The War in Vietnam

1. The War in Vietnam

2. Terms to Remember • Communism • Robert McNamara • President Kennedy • President Nixon Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem Viet Cong Gulf of Tonkin William Westmoreland Tet Offensive President Johnson

3. 1886 French seize control of French Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). The French language becomes the primary language in the area. 1941 Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, creates the Viet Minh to fight against the Japanese. The Viet Minh also want to end French colonial control over Vietnam. 1945 On August 25th Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam’s independence. He cites the US Declaration of Independence in his speech. 1946 France decides to fight for control of Vietnam. *More concerned with stopping the spread of communism, President Truman does not get involved. President Truman repeatedly turns down Ho Chi Minh’s request that the US recognize the new country of Vietnam. 1949 The USSR and China recognize Ho Chi Minh’s Vietnam. This made Washington, D.C. think Vietnam is more of a communist threat than before. The U.S. starts to support the French in their efforts to re-establish their colony.

4. Born Nguyen Sinh Cung, and known as "Uncle Ho," he led the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945-69. Ho embraced communism. • He later moved to Hong Kong, where he founded the Indochinese Communist Party. After adopting the name Ho Chi Minh, or "He Who Enlightens," he returned to Vietnam in 1941 and declared the nation's independence from France. • Ho led a nearly continuous war against the French and, later, the Americans until his death in 1969. ** Many Vietnamese joined the Communist Party to fight colonization and imperialism in order to be a sovereign nation.

5. Domino Theory 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President. Eisenhower believes that if one country falls to Communism that the others nearby will also fall. This is called the Domino Theory.

6. Dien Bien Phu The French are defeated at Dien Bien Phu. The United Nations create Cambodia, Laos and the North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam is controlled by the communists (Ho Chi Mihn) and South Vietnam by a democracy (Ngo Dinh Diem). Elections to unite the two Vietnams were planned, but never held. Ngo Dinh Diem becomes undemocratic in his rule and very unpopular with the South Vietnamese. Yet, when he asks for additional support from the U.S. to combat “the ominous threat” of communism in the north he gets it. 1961 1000 U.S. soldiers send to South Vietnam as advisors, 1963 over 16,000 U.S. advisors in South Vietnam, November 1, 1963 Diem is assassinated by his own generals. November 22, 1963 Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. November Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President, increases number of military advisors to Vietnam.

7. The North Vietnamese embarked on radical land reforms, persecuting and imprisoning landowners and aggravating a refugee crisis. By 1955, close to a million people had fled south. In South Vietnam, the United States supported the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem, an autocratic anti-communist determined to resist Hanoi. To fight Diem and unite Vietnam under the Hanoi government, the communists in 1960 created the National Liberation Front -- the guerrilla organization also known as the Viet Cong. Groups such as the Viet Cong were encouraged by Moscow. U.S. President John F. Kennedy, after suffering a setback against the communists in Cuba and trying to control the crisis in Berlin, wanted to show U.S. resolve in Asia. He sent American military advisers to South Vietnam.

8. Diem's attempts to control the Viet Cong grew more extreme and created growing discontent in South Vietnam. Several monks burned themselves to death as part of public protests against the Diem regime. A group of Diem's generals turned against him. On November 1, 1963, they attacked the Presidential Palace, believing they had or would have American support. By the next day, the government was overthrown and Diem was dead, murdered by his own soldiers. While the people of Saigon initially responded with enthusiasm to Diem's overthrow, the coup left the country with no clear leader. Passers-by stop to watch as flames envelope a young Buddhist monk, Saigon, October 5th, 1963. The man sits impassively in the central market square, he has set himself on fire performing a ritual suicide in protest against governmental anti-Buddhist policies. Crowds gathered to protest in Hue after the South Vietnamese government prohibited Buddhists from carrying flags on Buddha's birthday. Government troops opened fire to disperse the dissidents, killing nine people, Diems government blamed the incident on the Vietcong and never admitted responsibility. The Buddhist leadership quickly organized demonstrations that eventually led to seven monks burning themselves to death.

9. GULF OF TONKIN Within weeks of Diem's murder, President Kennedy was assassinated. Vice President Lyndon Johnson assumed office determined not to lose Vietnam to the communists. He sent Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to South Vietnam to pledge U.S. support. In August 1964, the USS Maddox, an American destroyer on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, exchanged fire with North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Two days later, the ship's captain reported he was under attack again. Despite conflicting evidence, the Pentagon insisted there had been a second unprovoked attack. The incident prompted Johnson to push the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through Congress. The measure allowed LBJ to wage war in Vietnam.

10. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Johnson asks congress to give him the power to “take all necessary measures” to defend any nation in Southeast Asia threatened by Communist “aggression or subversion”. The resolution passed through congress with only two votes against. It gave Johnson the right to send combat troops to Vietnam without an official U.S. declaration of war. 1965 General William Westmoreland named commander of U.S. Army, Vietnam. Regular bombing of North Vietnam begins. December nearly 200,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam. 1966 another 200,000 troops sent to Vietnam. 1967 total of over 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam.

