The Vietnam War 1964-1975

1. The Vietnam War1964-1975 Essential Question: Is it okay for one country to get involved in the civil war of another country?

2. Vietnam: Background • Ruled by the French until 1954. Vietnam was divided into two parts at the 17th parallel. • The North = Communist • Led by Ho Chi Minh & the Viet Cong; supported by Communist China & the Soviet Union • The South = Non-Communist • Led by Ngo Dinh Diem and supported by the United States (at first…) • Under President Eisenhower, increased aid was sent to South Vietnam and during the Kennedy years, military “advisors” were sent.

3. Vietnam War: Kennedy Years • During the Kennedy years, the U.S. supported the South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem. • The advisors which Kennedy sent to South Vietnam encouraged Diem to adopt reforms to broaden his support. However, Diem brutally suppressed all opponents and ruled as a dictator. • Because of this, with the knowledge and approval of the U.S., the South Vietnamese military overthrew Diem in 1963 and supported a new South Vietnamese government. Diem was assassinated. • The U.S., fearing the spread of communism, sent in more military advisors and then troops to South Vietnam to help fight the North Vietnamese.

4. Vietnam War: the Johnson Years • August 4, 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Incident • President Johnson announced that American destroyers were the victim of an unprovoked attack by North Vietnamese gun boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. It later appeared that the ships might have been protecting south Vietnamese boats headed into North Vietnamese waters. • The next day, President Johnson asked Congress for the authority to order air strikes against North Vietnam. • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:empowered “the president, as commander in chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression”. • Gave president power to wage war • Escalated American involvement • Resolution used to justify expansion of war

5. Vietnam War: A Guerrilla War • Military leaders expected that the superior technology of the United States would guarantee victory. • However, they soon found themselves bogged down in a guerrilla war fought in the jungles. The enemy did not wear uniforms and there was no clear battlefront emerged. • As the war dragged on, Americans questioned Americas motives for being in the war and wondered why they were involved. This led to increased opposition to the war and increased protest throughout the country.

6. Vietnam War: Resistance • By late 1965, the antiwar movement began to take shape. Differences of opinion quickly emerged. • In Congress, those who stood solidly behind the president and argued in favor of victory at any cost were called hawks. Those who favored immediate withdrawal and an end to the war were called doves. • College campuses became centers of political protest against the war. Students held demonstrations, rallies, and even draft-card burnings. The nation’s youth became increasingly divided. • People of all ages joined in protest marches against the war. In 1967, 300,000 marched in New York City. By 1968, about 10,000 draft resisters fled the country for Canada.

7. Key Events of 1968  January:Tet Offensive. A series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong (rebel forces sponsored by North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese forces, on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. It was considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War.  March:Shake-up in Presidential Race.President Johnson withdraws from the presidential race. Eugene McCarthy wins the New Hampshire primary, Robert Kennedy announces his candidacy for the presidency. • April: Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated  June: Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy assassinated

8. Key Events of 1968 • August:Riots in Chicago. The Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago. Riots and demonstrations by antiwar protestors at the convention. • November:Presidential Election. Richard Nixon wins the presidential election with 43.4% of the vote, Humphrey gets 42.7%, and George Wallace, segregationist governor from Alabama takes 13.5% of the vote

9. Vietnam War: Nixon Years • President Nixon did not end the war right away, in fact, for a time, he widened military activities, attacking North Vietnamese supply routes out of Laos and Cambodia. • The bombings triggered a large student protest at Kent State University in Ohio. By the time the National Guard broke up the demonstration, four students were killed and nine wounded. • Nixon pledged “peace with honor”in his campaign and also called for a policy he called Vietnamizationwhich meant a takeover of the ground fighting by Vietnamese soldiers.

10. Vietnam War: Nixon Years • Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s chief foreign policy adviser, met in Paris with the North Vietnamese officials seeking an end to the war. • For years, negotiations remained deadlocked. On January 15, 1973, Nixon announced that “peace with honor” had been reached and a cease-fire would take effect. • In 1975, Saigon, the South Vietnamese capital fell to the Communists. The event marked the end of the war and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.

11. War Powers Act (1973) • In November 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act over the veto of President Nixon. The law helped reverse the precedent set by the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave the president sweeping powers in Vietnam. The act included the following provisions: • The President MUST notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into a foreign country. • The President had to bring troops home within 60 days unless both houses of Congress vote for them to stay. • Congress has the power to force the President to bring troops home.

12. The Cost of the Vietnam War • Of the 2.7 million Americans that served in the Vietnam war… • 300,000 were wounded in action • 75,000 were disabled • 58, 129 were killed in action • The average age of a soldier was 19 • Of the casualties listed on Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., approximately 1,300 remain missing in action. It is estimated that 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong (Southern resistance soldiers) were killed. Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese citizens were killed. • The United States spent over $150 billion on the war effort. Not only did Vietnam ultimately fall to the Communists, but so did its neighbors: Cambodia and Laos.

13. Lessons from Vietnam…What lessons can be drawn from the Vietnam Era? • The American political system acts in response to a variety of public pressures. • Modern war technology is not always powerful enough if an opponent is armed with a determined spirit of nationalism. • Successful military efforts require well-prepared and supportive public (compare attitudes on World War II and Vietnam) • The U.S. was committed to a foreign policy that supported the global nature of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs.