The War in Vietnam

1. The War in Vietnam Presented by June Papendick

3. 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

4. Historical Timeline 206 BC-Kingdom of Nam Viet 111 BC-Nam Viet annexed by the Han dynasty (China). 939 AD-Establishment of Vietnam 1000 AD-Successful defense against Song dynasty invasion (China). 1258 AD-First Mongol Invasion 1268 AD-Second Mongol Invasion defeated 1287 AD-Third Mongol Invasion defeated 1407 AD-Ming dynasty occupies Vietnam 1428 AD-Chinese expulsed. 1600’s AD-Portuguese establish trade routes 1614 AD-Jesuits establish missions 1614-1682 AD-Portugal, the Netherlands, and France fight each other over control of Southeast Asia (including Vietnam). What does the history of Vietnam say about its people?

5. 1886 France takes control of French Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). The French language becomes the primary language in the area. 1940 France occupied by the German Army, Germany turns over control of French Indochina to its ally Japan. 1941 Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, creates the Viet Minh to fight against the Japanese. The Viet Minh also wanted to end French colonial control over Vietnam.

6. Remember the Cold War? (1945-1989)Red=Communists Blue=Democracies

7. 1945 On August 25th Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnams 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. USA/Democracies USSR/Communists

8. Graphic Organizer Vs.

9. Born Nguyen SinhCung, and known as "Uncle Ho,“ led the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945-69. Ho embraced communism while living abroad in England and France in 1919, he petitioned the powers at the Versailles peace talks for equal rights in Indochina. 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 (nationalism)

10. Graphic Organizer North Vietnam Vs. Ho Chi Minh Communists

11. The Domino Theory 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President. Eisenhower equates the possible loss of Vietnam to the communists as a domino effect in which all of Southeast Asia would then fall under communist control. This becomes known as the “Domino Theory”.

12. 1954 The French are defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. This event leads to the backing out of France from French Indochina.

13. Which will the US support? The United Nations creates the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and two Vietnams. North Vietnam is to be controlled by the communists (Ho Chi Mihn) and South Vietnam by a democracy (Ngo Dinh Diem).

14. The plan is to have a national election in two years at which time the two halves will be united. The election was never held. Over time the leader of South Vietnam, 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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. the communists in 1960 created the National Liberation Front -- the guerrilla organization also known as the Viet Cong.

18. Graphic Organizer North Vietnam South Vietnam Vs. Ho Chi Minh Ngo Diem Communists Democracy? United States U.S.S.R.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Interactive Notebook Question (Left Side) • Think-Pair-Share • Who did the United States want to keep out of Southeast Asia (Domino Theory)?

23. 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. In the IaDrang valley in Vietnam's central highlands, the North Vietnamese and U.S. armies met in the first major battle of the war. It was an American victory -- but U.S. casualties were heavy. 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. American television networks kept a running tally of the U.S. "body count." Johnson attempted to force the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table by bombing North Vietnam -- including the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the primitive but highly effective supply line that linked North Vietnam with its fighters and supporters in the South. But the tactic failed.

24. 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 KheSanh took place between 21 January and 8 April 1968. During the battle that lasted 77 days, KheSanh 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. “We are winning the war in Vietnam…” US General, 1968

28. 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.

29. Tet Offensive • Notice the # of coordinated attacks throughout the country.

30. Battle of Hue (Tet Offensive) With the beginning of the Tet Offensive on January 30, 1968, the Vietnamese lunar New Year, American forces had been committed to combat upon Vietnamese soil for almost three years. Highway One passed through Hué creating an important supply line from the coastal city of Da Nang to the DMZ for the Allied forces. Hué was also a base for United States Navy supply boats. The city, considering its value and its distance from the DMZ (only 50 miles), should have been well-defended, fortified, and prepared for the Communist offensive. However, it was actually poorly defended and unprepared because the Allied forces expected that the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong would respect the Tet truce. During the Tet, which is an important holiday celebrated in Vietnam, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army launched a massive assault on South Vietnam, attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country, among them the city of Hué. The Tet Offensive began on January 31, 1968.

31. Interactive Notebook Question How did the Tet Offensive shock the American public?

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. After the War After the US pulled out, North Vietnam conquered the south. In 1976, Vietnam was reunited under a communist government. Vietnam had been devastated by the war. Millions of Vietnamese had been killed or wounded. Homes, farms, factories, and forests had been destroyed, bombs had torn cities apart. Fields were covered with land mines, or hidden explosives and the Vietnamese people were worn out. Still ahead was the huge effort of rebuilding.

35. Interactive Notebook Question (Left Side) • Think-Pair-Share • What form of government does Vietnam have today? • What type of economy does Vietnam have today?

37. “The Wall" The National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

39. 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

40. 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”.

41. 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.

43. 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.

44. Culmination Assignment (1st-5th periods)On your own paper, make sure your heading is in the corner, to be turned in for a grade. • Essay • Write a 5 paragraph essay describing the war in Vietnam and why the United States was involved in the war.

45. Culmination Project (6th period)On your own paper; chose only one! Make sure to include information about the Cold War, the Domino Theory, and politics in Vietnam. • Write a 5 paragraph essay describing the war in Vietnam and why the United States was involved in the war. • Write a 5 paragraph letter to Ho Chi Minh as the President of the United States detailing his mistakes in leading Vietnam and how to fix them. • Write a 5 paragraph letter as Ho Chi Minh to the United Nations explaining your decisions as the leader of Communist North Vietnam. • Write a 5 paragraph letter as a Vietnamese Peasant to the United Nations explaining your life under the rule of Ho Chi Minh and the affect of the Vietnam War on your family.

46. 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

47. 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