The Vietnam War Years

1. The VietnamWar Years Chapter 30

3. History of Vietnam • France had ruled Vietnam from late 1800s to 1940s • France also controlled Laos and Cambodia • Natives of Vietnam resisted French rule, so France reacted harshly and took away rights and jailed many of the dissenters • Vietnamese continued to resist • Revolutionaries moved to China where they organized under the communist leader: Ho Chi Minh

4. History of Vietnam • 1940 – Japan took over Vietnam • Ho Cho Minh returned and organized the Vietminh • When the US defeated Japan, Vietminh was able to take over • France returned to Vietnam in 1945, took over South Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh vowed to take over the again

5. US in Vietnam • America’s involvement in Vietnam began in 1950, during the French Indochina War • France wanted to reestablish its rule over Vietnam • US viewed it as containment • Gave France military and economic support • US had originally supported the Vietminh and their resistance to the Japanese • US continued to support Diem (Eisenhower and Kennedy) • 1963 – US committed 16,000 troops to Vietnam

6. DominoTheory • US had just reached a stalemate in Korea, and was afraid of the spread of communism • Eisenhower explained the domino theory – countries on the brink of communism were like a set of dominoes lined up and waiting to fall • French could not take control of Vietnam

7. Geneva Accords • US, France, Great Britain, USSR, China, Laos and Cambodia met with the Vietminh and the anticommunist Nationalists to create a peace agreement • Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel • Ho Chi Minh controlled the north • Anticommunist Nationalists controlled the south • An election in 1956 would take place to unify the country

8. Division of Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh gained support from peasants in the North (redistributed large estates) • Anticommunist candidate Ngo Din Diem backed out of the election because Ho Chi Minh would most likely win • Diem promised the US to set up a stable gov’t in South Vietnam • Ended up supporting a corrupt gov’t that did nothing to win the support of the peasants and restricted Buddhism, despite the country’s large Buddhist population

9. Vietcong • A communist group in the South, began attacking the Diem gov’t, assassinated thousands of gov’t officials • Political portion of the group renamed themselves: National Liberation Front (NLF) • Ho Chi Minh supported the Vietcong and began sending them supplies through the Ho Chi Minh Trail (paths along the borders of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia)

10. Diem’s Gov’t • Diem continued to lose power, and wanted to move villagers to strategic towns around the country • People resented being moved from their ancestral homes • Diem stepped up his attacks on Buddhists • Captured and imprisoned Buddhist clerics • In protest, several Buddhist nuns and monks burned themselves to death • In order for the South to remain stable – Diem would have to go • November 1963 – US supported military coup assassinated Diem

11. US Involvement Grows • Kennedy wanted to leave Vietnam (“it’s their war”) • LBJ feared a communist take-over of South Vietnam

12. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Vietnamese patrol boat fired at the USS Maddox, patrolling in the Gulf of Tonkin • A few days later the USS Maddox believed they were under attack, but did not witness any gunfire • LBJ launched an attack on North Vietnam • Asked Congress to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the US and to prevent further aggression” • Adopted Tonkin Gulf Resolution – gave LBJ military powers in Vietnam, but was not a declaration of war

13. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • In reality • US was launching secret raids against North Vietnam, and the USS Maddox was collecting information • LBJ drafted the resolution months before, and was waiting for a chance

14. LBJ Brings in Troops • February 1965 – LBJ used his powers to launch a sustained bombing against North Vietnam, after a Vietcong attack killed 8 Americans • June 1965 – more than 50,000 American troops were in Vietnam

15. Support for Containment • During the Election of 1964 – LBJ spoke for containment, but said he was against sending American troops to Asia • Sent troops anyway • Congress and 61% of Americans supported LBJ’s decision

16. Troop Buildup • By the end of 1965, US had sent 180,000 troops to Vietnam • General Westmoreland commanded in South Vietnam, wanted more troops • Did not want to depend on the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) • # of troops increased to 500,000

17. Sinking Morale • The conditions of the war lowered US troops’ morale • Many soldiers did not believe in the war • Turned to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs • Soldiers would murder their superior officers • Throughout the war, morale would only continue to get worse

18. Serving in Vietnam • Other soldiers did believe in the war and stopping the spread of communism • Thousands were captured, and endured years of torture as POWs

19. Living-Room War • Vietnam War was the first on TV – footage appeared on the news • Credibility gap – Generals reported Vietcong’s imminent surrender, but US body count continued to rise • People began questioning the war – “I want to get out, but I don’t want to give in.”

20. “Manipulatable” Draft • Many soldiers were drafted into the war, men from 18-26 could be called into service • Men began finding ways to get out of service • Sympathetic doctors • Changed residencies to an area with a more lenient draft board • Joined Coast Guard or National Guard • Attend college • These options were expensive – so mostly lower-class whites and minorities served • African-Americans died in large numbers, despite their lack of status in the country

21. New Left • Growing youth movement – disliked the power that corporations and government had • Wanted to restore democracy and greater freedoms

22. Campus Activism • Students argued against campus issues (dress codes, curfews, mandatory ROTC programs) • Young people began to join together in protest, found that they could make a difference

