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22.1 Road to Vietnam. Communism spreading. Vietnam was a French colony Ho Chi Minh was a local Communist leader who wanted Vietnam to be free Vietnam was taken over by the Japanese in WWII, French returned in 1945
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Communism spreading • Vietnam was a French colony • Ho Chi Minh was a local Communist leader who wanted Vietnam to be free • Vietnam was taken over by the Japanese in WWII, French returned in 1945 • U.S. helped France try to beat Ho Chi Minh and his Vietminh army, but failed by 1954 • Vietnam was split into Communist north and democratic south
Communism spreading • Vietcong were Communist fighters in south Vietnam • Vietcong received supplies from the north via the Ho Chi Minh Trail • The U.S.-supported southern govt. began harassing Buddhists and farmers • This led to further attacks from the Vietcong
Johnson’s War • President Johnson didn’t want to seem “weak on Communism” • He almost seemed to be lookin’ for a fight • Already had plans to send troops to ‘Nam • Kennedy may have been ready to back away from Vietnam…
Johnson’s War • August 1964, U.S.S. Maddox was attacked by the North Vietnamese off their coast • LBJ gave Congress Tonkin Gulf Resolution to vote on, it gave him the power to send in the military • He didn’t tell them that the Maddox was basically spying on North Vietnam… • Congress passed it almost unanimously
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • According to the Resolution itself, why was the Resolution created? • What does Congress give to the President (Johnson)? • When are these powers supposed to end? • (Toughy) What does the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution not include?