

13. Hearts and Minds Need to win over the people to win the war
Our weapons were not making friends
Napalm
Search and Destroy
Never learned about people

14. Sinking Morale US troops morale sunk Some turned to drugs
Corruption of SV gov.
Fulfilling a patriotic duty

15. Great Society not looking so Great
War grew more costly
New taxes TV
Credibility Gap;
Fullbright: Pres was not being honest
America is lost and was splitting