The Vietnam War Years

1. The Vietnam War Years

2. American Involvement • From late 1800 until WWII – France ruled Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) • French did not treat most of the population well (took away land, took much of the rice and rubber for their own profit) • French restricted freedom of speech and assembly, jailing many Vietnamese who protested against French rule.

3. American Involvement • In 1941, Japanese took control of Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh, driven out leader of the Indochinese Communist Party, returned and organized a nationalist group called Vietminh – which sought independence from foreign rule • When Japanese were defeated in WWII, the Vietnamese believed they had won independence

4. American Involvement • US had supplied Ho Chi Minh with aid during WWII to resist the Japanese • After Japan’s defeat, French troops moved into Vietnam in 1946 to retake control • Vietminh were driven out of the South • In 1950, US under Truman got involved by sending $15 million in economic aid to France to defeat Ho Chi Minh (irony) and his nationalist party, who didn’t want any foreigners in Vietnam

5. American Involvement • Support of France meant keeping an ally against Soviet influence, as well as stopping another Asian country close to the USSR from turning Communist • Ho Chi Minh’s ideas of a democratic government for Vietnam by Vietnamese were shattered, and he looked to Communism for support to get the foreigners out of his country

6. American Involvement • 1953, President Eisenhower introduces his “Domino Theory” – where countries on the brink of communism are like a row of dominos, ready to fall one after the other. • May 1954, the Vietminh overrun a French outpost at Dien Bien Phu – forcing the French surrender. The French are now facing armed resistance!

7. American Involvement • United States, France, Great Britain, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietminh, anti-Communist Vietnamese nationalists and the Soviet Union meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss peace. • Their agreement, the Geneva Accords, temporarily divided Vietnam into North and South at 17th parallel until a 1956 election could be held – an election which never happened

8. Ho Chi Minh • Ho Chi Minh controlled the Communists in the North, with Hanoi as their capital • He was brutal and repressive, but popular due to land redistribution to the peasants • He was a national hero for his fight against Japanese and French

9. Ngo Dinh Diem • Strong anti-Communist, refused to take part in elections fearing Ho Chi Minh’s popularity • Led corrupt government that suppressed any opposition • Devout Catholic, angered large Buddhist population by restricting Buddhist practices • Eisenhower decided to “sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem”

10. Vietcong • By 1957, a Communist opposition group in the South starts attacking the Diem government, assassinating thousands • Known as the Vietcong, this National Liberation Front supported ridding Vietnam of all foreign entanglements, and especially the Diem regime

11. Ho Chi Minh Trail • In 1959, Ho Chi Minh started supplying the Vietcong via paths through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – what became the Ho Chi Minh trail

12. Kennedy • Kennedy increased aid to Diem, and sent thousands of military advisors to help train South Vietnamese troops • By 1963, nearly 16,000 US military personnel were in South Vietnam • Diem’s popularity plummeted when he moved villagers to organized hamlets and away from homes, in order to control the Vietcong problem. Villagers lost everything they had worked their lives for.

13. Kennedy • Diem’s attacks on Buddhism led to monks and nuns burning themselves in protest publicly, which made papers around the world • November 1, 1963 – under Kennedy’s orders, a US supported military coup toppled Diem’s regime – Diem was executed • Kennedy’s plans to remove troops from Vietnam never happens, as he is assassinated weeks later

14. Johnson • Johnson, a Democrat, didn’t want to look “soft” on communism. (Democrats under Truman had lost China) • Johnson increases US involvement in Vietnam, leading us into America’s longest war

15. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • August 2, 1964 a North Vietnamese patrol boat fired a torpedo on an American destroyer – USS Maddox (no damage to US ship, but return fire crippled the patrol boat) • This and a later unconfirmed attack prompted Johnson to launch air strikes on North Vietnam • August 7, Tonkin Gulf Resolution allows “all necessary measures to repel an armed attack” – broad military power without a declaration of war

16. 1st American Soldiers • Though Johnson didn’t believe in sending American troops to fight a war for Vietnamese – in March 1965 our first 3500 troops arrive in Vietnam • 64% of Americans supported this, only 24% opposed • Troop size in Vietnam escalated very quickly

17. By December 31, 1965 • Troops in Vietnam 184,300 • Killed in Action 1,363 • Wounded in Action 7,645

18. General William Westmoreland • General Westmoreland, a veteran of WWII and Korea, didn’t believe the South Korean Army, or ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) could fight without our support, and requested more and more troops – escalating every year until 1969

19. The Enemy • The Vietcong were elusive, experienced in jungle warfare, and used ambush tactics • They lived among the civilian populations, making it nearly impossible to tell friend from foe • They laced the terrain with booby traps and land mines

20. The Enemy • Vietcong built elaborate underground tunnels, with sleeping areas, storage rooms, and kitchens • These tunnels connected villages, and became home to many of the guerilla fighters • They were absolutely resolved to fight harder the more we harassed them

