Vietnam Era

1. VIETNAM
1954-1975

2. French Indo-China
 1800s France becomes colonial power
in Vietnam
 Japan Controls during WWII
 Vietminh
 League formed by Ho Chi Minh
 Communist sympathizer
Vietnam
LaosCambodia
French Indochina

3. Ho Chi Minh
 “He who Enlightens”
 Real Name: Nguyen
That Thanh
 Participated in Tax
revolts
 Wanted Free
Vietnam

4. After WWII
 Prevent Communist Expansion
--containment
 “Domino Theory” – Eisenhower
 US paying 75% of War Cost
 French Losing

5. Defeated French
 Dien Bien Phu
 Jungle fortress in Vietnam
 Signaled the end of French/European
Influence in Asia
 NO US help – Too soon?
 Vietnminh Experience
 Captured 11,721 men

6. Geneva Conference
 Work out peace agreement & decide
Indochina’s future
 Geneva Accords (Temporary)
 Cease Fire
 17th
Parallel (DMZ)
 July 1956 – General Elections

7. Vietnam Leaders

8. Ngo Dinh Diem
 South Vietnam
 Anti-Communist
 Corrupt Gov
 Favored Catholics
 Cancelled 1956
Election

9. Ho Chi Minh
 North Vietnam
 Totalitarian
 Gave land to
Peasants
 Wanted Unified
Vietnam

10. Civil War – Vietnam
 National Liberation Front (Vietcong aka
“Charlie”)
 Vietnamese Communist in South
 Killed Southern Officials

11. Diem’s Overthrow
 Arrested & Killed Buddhist Monks
 US Threatens to withdraw
 Diem refuses to change
 US supports overthrow
 NOV 1963 Diem Assassinated

12. US Involvement
 EisenhowerEisenhower
 Send

$ & weapons

Advisors to
train
 KennedyKennedy
 Increase
Advisors
JohnsonJohnson
Expanded Effort
Tonkin Gulf
Resolution

13. Gulf of Tonkin
 USS Maddox was attacked by torpedo
boats off coast of North Vietnam
 2nd
attacked was announced by LBJ
 Not accurate
 US was on spy mission (we provoked)

14. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
 Gave complete
control to President
LBJ
 Without approval
from congress

15. US Enters Vietnam

16. Operation Rolling Thunder
 Continuous bombing campaign for 3
years
 Did Nothing but damage country
 Downed Planes: POW’s

17. Air Strikes
 US introduces B-52 Bomber
 Saturation Bombing “Carpet Bombing”

Dropped thousands of Explosive of
North Vietnam
 Fragmentation Bombing “Cluster Bombs”

Explosive projecting metal shavings
 Target: Ho Chi Minh Trail

18. Ho Chi Minh Trail
 Supply route
through Laos
and
Cambodia to
aid V.C.

19. Agent Orange
 Pesticide to kill plants (Defoliant)
 Goal: Expose hiding places

20. Napalm
 Chemical agent that burns
uncontrollably
 Search and Destroy Strategy

21. Effects of Air Bombing
1. Strengthened V.C.
2. Soviets & China support V.C.
3. Led to South Vietnamese joining the
V.C.

22. Battlefield Condition
 Guerilla Warfare
 US - Superior weapons/supplies
 Viet Cong –
 familiar with territory
 Allies with Laos/ Cambodia
 Support of local population

23. Continued…….
 South Vietnamese did not want US
there
 US troops always on edge
 Girl selling apples – VC ally counting
troops
 Kid selling candy – holding hand
grenade

24. Ground Warfare
 VC used Ambush tactics
 Relied on underground tunnels
 Booby Traps by VC
 Punji trap (pit with poisoned stakes)
 Land Mine
 Trip Wire

27. William Westmoreland
 Commander US ground troops
 Search and Destroy or “Zippo”
Missions
 Pacification – to calm opposition
 win “hearts” of the South Vietnamese and
calm opposition

28. Was it worth it?
 Declining Morale
 Constant Danger
 Vietcong continually recruiting Citizens
to replenish troops

29. The Draft
 55% of those who registered were
excused
 College
 Health

30. Non-Combat Positions
 Most Americans served non-combat
positions
 Clerical, Administration, engineering,
medicine
 Women
 10,000 served
 Nurses

31. Public Opinion
 Media
 Reporters accompanied Soldiers
 TV images brought home “living room
War”

32. Hawks vs. Doves
 Hawks
 People who
supported wars
goals
 More force
 Doves
 People who
opposed the
war
 “not crucial to
American
security”

33. Anti-War Movement
 College Campuses
 Anti-war
debates/rallies
 Teach-ins
 Students for a
Democratic Society
 Most Americans
opposed the anti-
war movement
 “America, Love It or
Leave it”, “My
country, Right or
Wrong”

34. Kent State
 4 students killed, 9 injured
 Ohio national guard fires into crowd of
college students

40. Jackson State College
 2 students killed, 9 injured
 Police fire into dormitory

41. Turning Point: TETTET
OFFENSIVEOFFENSIVE
 1968, Tet – Vietnamese Lunar New Year
 1/30/1968 V.C. launch massive attack
 84,000 communists attack 100 cities/ 12
US Bases
 US wins battle
 In Public’s eyes US Lost

42. Effects of TET
1. No Part of Vietnam SAFE
2. Morale Hurt
3. Public Dismay

43. Unstable Government
1. Westmorland requests troops
1. Is US winning????
2. LBJ advisors cannot agree on solution
3. Negotiation
1. Seek peace agreement with North
Vietnam
4. LBJ decides not run for 3rd
term

44. 1968 Election
 D- Robert Kennedy?
 Assassinated by Jordanian Sirhan
Sirhan
 New Candidates

Eugene McCarthy & Hubert
Humphrey

45. The Race
 D – Hubert Humphrey
 R – Richard Nixon
 I – George Wallace
 only 510,000 separated

46. The End of the WAR

47. Nixon Promises End to War
 Henry Kissenger
 Vietnamization

Turning fighting over to South
Vietnam while US troops come home
 Laos and Cambodia

Secret mission to destroy V.C. supply
lines

Bombing

“Mad Man Theory”

48. My Lai
 450 men, women, and children killed in
a village during a search and destroy
mission
 No V.C. found
 Never officially told to public

49. Pentagon Papers
 Daniel Ellsberg
 Secret papers
that traced US
involvement in
Vietnam back to
Truman
 Revelation: US
misleading Public

50. US involvement in Vietnam
Ends
 1972 election
 Nixon wins with announcement of
peace talks
 26th
Amendment
 Lowers voting age from 21 to 18

51. January 1973
 US and N. Vietnam reach Peace
 US agrees to withdraw
 Both sides release all POWs
 US helps rebuild Vietnam
 S. Vietnam political structure NOT
settled

52. Fall of Saigon
 North Vietnamese troops invaded South
Vietnam (reached Saigon)
 US evacuated American citizens
 Southern Vietnamese people rushed
embassy to try to escape
 US evacuates 130,000 SV people
 South Vietnam Falls, Vietnam United

53. Legacy of Vietnam
 635,000 S. Vietnamese Died
 58,000 Americans Died
 600 POWs
 2,500 MIA
 300,000 wounded
 US soldiers
 Negative reception at home
 Trouble adjusting
 Born on the Fourth of July

54. The Healing