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VIETNAM WAR

VIETNAM WAR. Vietnam. I. French and Vietnam A. France controlled “Indochina” (Vietnam) since the late 1800’s 1) Ho Chi Minh leads Communist Party in a number of failed revolts against French rule. 2) 1940 – (WWII) Japanese take control of Indochina

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VIETNAM WAR

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  1. VIETNAM WAR

  2. Vietnam

  3. I. French and Vietnam A. France controlled “Indochina” (Vietnam) since the late 1800’s 1) Ho Chi Minh leads Communist Party in a number of failed revolts against French rule. 2) 1940 – (WWII) Japanese take control of Indochina 3) 1945 – Japanese defeated and leave Vietnam a) Ho Chi Minh leads the Northern Communists (Vietminh) in declaring Vietnam an independent nation. FRENCH FLAG VIETMINH FLAG VS.

  4. Ho Chi Minh

  5. B. French Battle the Vietminh 1) France regains control of South Vietnam with a Billion dollars in aid from United States a) President Eisenhower’s Domino Theory keeps U.S. aid coming to France 2) 1954 – Despite U.S. aid, French surrender at Dien Bien Phu 3) Geneva Accordsdivide Vietnam along the 17th Parallel a) Ho Chih Minh/Communists control North b) Ngo Dinh Diem/Nationalists control South c) Capitols: (South = Saigon) (North = Hanoi)

  6. Hanoi 17TH Parallel DMZ Saigon

  7. II. United States steps In A. Diem cancels nation-wide elections ordered by Geneva Accords 1) U.S. and Diem realize that Ho Chi Minh’s popularity will spell defeat for Democracy B. U.S. promises Diem support if he agrees to form a stable democracy

  8. C. Diem fails to uphold his end of the bargain 1) Eliminated any opposition 2) Restricts Buddhist religion a) Majority of Southerners = Buddhists D. Southern Communists(Vietcong)begin attacks, killing thousands of government officials. E. Northern Communists use the Ho Chi Minh Trailto supply weapons to the Vietcong in the South Communist soldiers preparing for an attack

  9. Laos Cambodia

  10. III. Kennedy and Vietnam A. JFK immediately increases aid to Vietnam along with thousands of advisors to train the South Vietnamese troops B. Diem’s persecutions continue 1) Harasses villagers to expose Vietcong 2) Kills hundreds of Buddhist leaders, destroys Buddhist temples C. Buddhist monks set themselves on fire to protest atrocities 1) American officials order Diem to stop persecutions but Diem refuses

  11. D. Nov. 1963 – Kennedy orders military overthrow of Diem 1) Against JFK’s wishes, Diem is assassinated 2) Realizing that the situation is out of hand, JFK announces intent to withdraw all U.S. military from South Vietnam. 3) Three weeks later JFK is assassinated 4) Lyndon B. Johnson inherits crisis in Vietnam

  12. IV. President Johnson Expands the Conflict A. South grows more chaotic after Diem’s death 1) String of ineffective military leaders 2) Vietcong grows stronger in countryside B. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1) After alleged attack on U.S.S. Maddox by North Vietnamese ship, LBJ asks Congress for power to take “all necessary measures to repel any attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression.”

  13. 2) Unknown to Congress, Johnson had already secretly ordered raids on North Vietnam 3) Feb. 1965 – Eight Americans are killed in a North Vietnamese attack. 4) LBJ responds with Operation Rolling Thunder a) sustained bombing raids b) 50,000 American combat troops arrive in South Vietnam 5) America officially enters the Vietnam War!

  14. “You do some thinking. You hallucinate. You look ahead a few paces and wonder what your legs will resemble if there is more to the earth in that spot than silicates and nitrogen. Will the pain be unbearable? Will you scream and fall silent? Will you be afraid to look at your own body, afraid of the sight of you own red flesh and white bone? You decide to be ultra-careful. You try to second-guess the mine. Should you put your foot to that flat rock or the clump of grass to its rear? Paddy dike or water? You wish you were Tarzan, able to swing on the vines. You trace the footprints of the man to your front. You give up when he curses you for following too closely; better one man dead than two.”

  15. V. Fighting in the Jungle A. Jungle conditions = 100+ degrees, 100% humidity, Leeches in water, tropical diseases, etc. B. Elusive Enemy 1) Vietcong had no high-powered weapons 2) Used Guerrilla Warfare a) hit-and-run ambush tactics, booby traps b) hide in trees and caves c) “home-field advantage” (Vietcong knew the terrain) 3) Enemy lived amongst friendly civilians a) difficult to identify friend from foe b) woman selling drinks may be a VC spy c) boy taking a picture may be VC soldier

  16. “Two days ago four guys got killed and about 15 wounded from the first platoon. Our platoon was 200 yards away on top of a hill. One guy was from New York City. He had five days left to go before being sent home. He was standing on a 250-lb. bomb that a plane had dropped and didn’t explode. So the North Vietnamese Army wired it up. Well, all they ever found of him was a piece of his wallet.” -Specialist Fourth Class Salvador Gonzalez

  17. 4) Tunnels of Vietcong a) elaborate system of underground tunnels b) allowed them safety from bombing raids VI. War of Attrition A. American strategy was to destroy the Vietcong’s morale and will to fight 1) Continuous harassment 2) Keep body count totals 3) Was not as effective as we hoped B. Vietcong saw the war as a battle for existence and were ready to pay any price for victory

  18. C. Napalm and Agent Orange 1) Napalm = gasoline-based bomb that set fire to the jungles 2) Agent Orange = leaf-killing toxic chemical 3) Used to clear jungle and expose Vietcong.

  19. NAPALM

  20. AGENT ORANGE

  21. VII. Psychological War A. Frustration began to take its toll on U.S. troops 1) Unable to combat guerrilla warfare 2) Miserable jungle conditions 3) Prolonged war (supposed to be quick victory!) 4) Fighting among Southern Vietnamese (Civil War within a Civil War) B. Soldiers morale began to drop 1) Drugs and alcohol to ease stress and pain 2) Murder of superior officers 3) Abandoning platoons

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