1. U.S. Involvement and Escalation
Ms. Ha
Chapter 22
Section 2
U.S. Involvement and Escalation

2. I. U.S. involvement grows A. 1964 election=Johnson
1.Beat: Barry Goldwater
2.Johnson-Vietnam stay out
a)1965
b)Thousands of U.S. troops c) Arrive in S. Vietnam

3. Johnson’s Advisors Secretary of Defense: Robert McNamara
Secretary of State:
Dean Rusk

4. B. Public Support
1. Favored President Johnson
2. Stop spread of communism!
a) Poll in 1965: 61% in favor
b) Opposed by: 24%

5. C. End of 1965
,000 U.S. troops
2. American commander in
Vietnam
a) General William Westmoreland
b) Felt ARVN: ineffective
c) Troops: had to be aggressive
d) By 1967: 500,000 U.S. troops

6. General William Westmoreland

7. II. Jungle Fighting

8. A. Elusive Enemy
1. Vietcong: lacked advanced
weapons
2. Guerilla Warfare
a)No “safe” area
b)Attacked in cities & country

9. 3. U.S. soldiers faced
a) Heat
b) Leeches
c) Mines
d) Booby traps of many
horrible types “tiger trap”

10. 4. “Which way did the VC go?”
a) Used underground tunnel
network
b) Very extensive:
live underground

11. Touring the Tunnels

12. Entrance / Exit

13. TIGER TRAP
Deadly VC Weapon

14. Tiger Trap Not for Tigers
U.S. Soldiers
Impaled when they fell through
Tiger Trap Not for Tigers

15. B. U.S. Strategy: Attrition
1. Gradual wearing down of enemy
2. VC didn’t give up & they had help
a) Support from China
b) Support from Soviet Union

16. C. “Win hearts and minds” S.V.
1. Napalm: gasoline base, fire
2. Agent Orange: leaf toxin
a) Cancer connection
b) Vietnamese and
U.S. soldiers

17. D. “Search-and-destroy” missions
1. Uproot civilians
2. Destroy villages and livestock
: 3 million refugees
4. Didn’t gain many “fans”

18. E. U.S. troop morale low
1. Rise in use of alcohol, marijuana
& other drugs
2. Cope with horrible conditions
& death

19. III. Public support wavers
A. Dragged on, support dropped
1. Economy suffered-
money going to war
2. Inflation rose
3. Domestic Reform: suffer

20. B. “Living-Room” War:
1. Television (media)
2. Combat footage on nightly news
: 16,000 U.S. soldiers died
4. Credibility Gap: Johnson administration reports
& what was really happening in Vietnam
5. “Two different realities”