The Vietnam War Era

1. The Vietnam War Era Chapters 29

2. Ho Chi Minh • The most important leader for Vietnamese independence; Born in 1890, Ho became involved in anti-French organizations as a young man. In 1912 he left Vietnam and traveled the world before ending up in Moscow, where he was trained in communist ideas. He returned to Vietnam after WWII, leading rebels to defeat the French in 1954, then continuing the fight against the United States.

3. Review Question #1 • Which U.S. President refused to meet with Ho Chi Minh in Paris after World War I?

4. Dien Bien Phu • French military base in northwest Vietnam in which Ho Chi Minh’s army, known as the Vietminh, trapped a large French garrison in 1954. After suffering 15,000 casualties, the French surrendered. At a peace conference in Geneva in 1955 the Vietnamese agreed that their country would be divided in two: North Vietnam was to be ruled by Ho Chi Minh’s communists; South Vietnam, by an anti-communist government supported by the United States.

5. Review Question #2 • Why was France’s military severely weakened by the 1950s?

6. SEATO / Vietcong • SEATO – Southeast Asia Treaty Organization; Alliance of seven Asian countries and the United States whose goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia; Through SEATO the U.S. provided economic and military aid to South Vietnam. • Vietcong – Communist guerrilla fighters within South Vietnam that wanted to unite Vietnam under a communist government. The Vietcong used surprise hit-and-run tactics to assassinate government officials and destroy roads and bridges, weakening support of the anti-communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

7. Review Question #3 • What was the European equivalent of SEATO?

8. Closure Question #3: How did the Maddox incident contribute to the outbreak of war? How did it lead to a change in the balance of power in the American government? (At least 2 sentences) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • On August 2, 1964 a North Vietnamese torpedo boat fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. Congress passed the resolution, authorizing the use of American military force in Vietnam, giving President Johnson the power to commit U.S. troops to the area to “defend American troops”, though an official war had not been declared.

9. Review Question #4 • In the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which Branch of the U.S. government exercised command over the U.S. military, taking the country into war without asking the other 2 branches for permission?

10. William Westmoreland / Napalm & Agent Orange • William Westmoreland – The American commander in South Vietnam; Along with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Westmoreland believed the U.S. needed to increase its military presence in Vietnam and do more of the fighting in order to defeat the Vietcong. Following Westmoreland’s advice, in 1965 President Johnson increased U.S. troop numbers to 180,000 and authorized extensive bombing of North Vietnam. (a.k.a. Operation Rolling Thunder) • Napalm – Jellied gasoline which was dropped in large canisters that exploded on impact, covering large areas with flames. • Agent Orange – An herbicide designed to kill plant life; In Vietnam U.S. forces used Agent Orange to deforest the countryside and destroy enemy crops. Many scientists believe that Agent Orange causes cancer.

11. Review Question #5 • What was the chemical known as “Agent Orange” originally designed to do?

12. John McCain • Born in 1936 into a military family, McCain graduated from the Naval Academy and became a jet pilot. While serving in Vietnam in 1967, his plane was shot down and he was held prisoner in North Vietnam for over 5 years. Following his release in 1973, McCain spent 8 more years in the Navy before becoming a politician.

13. Review Question #6 • Was John McCain born in the United States of America?

14. Closure Question #3: How did the disagreements between hawks and doves reflect different views about war and world politics? (At least 2 sentences) Hawks / Doves • Hawks – Conservative congressmen who supported President Johnson’s war policy in Vietnam due to their strong belief that communism needed to be contained. • Doves – Liberal congressmen who opposed President Johnson’s war policy in Vietnam, questioning the war on both moral and strategic grounds. The doves argued that the conflict in Vietnam was a local civil war, not a vital Civil War battleground.

15. Review Question #7 • Hawks believed that the United States needed to keep fighting in Vietnam to stop the spread of _________?

16. Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) Draftees / Deferments • Draftees – Young men drafted into military service; By 1965, most of the troops sent to Vietnam were no longer volunteers, but instead were draftees. In total, the U.S. government drafted 1.5 million men into military service during the Vietnam War. • Deferments – A postponement of military service; According to the Selective Service Act of 1948, men who were in college or who worked in certain occupations could have their military service deferred. Critics argued that as a result of these policies minorities and the poor were bearing most of the military burden while the wealthy and white young men avoided military combat.

17. Review Question #8 • Name one U.S. President who “dodged the draft” for the Vietnam War.

18. Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) • Founded in 1960 at the University of Michigan to campaign against racism and poverty. The SDS changed its focus in the mid-1960s to campaign to end the war in Vietnam, organizing demonstrations against the war and encouraging draft-age males to sign “We Won’t Go” petitions.

19. Review Question #9 • On what college campus was the SDS Organization established?

20. Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) “Credibility Gap” • The American public’s growing distrust of statements made by the government; During the Vietnam War, President Johnson’s administration repeatedly issued optimistic statements regarding the conflict while journalists reporting from the battlefield painted a gruesome picture of death and destruction with no victory in sight.

21. Review Question #10 • Name the U.S. President who repeatedly issued optimistic statements regarding the War in Vietnam during the mid-1960s.

22. Eugene McCarthy / Robert Kennedy • Eugene McCarthy – Democratic Minnesota Senator who ran for President in the Democratic Primary in 1968 as an antiwar candidate. • Robert Kennedy – Democratic New York Senator, and younger brother of John F. Kennedy, who ran for President in the Democratic Primary in 1968. After winning the California primary on June 5, 1968, Kennedy was assassinated by SirhanSirhan, leaving the Democratic Party without a clear front-runner for President going into its party convention.