23. Protest Movement • Many college groups began to protest the Vietnam War • Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a march on Washington DC • Gov’t changed the rule on academic deferment for drafts – students had to be in good academic standing (making it difficult to protest) • SDS began protesting using civil disobedience, and encouraged people to move to Canada or Sweden • Reasons for protesting: • Vietnam was a civil war – US should not be involved • US should not police the world • War was draining American strength from other important locations

24. Protest to Resistance • By 1967, the protest movement intensified, but did not feel that they were making any difference • Protestors gathered in Central Park, tossed draft cards into a bonfire • 1970 – Nixon phased out the draft • Accused 200,000 men of draft-dodging • Arrested and put in jail

25. Doves and Hawks • Doves – opposed war, believed US should withdraw from Vietnam • Hawks – supported the war, wanted the US to increase military force in Vietnam • Majority of Americans were committed to the war, some were surprised that people would protest a war that Americans were dying for

26. Tet Offensive • Tet – Vietnamese New Year festival • Truce existed during this time, chance for soldiers and villagers to celebrate and hold funerals for war victims • Vietcong disguised themselves as villagers and hid weapons in coffins • Attacked 100 towns and 12 US air bases in South Vietnam • Lasted about a month • Greatly affected American’s opinions on the war – thought enemy was close to defeat • Faith in the war began to drop, most citizens believed it was a mistake

27. LBJ Withdraws • March 31, 1968 – LBJ announced that he would seek negotiations to end the war • Based on his loss of popularity, LBJ did not plan on running for re-election in 1968 • Upset that the Vietnam War undid the Great Society plan

28. Violence and Protest • Robert Kennedy (who had just won the Democratic primary) was assassinated • 200 demonstrations occurred on college campuses protesting the Vietnam War and other social issues

29. Turmoil in Chicago • August 1968 – thousands of antiwar demonstrators protested at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago • Wanted to protest the nomination of Hubert Humphrey • Hoped to provoke violence that would discredit the Democratic Party • Protest turned into a riot • Police sprayed the protestors with Mace and beat them, some protestors fought back • Meanwhile, the delegates were fighting at the National Convention over who would be nominated as the Democratic candidate

30. Election of 1968 • Democratic candidate - Humphrey • Republican candidate – Nixon (had vaguely promised to end the Vietnam War) • American Independent - George Wallace (supported by Southerners and people who feared the riots and protests) • Nixon is elected

31. Kissinger and Vietnamization • Summer 1969 - Nixon announced troop withdrawals from Vietnam • Continued to fight North Vietnam • Negotiations to end the war were at a stalemate (both sides wanted the other to withdraw) • Kissinger, an expert in international relations, was called in to solve the problem • Vietnamization – gradual withdrawal of US troops, while South Vietnamese take a more active combat role

32. “Peace with Honor” • Nixon and Kissinger wanted the US to maintain its dignity even while withdrawing troops • South Vietnam gov’t needed to stay intact • Nixon secretly ordered bombs to be dropped on supply routes and bases in North Vietnam, as well as Vietcong bases in Cambodia and Laos • Wanted to appeal to the “silent majority” • Moderate, mainstream people who quietly agreed with the Vietnam War

33. My Lai Massacre • November 1969 – news of a massacre from March 1968 was leaked • US platoon fired on a small fishing village (My Lai) in South Vietnam • Looking for Vietcong, US troops rounded up villagers and shot them • Only the commanding officer was convicted and imprisoned

34. Invasion of Cambodia • April 1970 – US troops invade Cambodia to destroy North Vietnam and Vietcong supply centers • College students began protesting across 1200 campuses

35. Kent State University • Students protested and burned down an ROTC building • National Guard was called in, shot at protesters who were throwing rocks at them • Wounded 9,killed 4 • Similar events happened at other colleges across the country

36. Pentagon Papers • Congress felt Nixon overstepped his bounds by attacking Cambodia • Repealed Tonkin Gulf Resolution • June 1971 – 7,000 page document showed gov’t plans for the war • Planned to enter the war even when LBJ said he would not • Planned to fight until North Vietnamese resistance ended

37. End of the Vietnam War • After trading bombings, North Vietnamese and US reached a stalemate • October 1972 - Kissinger negotiated peace terms with North Vietnam • Peace remained elusive • US bombed 2 cities in North Vietnam (Hanoi and Haiphong) for 11 days straight • January 1973 – US signed the agreement to end the Vietnam War • Cease-fire between North and South Vietnam did not occur until 1975, when North Vietnam captured the South Vietnam capital of Saigon

38. Veterans Return Home • Americans did not embrace Vietnam War vets - indifferent at best, hostile at worst • Many developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), began abusing drugs and alcohol or committed suicide • Many had to deal with the long-term effects of Agent Orange

39. Turmoil in Southeast Asia • North Vietnamese forced many South Vietnamese into labor and reeducation camps • Some South Vietnamese tried to flee the country, over 50,000 of these died • In Cambodia, US invasion led to a civil war • Communist group (Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot) took over – executed over 1 million

40. Legacy of the Vietnam War • Still a controversial subject (hawks vs doves) • Gov’t abolished the draft • Curbed president’s ability to make war • War Powers Act – president must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops to a hostile area without a declaration of war, troops can only remain for 90 days unless Congress approves of the action • Vietnam Syndrome – Americans now think about risks to their own interests before deciding to intervene between other countries • People became cynical about the gov’t and politicians • Especially when they can withhold vital information or conceal illicit activities