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Vietnam. I. Vietnam was a French colony called Indochina. A. Ho Chi Minh lead an independence movement after WWII B. The French were defeated at Dien Bien Pho C. Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam (communist) and South Vietnam (under Diem) (not communist).
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Vietnam I. Vietnam was a French colony called Indochina. A. Ho Chi Minh lead an independence movement after WWII B. The French were defeated at Dien Bien Pho C. Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam (communist) and South Vietnam (under Diem) (not communist)
II. The US backed Diem and his regime. A. Domino Theory – Losing Vietnam to communism will lead to losing Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, etc. B. Diem was a catholic educated by the French. He did not have the support of the people. C. Kennedy sent military “advisors” (15,000). D. By 1965 Johnson had 23,000.
III. Johnson escalated the war A. 1964 Johnson asks for passage of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving him power to put combat troops in Vietnam. B. By 1968 there are over 500,000 American troops in Vietnam.
IV. Waging war A. Vietnam was a war of attrition 1. The theory was for the Vietnamese to do the bulk of the fighting. 2. The military attempted to “win the hearts and minds of the people”. 3. The strategies were gross failures. B. Diem and his successors never had broad support. C. Objectives were never clear.
Winning Hearts and Minds Carpet Bombing “Zippo Raid”
F. The Tet Offensive proved that the US underestimated the North Vietnamese just as the French had done before. 1. January 1968 a massive coordinated attack all over S. Vietnam 2. Attackers made it inside the US Embassy in Saigon 3. It was over in a few days, but is considered a turning point. 4. Johnson announced he would not seek re-election.
V. The Pentagon Papers A. In 1967 Daniel Ellsberg released secret Pentagon documents about the start of the Vietnam War ( including that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened) B. Ellsberg was accused of theft, conspiracy and espionage. 1. Charges were dropped. 2. The “plumbers” used illegal methods to discover the “leaks”. C. The New York Times v. United States 1. The Justice Department tried to stop the NY Times from publishing anymore of the report. 2. The Supreme Court allowed the publication to continue.
VI. The End A. In 1968 Nixon becomes President 1. Promises “Vietnamization” of the War and “Peace with Honor”. a. The S. Vietnamese government had no popular support or the ability to wage war. b. Carpetbombed N. Vietnam with “no mercy”. 2. Cease-fire signed 1973 B. N. Vietnam overruns S. in 1975 when the last US personel are pulled out. C. 58, 156 US killed, 300,000 wounded, 5,000 MIA
Music • Creedence Lyrics: Fortunate Son • Some folks are born made to wave the flag,Ooh, they're red, white and blue.And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,Yeah!Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.But when the taxman comes to the door,Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,
Jimi Hendrix Castles Made Of Sand Lyrics • Down the street you can hear her scream you're a disgrace As she slams the door in his drunken face And now he stands outside And all the neighbors start to gossip and drool He cries oh, girl you must be mad, What happened to the sweet love you and me had? Against the door he leans and starts a scene, And his tears fall and burn the garden green And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually A little Indian brave who before he was ten, Played war games in the woods with his Indian friends And he built up a dream that when he grew up He would be a fearless warrior Indian Cheif Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until Tomorrow he would sing his first war song and fight his first battle But something went wrong, surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually There was a young girl, who's heart was a frown Cause she was crippled for life, And she couldn't speak a sound And she wished and prayed she could stop living, So she decided to die She drew her wheelchair to the edge of the shore And to her legs she smiled you wont hurt me no more But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say Look a golden winged ship is passing my way And it really didn't have to stop, it just kept on going... And so castles made of sand slips into the sea, eventually