Vietnam: US Involvement and Escalation

1. Vietnam:US Involvement and Escalation Chapter 22, Section 2 Notes

2. Objectives • Explain the reasons for the escalation of US involvement in Vietnam • Describe the military tactics and weapons used by US forces and the Vietcong • Explain the impact of the war on American society

3. The United States sent troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turned into a stalemate. Robert McNamara Dean Rusk William Westmoreland Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Napalm Agent Orange Search and destroy mission Credibility gap Main Idea and Terms/Names

4. Johnson increases Involvement • 1965 – Johnson and his foreign policy advisors decide to send troops to fight • Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara • Secretary of State Dean Rusk • Congress strongly supported Johnson’s strategy • Americans supported Johnson’s containment of communism • 61% supported

5. Johnson increases Involvement • By the end of 1965 – 180,000 Americans were sent to Vietnam • William Westmoreland – American commander in Vietnam • Continued requesting more troops • Was not impressed with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) • By 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

6. Fighting in the Jungle • US thought its superior weaponry would lead it to victory • The Jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics turned the war into a stalemate • Vietcong used hit and run and ambush tactics • Did not have high-powered weapons • Knew the jungle terrain – advantage! • Vietcong had a network of elaborate tunnels • Withstand airstrikes and disappear quickly • Connected villages to launch surprise attacks

7. Vietcong Tunnel System Link

8. Fighting in the Jungle • The jungle was laced with booby traps and land mines • The US had laid land mines throughout the jungle • Vietcong reused American mines • Nerve-racking for US troops to walk through the jungle

9. A War of Attrition • Westmoreland’s strategy was to destroy the Vietcong morale • A war of attrition – gradually wearing down the enemy with continuous harassment • Used a body count to keep track of the number of Vietcong deaths • Vietcong had no intention of quitting • Received supplies from China and USSR • The US misunderstood the Vietcong – it was a battle for existence

10. Battle For Hearts and Minds • US began a campaign to win the “hearts and minds” of S.Vietnamese villagers • Would keep them from supporting Vietcong • However, this was a difficult task • US planes dropped napalm • Gasoline based chemical that set fire to the jungle • US sprayed Agent Orange to kill the jungle • Also suspected of causing cancer years later • These chemicals wounded civilians and left their villages in ruins

11. Battle For Hearts and Minds • Search and destroy missions • US troops uproot civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong and burned their villages • Villagers fled to cities or refugee camps

12. Sinking Morale • US troops’ morale sunk • Frustrated with guerilla warfare • Brutal jungle conditions • Failure to make substantial headway against enemy • Some soldiers believed in the cause, but many soldiers were legally required to fight a war they did not support • turned to alcohol and drugs • Corruption of S. Vietnamese government – civil war within a civil war

13. The War at Home • Great Society Suffered • The war was costly and the US economy suffered • Inflation rate jumped to 5.5% • Johnson asked for a tax increase to help fund the war and check inflation • Congress agreed, but only if the funding for Great Society programs was reduced • “Living Room War” – combat footage appeared on the nightly news • Quoted body count statistics

14. The Credibility Gap • Difference between what the government reported and what was really happened • Americans saw images on TV that did not match up with the optimistic gov. report • Fulbright hearings • Senator Fulbright televised a series of hearing in which the Johnson administration defended their Vietnam policies

15. Section 3: A Nation DividedThe Working Class Goes to War • A “Manipulatable” Draft • Selective Service System, draft, calls men 18–26 to military service • Thousands look for ways to avoid the draft • Many—mostly white, affluent—get college deferment • 80% of U.S. soldiers come from lower economic levels

16. African Americans in Vietnam • African Americans serve in disproportionate numbers in ground combat • Defense Department corrects problem by instituting draft lottery in 1969 • Racial tensions high in many platoons; add to low troop morale • Women Join the Ranks • 10,000 women serve, mostly as military nurses • Thousands volunteer: American Red Cross, United Services Organization

17. Roots of Opposition • The New Left • • New Left—youth movement of 1960s, demand sweeping changes • Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Free Speech Movement (FSM): - criticize big business, government; want greater individual freedom

18. The Protest Movement Emerges • The Movement Grows • In 1965, protest marches, rallies draw tens of thousands • 1966, student deferments require good academic standing • SDS calls for civil disobedience; counsels students to go abroad • Small numbers of returning veterans protest; protest songs popular

19. From Protest to Resistance • Antiwar demonstrations, protests increase, some become violent • Some men burn draft cards; some refuse to serve; some flee to Canada

20. War Divides the Country • Doves strongly oppose war, believe U.S. should withdraw • Hawks favor sending greater forces to win the war • 1967 majority of Americans support war, consider protesters disloyal

21. Johnson remains determined • LBJ continues slow escalation, is criticized by both hawks and doves • Combat stalemate leads Defense Secretary McNamara to resign