Ch 30 Section 1-3 Notes

1. Ch 30 Section 1-3 Notes

3. The Vietnam War (in simple terms and lots of slides) • US involvement in Vietnam begins in 1950 during the French Indochina War (France’s attempt to reestablish its rule in Vietnam after WWII) • US provides France with massive economic assistance, US trying to fight communism

4. French Rule in Vietnam • Late 1800s-WWII France rules most of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) • French colonists have rice and rubber plantations • Mistreat locals, locals don’t like it, many flee to China over the years where they form Indochinese Communist Party led by Ho Chi Minh (1924) • 1940, Japan takes control of Vietnam • 1941 Ho Chi Minh forms Vietminh, group whose goal it was to win the Vietnamese independence (US gives them aid), thought that had happened at end of WWII with defeat of Japan, declare Hanoi capital of Vietnam but…. • France comes back at end of 1945, by 1950 US sending money to help France…. • 1954 Eisenhower, uses the “Domino Theory” to support US intervention • May 1954, France surrenders when Vietminh beat French troops at Dien Bien Phu • Split at 17th parallel, North Communist, South non-communist • Capital of North Hanoi, South is Saigon • Election to reunify country was to take place 1956

5. Vietnam… • Election of 1956, never take place, Ngo Dinh Diem (southern leader) refuses to participate, US okay with this b/c afraid Ho Chi Minh would win. • US supports NDD but he sets up a very corrupt gov’t, but it is not communist so US says OK! • Ex. NDD (Catholic) restricts practice of Buddhism, religion of most of the people • 1957 Communist group in the South, Vietcong, begin attacking NDD’s gov’t and kill many gov’t officials. (later group changes name to National Liberation Front) • VC supported by Ho Chi Minh, 1959 begins supply weapons to VC using network of paths along borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, called Ho Chi Minh Trail • South Vietnam very unstable! • 1961, Kennedy begins sending in the military “advisors” • NDD’s gov’t gets worse on people ,protests are launced, burning of buddhist monks • Nov 1, 1963 US supported military coup gets rid of Diem, he is assassinated

8. Vietnam….. • August 2, 1964 North Vietnamese patrol boat fires torpedo at American destroyer USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, torpedo missed but Maddox returns heavy fire and damages patrol boat. • Happens again two days later. This time it is bad weather and low visibility. Maddox crew reports firing and returns fire on enemy ship. • HOWEVER….the Maddox crew later says they never actually heard the shots or saw the ship. ???

9. The “War” officially starts • Based on this incident LBJ starts bombing attacks on North Vietnam. • He asks congress to pass Tonkin Gulf Resolution (Aug 7), allows “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression” (Blank Check), • NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR!!!! We never declare war on Vietnam because we don’t have to TGR allows president to do whatever he wants. • LBJ doesn’t tell Congress or the American people we had been launching secret raids on North Vietnam. The USS Maddox was in the Gulf of Tonkin as part of these raids, not just by chance as the Americans were told. • Also, LBJ had prepared the TGR long before the Maddox was fired upon. Hmmm…….

10. Operation Rolling Thunder…stop • Occurs during election of 1964, helps Johnson win reelection. • Feb 1965, Operation Rolling Thunder begins, first sustained bombing of North Vietnam. • In March the first “official” combat troops arrive. • By June 1965 50,000 US soldiers in Vietnam fighting the VC

11. Vietnam • Even after Tonkin passed, LBJ still not that keen on sending in ground troops by March 1965 LBJ sends in tens of thousands of US troops to Vietnam • Heavily advised by Robert McNamara (Sec of Def) and Dean Rusk (Sec of State) • Some Americans saw this as contradictory to his 1964 campaign but MOST approved of this as a “tough stand on communism” approval rating for LBJ and Congress good. 61% support war • Always those that disagree

12. Vietnam • End of 1965, 180,000 troops in Vietnam • US commander in SV, Gen William Westmoreland, keeps asking for more troops, says SV army (Army of the Republic of Vietnam, ARVN) not ready and not that good. • For early years of War, LBJ complies with requests of WW by 1967, 500,000 troops in Vietnam

13. Fighting the Warhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwaDK2tQW4Y • VC use guerilla warfare, advantage of fighting in their own country, war soon reaches a long stalemate • Able to move in and out of population without notice (can’t tell enemy from friend) • Use women and children as weapons and traps • Build elaborate underground tunnel system, can disappear quickly and immune to airstrikes • Many booby traps and land mines • Vietnam weather also not a big help to US troops • Part of US strategy was to keep VC from winning over the respect of South Vietnamese people (give them no place to hide) • Try to get rid of jungle to expose tunnels and hideouts, • US plans drop NAPALM (gasoline based bomb that sets fire to the jungle) and AGENT ORANGE (leaf-killing toxic chemical), ruins many innocent villages and countryside for years, also later blamed for cancer • Large # of refugees from South Vietnam • As war continues morale of troops decreases, don’t understand point of war, turn to other “methods” to relieve the stress and deal with horrors of war • South Vietnamese government a complete mess and does not help US efforts.

15. War at Homehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89_3DgW_7mg • As war gets more costly and more soldiers leave, US economy suffers. • Inflation rate triples • 1967 LBJ asks Congress for tax increase to fund war and control inflation, Congress agrees but funding for GS programs have to be cut also • “Living-Room war” first time news media embedded with troops, Americans saw “real war” up close, visions of soldiers returning home in body bags effected Americans view on the war • 16,000 troops die (1961-1967) • Americans say that government says we are winning but how can this be so? Credibility gap

16. War at Home • Most soldiers that fought in war did so because of draft (selective service act) ages 18-26 eligible, some tried to avoid draft • War of the poor • African Americans in Vietnam (why fight when discriminated at home?)

17. Opposition • Growing dislike for war starts with young people, “New Left”, different than what they called “old left” of the 1930s, don’t want socialism, just want change • Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) founded in 1960 by Tom Hayden and Al Haber. Said that big business had taken over government and America, wanted “real democracy” to be restored and more individual freedom • 1964, Free Speech Movement (FSM) came out of UC Berkeley, result of disagreement b/w students and staff over free speech on campus. Let by Mario Savio • These groups and similar ones spread across college campuses real movement for change, it was possible, actively involved.

18. Protests • April 1965, SDS organizes march on Washington, DC, 20,000 go • Nov 1965 do it again, 30,000 go • Feb 1966, LBJ says draft deferments of college students only occur if grades are good, leads to massive protests • Music of 1960’s reflects these believes and changes • Protest leads to resistance, burning of draft cards, etc. • President Nixon phases out the draft in the 1970s • Doves: those who strongly opposed the war and believed US should leave • Hawks: those who said we should up the ante and do all it take to win • LBJ says let’s up the ante, escalation!