Section 4: 1968 A Tumultuous Year

1. Section 4: 1968 A Tumultuous Year • An enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations, and a chaotic political convention make 1968 an explosive year.

2. Tet Changes Public Opinion • Before Tet, most Americans hawks; after Tet, hawks, doves both 40% • Mainstream media now openly criticizes war • LBJ appoints Clark Clifford as new Secretary of Defense • After studying situation, Clifford concludes war is unwinnable • LBJ’s popularity drops; 60% now disapprove his handling of the war

3. Protest Songs… • Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young- Ohio • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82CYNj7noic

4. Days of Loss and Rage Johnson Withdraws • Senator Robert Kennedy enters 1968 race after LBJ’s popularity plummets • LBJ announces will seek peace talks and will not run for reelection Violence and Protest Grip the Nation • Riots erupt in over 100 cities after Martin Luther King, Jr. is killed (April 4, 1968) • Kennedy wins CA primary then is fatally shot by a man for supporting Israel (June 5, 1968) • Major demonstrations on over 100 college campuses

5. A Turbulent Race for President • Vice-president Hubert Humphrey wins Democratic nomination Nixon Triumphs • Nixon wins 1968 Republican nomination • Campaign promises: restore law and order & end war in Vietnam • Nixon wins presidency

6. Section 5- The End of the War and Its Legacy • President Nixon institutes his Vietnamization policy, and America’s longest war finally comes to an end.

7. President Nixon and Vietnamization The Pullout of Troops Begins • New president Richard Nixon finds negotiations not progressing • National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger works on new plan • Vietnamization—gradual withdraw of U.S. troops from Vietnam, S. Vietnamese troops take over

8. “Peace with Honor” • Nixon calls for “peace with honor” to maintain U.S. dignity • He still demands that South Vietnamese government remain intact and the North Vietnamese stay out of S. Vietnam • Despite this he secretly orders bombing of supply routes and bases in North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos

9. Trouble continues on the Homefront Mainstream America • Nixon tries to appeal to the silent majority • moderate, mainstream people who quietly support the war But events divide the country… The My Lai Massacre • News breaks that U.S. platoon massacred civilians in My Lai village in S. Vietnam • Lt. William Calley, Jr., in command, is convicted, imprisoned

10. The Invasion of Cambodia • 1970, U.S. troops invade Cambodia to clear out Vietcong and North Vietnamese supply centers • College students explode in protest • 1.5 million protesting college students close down 1,200 campuses

11. Violence on Campus • Kent State University • May 4, 1970 • Massive student protest led to the burning of the ROTC building • Mayor calls in National Guard • Protestors throw rocks at National Guard- National Guard fires tear gas and live ammo into crowd • 9 wounded and 4 killed (2 were not even participating in the rally) • http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/05/04/costello.kent.state.cnn

13. The Pentagon Papers • Nixon invades Cambodia without even notifying Congress • Congress repeals Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Support for the war decreases even more… • Pentagon Papers-show plans to enter war under LBJ before Gulf of Tonkin incident and that there was never a plan to end the war as long as the N. Vietnamese resisted • Confirm belief for many that the government was not honest about its intentions • http://www.history.com/videos/tet-offensive-surprises-americans#pentagon-papers-reveal-secret-war

14. America’s Longest War Ends “Peace is at Hand” • 1972 N. Vietnamese launch largest attack since Tet; U.S. bombs cities, mines Haiphong harbor • Kissinger agrees to the complete withdrawal of U.S.- claims that “Peace is at hand” The Final Push • S. Vietnam rejects Kissinger plan to have North Vietnamese troops stationed in South Vietnam • Bombing resumes (“Christmas bombings”) • Finally both sides call for end to war; peace signed January 1973 (but N. Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam)

15. On March 29, 1973 the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam The Fall of Saigon • Cease-fire b/n North and South collapses and fighting continues • South surrenders after North invades in March of 1975 • Made into a unified Communist Vietnam The evacuation of Saigon

16. The War Leaves a Painful Legacy American Veterans Cope Back Home • 58,000 Americans killed in war, over 300,000 wounded • Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese killed • Returning veterans face indifference, hostility at home. • Many veterans adjust successfully but about 15% develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

17. Further Turmoil in Southeast Asia • Communists put 400,000 S. Vietnamese in labor camps; 1.5 million flee. • Civil war breaks out in Cambodia; Khmer Rouge seizes power. • Want to establish peasant society; kill at least 1 million people.

18. The Legacy of Vietnam • 1973- government abolishes military draft • 1973 Congress passes War Powers Act: • President must inform Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops into hostile area • 90 day maximum deployment without Congressional approval • Vietnam Veterans Memorial completed in 1982- Names listed in chronological order. Reflective stone used to bring the “past and the present together”