21. By December 31, 1966 • Troops in Vietnam 385,300 • Killed in Action 6,644 • Wounded in Action 37,738

22. Propaganda • Westmoreland’s strategy was to wear down the enemy by giving out body counts of enemy dead • Vietcong came harder and faster, struggling for their existence • US fought against communism, Vietcong fought for freedom from tyranny

23. Hearts and Minds • US hoped to win over rural population, giving guerillas nowhere to hide • US tactics such as gasoline bombs called napalm, and Agent Orange which was a toxic chemical to kill the vegetation, and search-and-destroy missions which uprooted villagers and burned villages – did not make this hope a reality

24. Refugees • Keeping rural villages safe by clearing them out led to 3 million refugees in South Vietnam by 1967 • “We had to destroy the town in order to save it” was a quote made after the destruction of the village of Ben Tre

25. US troop morale dropped as soldiers turned to alcohol, and other drugs, though most firmly still believed in the cause • South Vietnam was being ruled by a series of military leaders, in power by force – leading to a civil war within a civil war • By December 31, 1967 • Troops in Vietnam 485,600 • Killed in Action 16,021 • Wounded in Action 99,762

26. Credibility Gap • For the first time, Americans were seeing images of war on television • Despite body count numbers of enemy dead being broadcast, and assurances that their surrender was imminent, a credibility gap occurred between what Americans were seeing and what they were being told

27. The Draft • Many men sought deferments from the Draft, which was often easily manipulated • Sympathetic doctors gave medical excuses, draft boards were inconsistent with qualifications, and many men joined the National Guard or Coast Guard to keep away from service in Vietnam. Those truly opposed to the war burned their draft cards, an illegal act.

28. The Draft • African Americans served in disproportionate numbers (20% of deaths in Vietnam compared to 10% of our population) (why?) • To correct this imbalance, the draft lottery system was instituted in 1969, after Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders had protested the death of so many young black men, proportionate to white men.

29. Opposition • New Left organizations (youth movements) such as Students for a Democratic Society and the Free Speech Movement protested against large corporations and government that had hijacked the average American voice • “Teach-ins” and other forms of demonstration against US involvement in Vietnam grew rapidly, especially on college campuses

30. Turning Point • January 1968, on the Vietnamese New Year called Tet – there was supposed to be a cease fire • In coffins supposedly holding bodies for memorial, Vietcong had hidden weapons • At one such siege at Khe Sanh – 40,000 NVA surrounded 5,600 Marines for 77 days • Operation Niagara in February dropped more bombs than ever before in war • The Tet Offensive, though devastating in body count to Vietcong, was even more devastating to an American public who thought we were nearing peace

31. By December 31, 1968 • Troops in Vietnam 536,100 • Killed in Action 30,160 • Wounded in Action 192,850

32. Shocking News at Home • March 1968 Johnson stuns the nation when he announces not to run again for President • April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, leading to violence nationwide • June 1968, Robert Kennedy, a contender for the Democratic nomination, is assassinated

33. Nixon • Chaos engulfs the 1968 election, where Nixon wins by promising to restore law and order • By summer 1969, Nixon announces the first US troop withdrawals from Vietnam • Nixon’s strategy, Vietnamization, was gradual withdrawal of US troops so South Vietnamese could take more role in war

34. Nixon • Nixon hopes for “Peace with Honor” – to maintain US dignity while withdrawing • Demands that South Vietnamese government remain intact • Secretly orders bombing missions in Laos and Cambodia

35. My Lai Massacre • November 1969 US public learns of an event that had occurred in March • Lt. Wm. Calley, Jr. led troops into the village of My Lai to find Vietcong rebels. They found no Vietcong, but rounded up all the villagers and shot them – more than 100, mostly women and children • Calley was convicted and imprisoned – Americans consciences shocked

36. By December 31, 1969 • Troops in Vietnam 475,200 • Killed in Action 40,024 • Wounded in Action 262,796

37. Kent State • May 4, 1970, students protesting US invasion of Cambodia fired on by National Guard • 9 wounded and 4 killed

38. Jane Fonda, famous Hollywood actress, becomes a traitor - meeting with the Vietcong (our enemy) while a war is still being fought against them. Many Vietnam vets never forgive her, and give her the nickname “Hanoi Jane.”

39. The End of the War • By mid 1972 – US social division was growing and Nixon’s preparation for his next election prompted him to drop his insistence that all North Vietnamese troops are removed from the South • Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s advisor and negotiator, announced “peace is at hand”

40. Christmas Bombings • South Vietnam rejected Kissinger’s plan • Nixon unleashes a bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong – dropping 100,000 bombs for 11 days, stopping only for Christmas Day • January 27, 1973, peace talks culminate in an agreement to end the war

41. The End of the War • By March of 1973, the last US soldier in Vietnam was pulled-out • Cease-fire between North and South collapsed – North Vietnamese launched a full-scale invasion of the South • By April 1975 South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam

42. The End of the War • More than 58,000 Americans were killed, and 385,000 wounded • Americans had a much more cautious outlook on foreign affairs and more cynical toward government • War Powers Act of 1973 stipulates that a President needs to inform Congress within 48 hours before troops sent in without a declaration of war