23. Review Question #11 • Name the assassin who murdered Senator Robert Kennedy in 1968.

24. Closure Question #3: What were the chief weaknesses of the Democrats in the 1968 election? How did these weaknesses aid the election of Richard Nixon? (At least 2 sentences) Chicago Democratic Convention (1968) • With Johnson’s refusal to run for another term and Robert Kennedy’s assassination, Democratic delegates arrived in Chicago to choose a presidential candidate. After angry debate regarding the war, the delegates chose Hubert Humphrey, Johnson’s Vice-President and a War Hawk. News of the decision led to eruption of violence between anti-war protesters and Chicago police outside the convention. TV coverage of the violence and bitter arguments at the convention shocked Americans, who responded by electing the Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon. The Convention also marked the downfall of liberal control of the government and sparked a resurgence in conservative values in the United States, a trend which dominated American politics until 2008.

25. Review Question #12 • The violence in the Chicago Democratic Convention led to the election of what Republican President?

26. Closure Question #1: How did Nixon redirect the peace process when he became President? Did his plan have the desired result? (At least 2 sentences) Vietnamization • Policy for withdrawal from Vietnam presented by President Nixon; U.S. forces would withdraw as the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) assumed more combat duties. Though the hope of the policy was that the ARVN would be able to secure South Vietnam with aid from the U.S. behind the front lines, the reality was that the ARVN troops were outnumbered and outgunned without U.S. combat troops.

27. Review Question #13 • The policy of Vietnamization sought to hand control of the fighting against communism in Vietnam to what group?

28. Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) Kent State University • (May 1970) Following the U.S. bombing of communist supply lines in Cambodia, antiwar demonstrators protested at Kent State, throwing rocks and bottles at members of the National Guard. When one guardsman thought he heard a sniper’s shot, he fired his rifle, prompting other guardsmen to fire as well into a group of protesters, killing four youths. The killings led to increased protests nationwide.

29. Review Question #14 • How many students were killed in the shootings at Kent State?

30. Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) My Lai / Pentagon Papers • My Lai – (March 16th, 1968) American troops led by Lieutenant William Calley shot and killed between four and five hundred unarmed civilians. Lt. Calley later said that he was following orders, but many soldiers present did not participate in the massacre. Life magazine published photos taken during the event in 1971, forcing the military to try Lt. Calley for his participation in the attack. The massacre, its coverup, and Calley’s trial fueled anti-war protest in the United States while tarnishing America’s international reputation. • Pentagon Papers – Classified government history of American involvement in Vietnam which was leaked to the NY Times in 1971. The Papers revealed that American leaders involved the U.S. in Vietnam without fully informing the American people and occasionally lied to Congress.

31. Review Question #15 • Approximately how many civilians were killed in the attack at My Lai?

32. Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) Paris Peace Accords • (January 1973) Agreement signed by the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong which ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The parties agreed to a cease fire, U.S. troop withdrawal from South Vietnam, and that POWs would be exchanged. However, North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam, and in the spring of 1975 the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the communists, who unified Vietnam under one government.

33. Review Question #16 • Fill in the Blank - Four groups met at the Peace Conference in Paris: North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States and ________.

34. Closure Question #3: Which two effects of the Vietnam War do you think had the biggest long-term impact? (Explain your answer in at least 2 sentences) War Powers Act • (1973) Restricts the President’s war-making powers by requiring him to consult with Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict. The law was passed as a result of the Vietnam War in an attempt to check the power of the Executive Branch regarding foreign policy and prevent future president’s from using the military as their own private army.

35. Review Question #17 • According to the War Powers Act, how much time does the President have to consult with Congress after sending U.S. troops into battle?

36. Henry Kissinger • A German-born Jewish man, Kissinger and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1938 at the age of 15 to escape Hitler’s persecution of Jews. Kissinger earned a Ph.D. at Harvard in 4 years and became Richard Nixon’s leading adviser on national security and international affairs, becoming Secretary of State in 1973.

37. Review Question #18 • How many years did it take Henry Kissinger to earn his Ph.D. at Harvard?

38. Realpolitik • (German for “real politics”) Nixon and Kissinger’s shared belief that political goals should be defined by concrete nationalist interests instead of abstract ideologies. Both argued that America needed to move past the Cold War stereotype of communism vs. democracy as evil vs. good, but instead recognize that communist nations could prove loyal allies while democratic nations could become enemies.

39. Review Question #19 • What is the English translation of the German word “Realpolitik”?

40. Realpolitik

41. Closure Question #1: How did Nixon’s policy toward China reflect the philosophy of realpolitik? (At least 1 sentence) Zhou Enlai • Chinese Premier who worked behind the scenes with Henry Kissinger to iron out sensitive issues in establishing a peaceful relationship between China and the United States. Zhou and Kissinger’s work culminated in a visit by President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979.

42. Review Question #20 • In what year did President Richard Nixon visit China for the first time?

43. Closure Question #2: Did Richard Nixon position the United States to win the Cold War? Why or Why not? (At least 1 sentence) Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty • Otherwise known as SALT I, the treaty, agreed to by the U.S. and U.S.S.R. in 1972, froze the deployment of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and placed limits on antiballistic missiles (ABMs). Though the agreement did not end the arms race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., it was a giant step toward that goal.

44. Review Question #21 • Fill in the Blank: SALT I was a treaty between the United States and ___________.

45. Closure Question #3: Why did Nixon and Kissinger believe détente was a beneficial foreign policy? (At least 1 sentence) Detente • U.S. Foreign policy during the 1970s which aimed to ease Cold War tensions by relaxing the inflexible stance toward communism, replacing previous diplomatic efforts based on suspicion and distrust.

46. Review Question #22 • The policy of Détente toward the Soviet Union was practiced in what decade?