The Korean War

1. The Korean War 1950-1953

2. BACKGROUND • Beginning in the Late 19th Century, Japan began to involve itself in the Korean Peninsula and officially occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945 • The occupation of Korea set the stage for the Korean War. The Army of South Korea was largely composed of Koreans who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation. • On the other side, many of the leaders of North Korea had previously fought as guerillas against the Japanese.

3. BACKGROUND • At the close of World War II (1945), The Soviet Union occupied Korea north of the 38th parallel and the United States occupied Korea south of the 38th parallel • The Soviets imposed a communist government • Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) • Led by Kim Il Sung • Pyongyang as capital • The United States put in place a nationalist/capitalist democracy • Republic of Korea (ROK) • Led by Syngman Rhee • Seoul as capital

4. BACKGROUND • Originally, the intention of the U.S. and Soviet Union was to establish a stable unified Korea and to withdraw their military forces, however Cold War tensions caused events to play out differently • The U.S. reduced its troop levels in South Korea to 500 troops by June 1949 • The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, concluded that the U.S. would not be willing to fight to defend South Korea • On January 30, 1950, Stalin via telegram notified Kim Il Sung that he was willing to help unify Korea as a communist state

5. North Korea Attacks • On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea marking the start of the Korean War • By the evening of June 28, 1950, the South Korean capital of Seoul had fallen and ROK forces were in disarray • South Korea appealed to the United Nations (U.N.) for help • The U.N. Security Council called for an immediate end to hostilities and passed Resolution 82, authorizing force to be used in Korea • 21 of the U.N. member states agreed to contribute arms, money and/or troops to rid South Korean of its North Korean aggressor

6. U.N. Forces • General Douglas MacArthur was placed in command of the U.N. forces, which included combat and medical units from 22 nations • The United States provided 50% of the ground forces, 86% of the naval forces and 93% of the air power for the U.N. forces. (South Korea provided most of the remainder)

7. PUSAN PERIMETER • The initial U.N. forces were unable to slow the advance of the North Korean forces and fought desperate delaying operations until more U.N. troops could arrive in South Korea • By the end of July 1950, the North Koreans had contained the U.N. forces in a perimeter around the Port of Pusan (in the southeast corner of the Korean peninsula)

8. INCHON • General MacArthur launched a offensive amphibious invasion at the Port of Inchon (near Seoul) changing the course of the war • American forces quickly gained control of Inchon and recaptured Seoul within days, cutting the North Korean supply line • American and ROK forces in Pusan broke out of the Pusan perimeter and pursued fleeing DPRK forces north

9. Push to the Yalu River • Capitalizing on Secretary of Defense George Marshall’s directions which stated, “We want you to feel unhampered tactically and strategically to proceed north of the 38th Parallel,” General MacArthur pushed U.N. forces north towards the Yalu River • Ignoring evidence that Chinese forces had moved across the Yalu River into North Korea, MacArthur assured U.S. troops that they would be “home by Christmas” • MacArthur further risked his forces by splitting his troops, with the X Corps advancing along the eastern coast and the Eighth Army advancing along the western coast.

10. Chinese offensive • U.S. forces unexpectedly ran into approximately 180,000 Chinese troops. The right flank of the Eight Army (U.S.) was shattered and the X Corps (U.S.) fought a desperate struggle near the Chosin Reservoir • U.N. troops were evacuated back to the Pusan perimeter and Seoul was captured by the Chinese forces • On November28, 1951, a shaken MacArthur informed the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the U.N. forces faced an “entirely new war”

11. Stalemate • Beginning January 25, LTG General Matthew Ridgway (in command of the U.S. Eighth Army) led the U.N. forces in a slow advance northward. They inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese and North Korean troops and recaptured Seoul • Tensions increased between President Truman and General MacArthur during this period and on April 10, 1951, Truman relieved MacArthur of command. He was replaced by General Ridgway • The fighting largely fell into a stalemate along the 38th Parallel

12. Armistice • An Armistice ending the war was signed on July 27, 1953 • The Armistice provided for a suspension of open hostilities and a fixed demilitarized zone to serve as a buffer between North and South Korea that remains today • In many ways the Korean War has never really ended

13. casualties • Approximately 5 million people killed during the war (1950-1953) • More than 34,000 Americans killed in action • More than 600,000 Chinese killed in action

14. The Vietnam War 1960-1970

15. Vietnam • The War of 5 Presidents • Eisenhower • Kennedy • Johnson • Nixon • Ford

16. Origins of Conflict French Occupation (1887-1940) ~ After a short war with the Chinese, the French occupied the region they called French Indochina which included modern-day Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. French planters established large rice and rubber plantations. Japanese Occupation (1940-1945) ~ Japan took control of Vietnam from the French during WWII. September 2, 1945 ~ Ho Chi Minh, (Vietnamese occupation fighter) declared Vietnam to be an independent nation with the removal of the Japanese. French Occupation Revisited (1945-1954) ~ At the close of WWII, France did not want to part with its lucrative colonial possessions. In late 1945, France sent troops back to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnminh (independence movement that like Communism) resisted the French aggressively.

17. Eisenhower’s Support US Aid to the French (1950-1954) ~ The Vietminh were now viewed as a dangerous Communist threat. In 1950, Truman authorized $15 million in aid to France to help them fight their Indochina War. In May 1954, the French were decisively defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, and they left Southeast Asia. Geneva Accords (1954-1956) ~ World leaders met in Geneva to discuss the future of Vietnam. The country was divided in two parts (North and South) along the 17th parallel, and an election to unify the country was planned for 1956. Eisenhower (US) Supports South Vietnam (1955-1961) ~ U.S. began giving military aid and training to the South Vietnamese government, led by Ngo Dinh Diem who was anti-Communist and Catholic. Fearing a likely victory by Ho Chi Minh in the elections, Diem decided to forbid the South from taking part in the scheduled 1956 election. The U.S. continued to support Diem despite misgivings. An opposition group to the Diem government began in the South and became known as the Vietcong by 1957.

