1. U.S. INVOLVEMENT AND ESCALATION IN VIETNAM, 1965-68
CHAPTER 30, SECTION 2

2. VOCABULARY ROBERT McNAMARA DEAN RUSK WILLIAM WESTMORELAND M.A.C.V.
NAPALM
AGENT ORANGE
SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSION
CREDIBILITY GAP

3. AMERICA ESCALATES IN VIETNAM
1964 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:
DEMOCRATS: LBJ
REPUBLICAN: SEN. BARRY GOLDWATER (AZ)
GOLDWATER: VIEWED BY SOME AS TOO CONSERVATIVE
EX: SOME BELIEVED HE WANTED WAR W/ USSR
LBJ CAMPAIGN PORTRAYS HIM AS “WAR HAWK”(DEFINE)
EX: LBJ CAMPIAGN TV ADS
LBJ CLAIMS HE OPPOSES SENDING COMBAT TROOPS TO V-NAM ; SEE QUOTE, P. 890
LBJ WINS ELECTION

4. ESCALATION 1964: CONGRESS PASSES TONKIN GULF RESOLUTION MARCH, ’65:
LBJ STILL DOESN’T WANT TO SEND U.S. GROUND FORCES INTO V-NAM
SEE QUOTE, TOP P. 890
MARCH, ’65:
LBJ ORDERS U.S. GROUND FORCES TO V-NAM
BY END OF YEAR, 180,000 COMBAT FORCES IN V-NAM
WHY?
FEAR OF COMMUNIST EXPANSION IN 3rd WORLD NATIONS
CONTAINMENT / DOMINO THEORY
QUESTION: WAS LBJ’s DECISION TO SEND U.S. FORCES TO V-NAM ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAD DONE?
WHAT DID AMERICANS THINK?
1965 SURVEY / POLL:
61% SUPPORT LBJ’S V-NAM POLICY
24% OPPOSED TO LBJ’S V-NAM POLICY
CONFLICTING VIEWS:
UNDERSEC. OF STATE GEORGE BALL: OPPOSED TO SENDING TROOPS
SEC. OF STATE DEAN RUSK: SUPPORTS SENDING TROOPS (SEE QUOTE, P. 890)

5. ROBERT McNAMARA Secretary of Defense, 1961- 67

6. ESCALATION (CONT’D.) GEN. WILLIAM WESTMORELAND
1964: TAKES COMMAND OF M.A.C.V. (COMMAND OF U.S. FORCES IN V-NAM)
M.A.C.V.: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
1965: REQUESTS MORE TROOPS
LATE ’65: 180,000 TROOPS DEPLOYED TO V-NAM
WESTMORELAND REQUESTS MORE TROOPS
WHY? SEE QUOTE, P. 890
1967: U.S. TROOP #s REACH 500,000
U.S. TROOPS #s EVENTUALLY REACH 540,000 IN MID-1969

7. Gen. William Westmoreland, Gen. Vo Ngyuen Giap,
Commander, U.S. Forces Commander, NVA / VC

9. The Ho Chi Minh
Trail

10. NVA Trucks on the
Ho Chi Minh Trail
NVA soldiers helping
supply trucks

11. COMBAT IN VIETNAM U.S. APPROACH TO WAR:
SUPERIOR WEAPONRY / TECHNOLOGY WOULD WIN WAR
COMMUNIST FORCES WERE NOT WELL ENOUGH EQUIPPED OR TRAINED TO WIN
V-NAMESE HAD NEVER FOUGHT AS POWERFUL A NATION LIKE THE U.S.
QUESTION: WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM WITH AMERICAN BIAS GOING INTO THE WAR?
COMMUNIST APPROACH TO WAR:
USE KNOWLEDGE OF TERRAIN TO ADVANTAGE
USE SUPPORT OF CITIZENS TO ADVANTAGE
CASUALITES / BODY COUNT MEAN NOTHING
USE GUERRILLA TACTICS TO WEAR DOWN U.S.
ADAPT / IMPROVISE WEAPONRY, METHODS TO OVERCOME TECHNOLOGY DISADVANTAGE
SEE VC TUNNEL MAP, P. 891
SEE QUOTE, P. 891

12. VIETNAM WAR INFANTRY
U.S. Army Infantry N.V.A. Infantry V.C. Infantry

13. U.S. INFANTRY LEADER, VIETNAM 1967

15. OLIVER STONE, U.S. ARMY, VIETNAM, 1968

16. AK – 47 ASSAULT RIFLE

17. ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADE (RPG)

18. A WAR OF ATTRITION DEFINE: “ WAR OF ATTRITION”
WHY WAS VIETNAM A “WAR OF ATTRITION”?
WESTMORELAND’S VIEW OF THE WAR:
AS THE BODY COUNT INCREASES, SURRENDER WILL BE MORE LIKELY
SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSIONS COULD INCREASE THE BODY COUNT
U.S. FORCES HAD TO WIN THE “HEARTS AND MINDS” OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
PROBLEMS:
VC GUERILLA WARFARE IS DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH
U.S. SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSIONS OFTEN ALIENATE CIVILIANS
EX.: NAPALM ATTACKS, AGENT ORANGE, VILLAGE ATTACKS
HIGH NUMBERS OF WAR REFUGEES (AT LEAST 3 MIL.)
U.S. TROOP MORALE DETERIORATES: WHY?
U.S. TACTICS DON’T APPEAR TO BE WINNING
CORRUPTION OF ARVN / S.V-NAM GOV’T.
“FRAGGING” INCIDENTS OCCUR
AVAILABILITY OF ILLEGAL DRUGS ( MARIJUANA, HEROIN, ETC.) CAUSES PROBLEMS

