The Vietnam War Years



The Vietnam War Years

Moving Toward Conflict

Roots of American Involvement

Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia were originally French

colonies in the late 19 century. Ho Chi Minh had been

fighting for Vietnamese independence since World War I.

The U.S. gave France aid to discourage the spread of communism to Vietnam.

The United States Steps In

France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu 1954, so the US sent military advisors to South Vietnam and Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem presided over a corrupt and repressive regime.

He failed to follow through on promised reforms. Brutal persecution of

Buddhist monks in 1963 damaged Diem’s shaky international reputation. The US supported a successful military coup against Diem.

LBJ Expands The Conflict

Claiming that North Vietnamese fired on American

destroyers in Gulf of Tonkin. LBJ pushed the Gulf of

Tonkin Resolution through Congress authorizing him

to use military force in Vietnam. LBJ ordered operation “Rolling Thunder,”

the first sustained bombing of N. Vietnam.

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The Vietnam War Years

US Involvement Grows

The Decision to Escalate

Under the leadership of General William C. Westmoreland, combat

troops conducted search and destroy missions. He kept calling for

more soldiers in order to ensure victory:

1965 – 184,000 1966 – 385,000 1967 – 485,000 1968 – 538,000

The Vietcong were founded in South Vietnam who were Vietcong that supported by North Vietnam.

1. Farmers by day and guerrillas by night.

2. Very patient people willing to accept many casualties.

3. The US grossly underestimated their resolve and resourcefulness.

4. “Charlies” by American troops that will later fight them.

|AMERICAN TROOPS |VIETCONG TROOPS |

|Had superior weapons. |Fought as guerrillas; avoided head-on clashes |

| | |

|Were unprepared for heat, terrain, or guerrilla tactics. |Were familiar with terrain; had support of many South Vietnamese. |

| |e |

|Lacked support of most South Vietnamese. |Built and hid in elaborate underground tunnels. |

| | |

|Most never saw the enemy but constantly faced the possibility of sudden danger.| |

War In The Jungle

The Vietcong were an elusive enemy because they used

guerilla warfare tactics and had a network of elaborate tunnels that were used to launch surprise attacks.

Helicopters were often used to deploy troops in

open areas in the jungle. Napalm was a jellylike

substance which, when dropped from planes

splattered, and burned uncontrollably.

American pilots dropped an herbicide called Agent Orange

over Vietnamese jungles, killing vegetation and exposing Viet Cong

hiding places. 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to

Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and

500,000 children born with birth defects.

The Living Room War

The Vietnam War became known as the Living-room war. Each night, Americans watched the images – which often were graphic and brutal – of the Vietnam war.

Body counts were reported on the nightly news, night after night.

A credibility gap emerged between the Johnson

administration and what was really happening.

Do you believe everything that the

government tells the public?

The Vietnam War Years

The War Divides America

A Working-Class War

The US invoked the Selective Service Act of 1951, drafting young men between the ages of 18 and 26 into the armed forces. Most of those who refused to be drafted in the early 1960s were conscientious objectors.

At first, college students could receive a deferment, or postponement

of their call to serve.

Deferments were eliminated in 1971 in response

to complaints that they were unfair to those who could not afford college.

During the Vietnam War there was a disproportionate representation of poor people and minorities. Many African Americans experienced the same racism in Vietnam that they endured at home.

|Doves |Hawks |

| | |

|People who |People who strongly favored the war and believed |

|strongly opposed the war and believed the US should |the US should provide a greater military|

|withdraw. |presence. |

Protest Movement Begins

Hollywood opposed the war. Jane Fonda went to Hanoi to visit with U.S. POWs.

She was used as propaganda by North Vietnam. Recently, a Vietnam vet “spit” on her and called her a traitor.

The Decision to Escalate

North Vietnamese troops and supplies entered South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a route that passed through

Laos and Cambodia.

On Jan. 31, 1968, the first day of the Vietnamese new year

(Tet), the Vietcong attacked numerous cities and towns, and

American bases. The Vietcong won a psychological victory, as American opinion began turning against the war.

Americans were caught completely by surprise because

they believed that the Vietcong were near defeat. The Tet

Offensive proved to be a turning point in the war.

A Nation Turns on LBJ

Because of the Tet Offensive, the US media

announced that the US was losing the war. Walter

Cronkite opposed the war after the Tet Offensive.

LBJ’s rarely left the White House for fear of angry protestors. Eugene McCarthy &

Robert Kennedy campaigned against Johnson for the party’s nomination. Johnson announced nationally in a televised speech that he would NOT seek another term as President.

Days of Loss and Rage

April 4th – Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Violence erupted in 100 U.S. cities as King’s followers burned and

destroyed neighborhoods.

June 4th – Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Kennedy had become the strong candidate in the Democratic primary, but was gunned down after winning a crucial California primary.

Election of 1968

Wallace was a champion of school segregation and states’ rights.

Humphrey supported many of LBJ’s domestic and foreign policies. Nixon promised to restore

“law and order” to Middle America.

When it was announced at the Democratic National Convention

(held in Chicago) that Humphrey would be the democratic nominee,

riots ensued. Nixon would eventually end America’s involvement in

Vietnam, but not before his war policies created even

more protest and uproar within the country.

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The Vietnam War Years

The War’s End & Impact

Nixon & Vietnamization

Nixon wanted to achieve “peace with honor” – with his

war strategy called Vietnamization.

Nixon wanted to keep American strength visible in Vietnam and to do so, he ordered secret air attacks against the Vietcong in North Vietnam,

Laos, and Cambodia.

Trouble Continues on Homefront

A platoon in entered the small village of My Lai in search of

Vietcong. Finding no signs of the enemy, the troops rounded

up the villagers and shot them.

The troops insisted that they were following

Lt. Calley’s orders. Reportedly, Calley’s directive

to the platoon was “Kill anything that breathed.”

A massive student protest at Kent State University drew the

attention of the National Guard. The guards fired into a

crowd of campus protester who were hurling rocks at them.

Facts:

• 67 Rounds fired in 13 sec.

• 4 Students dead. (2 had not participated in the rally.

• 9 Students wounded.

America’s Longest War Ends

In Oct. 1972, Henry Kissinger announced, “Peace is at hand.”

Conditions of the peace were:

1. US to remove all troops.

2. N. Vietnam could leave troops already in S. Vietnam.

3. N. Vietnam would resume the war.

4. No provisions for POWs or MIAs.

The last American troops left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973. By 1975, the North Vietnamese defeated the South and renamed Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City.

The War’s Painful Legacy

There was a disregard for Veterans – seen as “baby killers,” while the POW/MIA issued lingered on. The government passed the 26 Amendment, enabling 18 year olds to vote. Nixon abolished the draft, creating an all-volunteer army.

War Powers Act - 1973

President must notify

Congress within 48 hours of deploying military

force. President must withdraw forces unless he

gains Congressional approval within 90 days.

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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

[pic]

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Government Loses the Media

MY LAI MASSACRE

KENT STATE SHOOTINGS

Who is the

Enemy?

Credibility Gap – A public distrust of statements made by

the government.

Conscientious Objectors – People who opposed fighting on moral or religious grounds.

Vietnamization – A gradual withdrawal of American troops as the South Vietnamese army took over more of the fighting.

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