Vietnam

1. Vietnam Defining the war and a Generation

3. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident • August 2, 1964 – USS Maddox was attacked by three N. Vietnamese patrol boats. • US claimed the attack was unprovoked • Reality: US covert ops made the NV wary • Maddox was actually collecting information to attack the NV. • August 4th – Second Destroyer sent to support Maddox – Both ships come under attack – attack unconfirmed. • "There was absolutely no gunfire except our own, no PT boat wakes, not a candle light let alone a burning ship. None could have been there and not have been seen on such a black night."

4. … And its Resolution (Aug.7, 1964)“Grandmother’s Nightshirt” • That the Congress approves and supports the determination of 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. • Consonant with the Constitution of the United States and the Charter of the United Nations and in accordance with its obligations under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, the United States is, therefore, prepared, as the President determines, to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom. • This resolution shall expire when the President shall determine that the peace and security of the area is reasonably assured by international conditions created by action of the United Nations or otherwise, except that it may be terminated earlier by concurrent resolution of the Congress.

5. Operation Rolling Thunder • Extensive bombing campaign designed to weaken Vietcong moral and resistance. • Started in Feb. 1965 and continued into 1968. • Goals to destroy the supply routes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail • Reassure the S. Vietnamese of American commitment. • Not everyone thought it was effective • Air Force thought the bombings should be against the military targets that could be felt on the battlefield. • LBJ tried to use the bombings as leverage to get Vietcong to negotiate. • http://tapes.millercenter.virginia.edu/clips/1966_0125_Eisenhower

6. Ia Drang • September of 1965 – 7th Calvary is dropped into the Ia Drang Valley • Example of war from the air • Search and Destroy missions • Offensive proves Westmoreland’s search and destroy - War of Attrition that the United States can win • Over 300 Americans die • Kill over 2,000 Communists • This idea is not popular on the home front.

10. The problem with the enemy is that they are very hard to find….

12. The Ho Chi Minh Trail

13. Tet Offensive - 1968 • Tet is the Vietnamese New Year and had been a traditional cease fire. • On January 31, 1968 – Coordinated attacks all across Vietnam • Goal was to “liberate” the South Vietnamese people and have them rally to the Vietcong. • Struck urban areas (areas supposedly controlled by the United States) • Struck Saigon (the heart of American occupation). • Struck Hue – executed over three thousand South Vietnamese • Shot, beaten to death, buried alive

14. Impact of Tet • Fighting lasted a month – Westmoreland declared the offensive a victory for the American military. • Over 40,000 Communists killed, wounded, • Over 2,000 American and 4,000 ARVN killed • Communists forces remained strong • Showed that the Vietcong were coordinated • Vietcong had faced the American military and remained strong and in control of the countryside • Images of brutality had come to the homes of Americans and the international community

15. Brutality in American Homes

16. No end In Sight