11. The Domino Theory President Eisenhower described the situation in Southeast Asia as a set of Dominos in that if one country in the region became communist then the rest would “fall” into communism. The theory would become US foreign policy and set the stage for the Vietnam War.

12. Commanded US military operations in Vietnam from 1964-68. His highly publicized, positive assessments of US military prospects in Vietnam were shattered by the 1968 Tet offensive, in which Communist forces boldly attacked cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. Westmoreland later served as the Army's chief of staff.

13. Da Nang In March 1965, four months after Johnson was elected president by a landslide, the first U.S. ground troops landed at Da Nang. Johnson was convinced that, without the support of a massive U.S. force, South Vietnam was doomed. In response to the U.S. troop buildup, North Vietnam began to send thousands of soldiers to fight in South Vietnam. American GIs, meanwhile, found themselves in a baffling war. They were unable to distinguish friend from foe. American bombing and shelling drove tens of thousands of Vietnamese from their villages. This was the first war that was heavily publicized on television and brought pressure to bear on the president. Johnson tried to use constant bombing of trails and supply lines to make the North Vietnamese back down. It did not WORK.

14. Battle of Khe Sanh National Security Advisor Walt W. Rostow showing President Lyndon B. Johnson a model of the Khe Sanh area, 15 February 1968. The Battle of Khe Sanh took place between 21 January and 8 April 1968. During the battle that lasted 77 days, Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) and the hilltop outposts around it were under constant North Vietnamese ground and artillery attacks. The Americans feared another Dien Bien Phu in which the French were defeated and eventually forced to leave Indochina. A massive effort was placed to defend the base by air and ground forces. In the end the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces were victorious however the battle demonstrated the ability of the North Vietnamese and their commitment to take the south.

15. The growing scale and savagery of the war in Vietnam created growing dissent back in the United States. Johnson was politically weakened by the anti-war movement.

16. Ho Chi Minh Trail Originally nothing more than a jungle path this trail will become the main supply line for communist forces (V.C.) fighting in South Vietnam. Despite daily attacks by U.S. air power the trail remained open throughout the war.

17. Tet Offensive In 1968, communist forces launched wide-scale attacks throughout South Vietnam to coincide with Tet, the Vietnamese new year. The communists hoped to spark a general uprising across the country, a mission that ultimately failed. But the strength of the offensive came as a shock to the American public and Johnson.

18. Tet Offensive • Notice the number of coordinated attacks throughout the country.

19. Battle of Hue (Tet Offensive) Hue also called Hue Tet-the Vietnam new year. At this point countries believed that North Vietnamese were near defeat and the war was on its way to an end. The North Vietnamese and Viet Kong suddenly took the South and the Allies by surprise-by attacked multiple sites with a sudden force . This was really unexpected and caused serious issues in America. Since most Americans thought that the war was over-they were stunned when the North Vietnamese rallied and strengthened the anti-war sentiment in the United States.

20. Peace or More War…. President Johnson offered to begin peace talks with the North Vietnamese -- and announced he would not run for another term in office. In May 1968, peace talks began in Paris but soon deadlocked. Richard Nixon, who had begun his campaign for the presidency, called for an "honorable" end to U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. But his campaign aides were secretly urging South Vietnamese officials to not strike a peace deal until after the election. The war was to last another four years, costing thousands more lives.

21. The End America's involvement in Vietnam came to an end on 30 April 1975 when the last marines were evacuated from the embassy roof and the incoming North Vietnamese Army smashed through the gates of the Independence Palace.

23. Note 1: there were an additional 10,824 non-hostile deaths for a total of 58,202Note 2: of the 304,704 WIA, 153,329 required hospitalizationNote 3: this number decreases as remains are recovered and identifiedNote 4: 114 died in captivityNote 5: Does not include 101,511 Hoi Chanh Legend: KIA = Killed In Action WIA = Wounded In Action MIA = Missing In Action CIA = Captured In Action http://www.rjsmith.com/kia_tbl.html

24. Weapons Helicopter Vietnam was the first war to see extensive use of helicopters for transport and attack. This is the Bell UH1 referred to by the troops as a “HUEY”.

25. Rifles The U.S. main rifle became the M-16. Its light weight and smaller bullet made it easier to carry in a jungle setting. The Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army choose the AK-47. The rifle is world renowned for its dependability.

27. Jet Fighter The F-4 Phantom was used by the USAF, USMC, and USN in order to reduce cost for separate aircraft for each. The F-4 held air superiority over the skies of South Vietnam yet had to deal with the MIG-15 and S.A.M.’s over North Vietnam.

28. Movies on the Vietnam War **Many of these are R rated, get your parents permission before viewing!!** 84 Charlie BAT 21 Apocalypse Now Born on the 4th of July Flight of the Intruder Good Morning Vietnam Hamburger Hill We Were Soldiers The Green Berets

29. Bibliography Cold War. CNN Interactive. Can be found at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/11/ Traditional Vietnam Can be found at http://www.askasia.org/inage/maps/t000005.htm http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/vietnam.htm http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/vietnam/photoessay.htm http://www.fallofsaigon.org/ http://archive.nandotimes.com/prof/edsvc/nieonline/nieonline.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/720724.stm