19. THE FULLBRIGHT HEARINGS
WHEN? 1966
WHO? SEN. J. WILLIAM FULLBRIGHT, D., ARK.
WHAT? TELEVISED SENATE HEARRINGS
SUBJECT?
U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM
WAS LBJ’s ADMINISTRATION BEING HONEST W/ THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM?
DID LBJ’s ADMINISTRATION DECEIVE CONGRESS ABOUT THE TONKIN GULF INCIDENT?
RESULT?
FULLBRIGHT ACCUSES LBJ w/ A “LACK OF CANDOR” ABOUT THE WAR
“CREDIBILITY GAP” FOR LBJ WORSENS
BIG QUESTION: IS THE GOV’T . LYING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE WAR?

20. SENATOR J. WILLIAM FULLBRIGHT DEMOCRAT, ARKANSAS CHAIRMAN, SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE

23. U.S. ARMY
INFANTRY ON PATROL,
VIETNAM

24. STANDARD INFANTRY WEAPONS, VIETNAM U.S. ARMY / U.S. MARINES
M-16 A1 Service Rifle M-16 A1 with
M203 Grenade Launcher
M-60 Machine Gun M79 Grenade Launcher

26. TRAINING &
MAINTENANCE
MANUAL, 1969
M-16 A1 RIFLE

29. MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV, USSR

30. AK – 47
Automata Kalashnikova,1947

33. VIETNAM TUNNELS TODAY

34. HUEYs IN ACTION,
VIETNAM, U.S. ARMY

35. U.S. “HUEY” HELICOPTER

36. U.S. “COBRA” ATTACK HELICOPTER

37. U.S.A.F. B-52 BOMBER

40. DAMAGE TO THE GREAT SOCIETY
WAR ESCALATION BROUGHT INCREASED COSTS
U.S. ECONOMY SUFFERED – INFLATION GROWS
1967: LBJ ASKS CONGRESS FOR TAX INCREASE TO CONTROL INFLATION
BUT…CONGRESS WON’T APPROVE TAX INCREASE W/OUT $6 BILLION REDUCTION IN GREAT SOCIETY PROGRAMS
LBJ SUFFERS “CREDIBILITY GAP”:
WAR IS A “LIVING ROOM WAR”- NIGHTLY MEDIA COVERAGE EXPOSES PROBLEMS IN WAR
GREAT SOCIETY PROMISES ARE NOT BEING MET
1965 – 66: 16,000 U.S. KIA
“THE PROMISES OF THE GREAT SOCEITY HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF VIETNAM”
-MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

42. VIETNAM ERA QUOTES
“I AM NOT ABOUT TO SEND AMERICAN BOYS 9 OR 10,000 MILES AWAY FROM HOME TO DO WHAT ASIAN BOYS OUGHT TO BE DOING FOR THEMSELVES” – LBJ, 1964
“THE ARVN CANNOT STAND UP TO THIS PRESSURE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL U.S. COMBAT SUPPORT ON THE GROUND. THE ONLY POSSIBLE RESPONSE IS THE AGGRESSIVE DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. TROOPS” - GEN. WESTMORELAND, 1965
“ THE MORE THE AMERICANS TRIED TO DRIVE US AWAY FROM OUR LAND, THE MORE WE BURROWED INTO IT” - MAJOR NGUYEN QUOT, VC
“YOU CAN KILL TEN OF MY MEN FOR EVERY ONE I KILL OF YOURS, BUT EVEN AT THOSE ODDS, YOU WILL LOSE AND I WILL WIN” – HO CHI MINH

43. VIETNAM ERA QUOTES
“IF I HAD THOUGHT THEY WOULD TAKE THIS PUNISHMENT AND FIGHT THIS WELL, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY AT THE START” – ROBERT McNAMARA, 1967
“THE COMMUNISTS WERE PREPARED TO GO ON AND ON, AND THEY HAD FACTORED THEIR HUMAN COSTS INTO THE EQUATION” – STANLEY KARNOW
“JUST REMEMBER THIS: COMMUNIST GUERRILLAS HIDE AMONG THE PEOPLE. IF YOU WIN THE PEOPLE OVER TO YOUR SIDE, THE COMMUNIST GUERILLAS HAVE NO PLACE TO HIDE.” - EDWARD LANDSDALE, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES
“WE HAD TO DESTROY THE VILLAGE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT” – U.S. ARMY OFFICER, BEN TRE, 1968

44. VIETNAM ERA QUOTES
“WE’RE FIGHTING TO SAVE THESE PEOPLE, AND THEY’RE FIGHTING EACH OTHER” – U.S. GOV’T. OFFICIAL, 1966
“VICTORY LIES WITHIN OUR GRASP – THE ENEMY’S HOPES ARE FADING” – GEN. WESTMORELAND, 1967
“WE CAN SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL” – ROBERT McNAMARA, 1967
“I WANT TO GET OUT, BUT I DON’T WANT TO GIVE IN” – AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE

45. LBJ CARTOON -
LBJ SHOWING THE
SCAR VIETNAM HAS
LEFT ON HIM