19. JFK’s Presidency JFK poured money into the Diem. By the end of 1963, 16,000 US military personnel were stationed in South Vietnam. Many of these troops were Green Berets sent to train the South Vietnamese soldiers how to fight. In 1963, the famous Buddhist self-immolation protests occurred on the streets of Saigon by oppressed Buddhist monks. On November 1, 1963, the US supported a coup to remove Diem from power. Diem’s assassination began a period where the US supported one puppet government after another in South Vietnam. November 22, 1963 JFK Assassinated.

20. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 7, 1964) ~ The American destroyer USS Maddox reported receiving enemy fire on August 4, 1964. In retrospect, the commander of the destroyer could not confirm any enemy contact. Johnson requested from Congress: “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” Election of 1964 ~ LBJ vs. Goldwater. Operation Rolling Thunder (February 1965-November 1968) ~ LBJ responded to attacks by Vietcong with the first sustained bombing campaign on the North. The Rolling Thunder bombing campaign continued for three and a half years. President Lyndon B. Johnson “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.”

21. Document C: State Department White Paper, 1965 The record is conclusive. It establishes beyond question that North Vietnam is carrying out a carefully conceived plan of aggression against the South… It is directly contrary to the Geneva Accords of 1954 and of 1962 to which North Vietnam is a party. It is a fundamental threat to the freedom and security of South Vietnam. The people of South Vietnam have chosen to resist this threat. At their request, the United States has taken its place beside them in their defensive struggle. The United States seeks no territory, no military bases, no favored position. But we have learned the meaning of aggression elsewhere in the post-war world, and we have met it. If peace can be restored in South Vietnam, the United States will be ready at once to reduce its military involvement. But it will not abandon friends who want to remain free.It will do what must be done to help them. The choice now between peace and continued and increasingly destructive conflict is one for the authorities in Hanoi to make.

22. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert S. McNamara March 21, 1964 Source: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu

23. Gen. William C. Westmoreland, Escalation (1966-1967) ~ General William Westmoreland, overall US commander in Vietnam, continually requested more troops because of the inability of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to stand up to the attacks by NVA regular forces and Vietcong guerrilla forces. LBJ responded with more troops. By the end of 1967, US forces had reached 500,000 troops.

24. Ho Chi Minh, 1967 “The Vietnamese people deeply love independence, freedom and peace. But in the face of U.S. aggression, they have risen up, united as one man, fearless of sacrifices and hardships. They are determined to carry on their resistance until they have won genuine independence and freedom and true peace. Our just cause enjoys strong sympathy and support from the peoples of the whole world, including broad sections of the American people.”

25. 1968: A Year Like No Other

26. 1968 Tet Offensive ~ At the beginning of the Lunar New Year festivities known as Tet, Vietcong forces launched a massive surprise attack against cities and towns all over South Vietnam. Though the Tet Offensive was an operational defeat (32,000 VC casualties to 3,000 US/ARVN casualties), it proved to be a strategic victory as many war-weary Americans believed that the Vietnam War could not be won. My Lai Massacre ~ A platoon of US soldiers led by 2LT William Calley killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai. The exact number (300-550) is still debated, but it was the worst US atrocity that the Americans heard of during the Vietnam War. LBJ Withdraws from ’68 Race ~ In a dramatic televised speech to the American people, Johnson announced a change in course on the Vietnam policy as well as the fact that he would not seek another term as President. Democratic National Convention in Chicago ~ After the withdrawal of LBJ and the murder of RFK, Hubert Humphrey (Vice President) was running against Senator Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy was a strong anti-war candidate, and activists showed up in great numbers. The Chicago mayor & police responded with force.

27. Nixon takes over: VIETNAMIZATION & PEACE WITH HONOR Cambodian Invasion (April 30, 1970) ~ President Nixon announced that US ground forces had entered Cambodia to clear out North Vietnamese and VC supply centers. Students, who viewed this move as an expansion of the Vietnam War, staged large-scale protests on college campuses across America. Kent State (May 4, 1970) ~ After students burned down the ROTC building on campus, the local mayor brought in the National Guard. In an exchange of violence where students were throwing rocks at the Guardsmen, shots were fired by the soldiers killing four and wounding nine. Repeal of Tonkin Gulf Resolution (December 31, 1970) ~ Angry with the war’s expansion into Cambodia, Congress repealed the resolution which had given Presidents Johnson and Nixon independence in policy in Vietnam. Pentagon Papers Leaked (June 1971) ~ This 7,000 page document revealed to the American public that the Johnson administration planned to extend the war in Vietnam even when he was campaigning in 1964 saying he was not. Americans continued to lose trust in their government. Peace is at Hand (October 26, 1972) ~ Sec of State Henry Kissinger announced this statement after years of negotiations with Le DucTho, North Vietnam’s primary negotiator. President Nixon won reelection in November 1972. Peace at Last (January 27, 1973) ~ US signed an “Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam” that allowed NVA troops to remain in South Vietnam. Nixon promised to respond with full force to any violation of the peace agreement.

28. After then U.S. Leaves… US Response (March 1975) ~ After a full-scale invasion of the South by the North, the South Vietnam government asked for military intervention from the US. President Ford responded: “America can regain its sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by refighting a war that is finished as far as America is concerned.” Fall of Saigon (April 30, 1975) ~ North Vietnamese tanks and troops rolled into Saigon taking the city and the South fell soon thereafter. The evacuation of the American embassy in Saigon remains one of the lasting images of Vietnam.