1. American History II - Unit 7 Ms. Brown
Vietnam & the 1970s
American History II - Unit 7
Ms. Brown

2. 7.1 – Conflict in Vietnam

3. France and Vietnam
Formerly known as French Indochina – a French colony
Post-WWII Indochina wanted independence  French army vs. Vietminh
Vietnamese freedom fighters led by communist Ho Chi Minh

4. US and Vietnam
US didn’t support French colonialism, but also did not support Ho Chi Minh’s communism
US stayed out of the conflict until China and North Korea became communist by 1953  financial aid to France to fight Vietminh
Post-WWII presidents believed in the Domino Theory – the idea that if one country falls to communism, the surrounding countries will fall too.
Provides support for US containment policies

5. France Falls
1954 – Vietminh defeat French forces at Dien Bien Phu  French decided to leave Vietnam
Vietminh used guerilla warfare - irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as armed civilians or irregulars use unorthodox military tactics to fight a larger, less-mobile traditional military
Ambushes
Sabotage
Raids
Hit-and-run
Booby traps

6. Geneva Accords
1954 – Meeting in Geneva between French and Vietminh (plus US, GB, USSR, and China)
Indochina  3 countries
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Vietnam  2 sections
North Vietnam (NV) – Communist, led by Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam (SV) – Pro-western nationalist, led by Ngo Dinh Diem

7. US and Diem
Elections in Vietnam set for 1956 to unify the north and south BUT Diem refused to hold elections
Feared Ho would win and Vietnam would be communist
US (Eisenhower) supported Diem
Believed he could turn SV into a strong independent nation
Supplied financial aid
Diem was a terrible leader
Corrupt administration
No opposing views

8. Vietcong
emergence of the Vietcong - Communist rebel group in SV
Fought against Diem in SV
Supported by Ho and NV
Received NV weapons via the Ho Chi Minh Trail - intricate system of paths running between NV and SV
Effective with guerilla warfare  Diem looked to the US to help fight Vietcong

9. Diem’s Unpopularity No follow-through on promised land reforms
Seen was weak for not defeating Vietcong
Suppressed opposing views
Diem was Catholic and persecuted Buddhists
Destroyed temples, imprisoned Buddhists
In response, some Buddhist monks committed self-immolation – killing oneself as a sacrifice (usually by fire)

10. JFK and Vietnam
1960 – JFK as POTUS, needed to appear tough on communism  increased aid to Vietnam and urged Diem to make democratic reforms (little effect)
As SV became more unstable, JFK’s administration agreed Diem should step down  Nov. 2, 1963 – US CIA supported SV military leaders overthrew Diem and executed him
Execution was against JFK’s wishes
Nov. 22, 1963 – JFK assassinated… LBJ inherits Vietnam crisis

11. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Diem’s successors were not successful either, but LBJ continued to supply aid
Contradictory to JFK’s plans to begin withdrawing aid to SV
LBJ determined not to let SV fall to communism
August 2-4, 1964 – LBJ informed that NV ships fired on US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin twice and US ships fired back
LBJ wanted to begin a bombing campaign on NV, but needed a provoking incident and permission from Congress (war powers)

12. Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Tonkin Gulf Resolution – August 7, Congress granted LBJ military powers in Vietnam without a declaration of war
Authorized the president to “take all necessary measure to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent future aggression.”
Essentially begins the “Vietnam War”
2005 declassified report revealed that the 2nd attack never happened
Feb 1965 – 8 Americans killed by Vietcong in SV  “Operation Rolling Thunder” – 1st sustained bombing campaign of NV
By June 1965, over 50,000 US troops in SV fighting the Vietcong

13. LBJ Increases Involvement
Most of LBJ’s advisors supported more US involvement in Vietnam.
Robert McNamara – Sec. of Defense
Dean Rusk – Sec. of State
Believed intervention was necessary to stop the spread of communism
American public also strongly supported LBJ’s intervention

14. LBJ Increases Involvement
US troops in Vietnam under command of General William Westmoreland
End of 1965 – more than 180,000 US troops in Vietnam
Westmoreland not impressed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) – SV’s fighting force
End of 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

15. Vietcong Tactics
US believed the war would be easy and short… quickly became a stalemate and war dragged on.
Vietcong’s fighting style – no advanced training or weapons  guerilla warfare and elaborate tunnels
Vietcong refused to surrender, even in the face of large casualties.
US inability to win the support of Vietnamese peasants… US troops couldn’t tell the difference between the Vietcong and peasants, US tactics killed many civilians and destroyed their land

16. US Response to Vietcong Tactics
Napalm – sticky gasoline-based explosive, very difficult to extinguish
Napalm Girl image
Agent Orange – chemical that destroyed the jungle to remove Vietcong coverage
Search-and-destroy missions – US troops would destroy Vietnamese villages looking for Vietcong
Turned Vietnamese peasants against US troops
Road to War video