The Vietnam War 1954 – 1975 - PowerPoint Presentation

The Vietnam War 1954 – 1975 Chapter 22

Map of Vietnam Activity Label each country shown on the map Color North Vietnam and South Vietnam (different colors) Identify and Label Saigon Hanoi Gulf of Tonkin Draw in and label the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Brief History of Vietnam 1800s-1954 : French Colonial Country 1900s : Nationalism had become a powerful force in Vietnam – push for independence Leader of the nationalist movement (Nguyen Tat Thanh )  Ho Chi Minh “Bringer of Light”Taught at a village schoolSailed to EuropeStayed in the Soviet UnionBecame an advocate of communism1930: HCM found the Indochinese Communist Party  overthrow French ruleWWII: His activities made him a wanted man… Fled to China & Soviet Union1941: Returned after Japan seized control Organized a nationalist group, Vietminh (US aid)

Brief History of Vietnam Allies defeat Japan 1945 Japanese surrender control Ho Chi Minh announce Vietnam as an independence nation Crafts Declaration of Independence “All men are created equal.. Endowed with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”  Similar to U.S. France fights to keep control Sends troops & drove Vietminh force into the countrysideBy 1949: French officials set up a new gov’t Fighting continues and France seeks U.S. helpU.S. stuck: does not want France in power (imperialism), nor communists

Brief History of Vietnam Threat of communism = worse than imperialism Korean War Helps France with aid 1954: U.S. paying ¾ of France’s war costs Eisenhower defends U.S. involvement through the Domino Theory The belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, so too would the other nations

Brief History of Vietnam Guerrillas : irregular troops who blend into the civilian population & are often difficult for regular armies to fight 1954: Independence May  French defeated at Dienbienphu July  Geneva Conference divides Vietnam into North & South along the 17th parallel North controlled by Ho Chi Minh (Communist)South controlled by President Ngo Dinh Diem (Republic)1956: Elections are held to unify the nationSouth (with U.S. support) refused to take part1960: Eisenhower provides 675 U.S. Military advisers to Diem’s S. Vietnamese Gov’t

Ngo Dinh Diem Educated abroad Pro-Western Fiercely anti-communist Catholic Welcomed the 1 million Catholics who migrated South to escape HCM’s rule1956: Geneva Conference promised electionsDiem refused, said communist North would not allow free elections  HCM would winIntensified tensions between N. & S.  Civil War

The United States Focuses on Vietnam 1. History of Vietnam 1. Ruled by French before and after WWII; Japanese conquered during WWII2. Ho Chi Minh 2. Leader of the nationalist movement to free Vietnam from imperialism – becomes leader of North Vietnam 3. Vietminh 3. Nationalist group organized during World War II to fight the Japanese -becomes name of communist North Vietnamese

4. Early US involvement 4. US supported French control after WWII because of communist connections in Vietminh movement5. Domino Theory5. Belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, so would the rest of Southeast Asia 6. Guerrillas 6. Irregular troops who blended in with the civilian population. Used hit-and-run and ambush fighting tactics.

7. Dien Bien Phu 7. The final battle zone between the French and Vietminh. French would withdraw after defeat.8. Geneva Accords8. Peace agreement that temporarily divided North and South Vietnam at 17 th parallel. Elections to be held in 1956 to reunite the country. 9. Ngo Dinh Diem9. US supported leader of South Vietnam; refused to let South Vietnam participate in 1956 election – backed by Eisenhower

Section 2: Going to War in Vietnam Chapter 25

American Involvement Deepens After Ngo Diem refused to hold national elections, HCM began an armed struggle to unify the nation Guerrilla army called the Vietcong Eisenhower increased aid and sent hundreds of military advisers to train the S. Vietnam army Vietcong grew more powerful through the use of terror They had assassinated 1,000s of government officials and established control over much of the countryside Diem looked to the U.S. to save the South

Kennedy Takes Over Kennedy con’ts Truman & Ike’s efforts Wanted to defeat communism Increased military aid and sent more advisors 1961  63: 2,000  15,000 troopsVietcong’s power grew as Diem’s administration grew unpopular and corrupt Urged Diem to become more democratic & to reform for the peasantsDiem introduced limited reforms, little changed

Kennedy Takes Over One program Diem introduced only made matters worse S. Vietnamese created strategic hamlets , special fortified villages. Villages were protected by machine guns, bunkers, trenches, and barbed wire Villagers were moved there partly to protect them from the Vietcong and partly to prevent them from helping the VietcongProgram was extremely unpopular, peasants were uprooted from their farms and ancestors

Overthrow of Diem Grew even more unpopular by discriminating against Buddhists Banned religious flags for Buddha’s birthday Buddhists protested, 9 died & 14 were injured Buddhist monk set himself on fire  Symbol of stark opposition to Diem Several generals plotted to overthrow Diem 1963: Military coup, Diem is executed Overthrow only made matters worse Despite his unpopularity, he had been a well respected nationalist and administrator Made gov’t look weak and unstableForced U.S. to become even more involved

Johnson & Vietnam Kennedy is assassinated 3 weeks after Diem Hesitant with the conflict “We seek no wider war” But stated: “The battle against communism must be joined … with strength & determination” Didn’t want Vietnam’s fall to communism to shatter his presidency Like the Rep. claimed about Truman’s

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution August 2, 1964 N. Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired to 2 U.S. destroyers 2 days later, another similar attack occurred LBJ: attacks were “unprovoked,” so he orders aircrafts to attack N. Vietnamese ships and naval facilities He did not reveal that the American warships had been helping S. Vietnamese conduct electronic spying, etc.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Johnson asked Congress to authorize the use of force to defend U.S. forces August 7, 1964, Senate & House passed the Gulf of Tonkin ResolutionAuthorizing the president to “take all necessary measures to repeal any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression”With only 2 dissenting votes, Congress had handed its war powers over to the president

U.S. Sends in Troops After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed, Vietcong began to attack U.S. bases where advisers were stationed Series of attacks: 7 dead, 100 wounded U.S. responds with airstrikes ( LBJs approval goes from 41%60%)Closest advisers:Robert McNamara, Sec. of DefenseMcGeorge Bundy, Nat. Sec. Adviser

Dissenters in the White House Some warned that if the U.S. got too deeply involved in Vietnam, it might become difficult to get out “Once on the tiger’s back, we cannot be sure of picking the place to dismount.” However, majority believed that we need to stop communism

Operation Rolling Thunder March 1965, Johnson expanded American involvement by shifting his policy to sustained bombing campaign against N. Vietnam Also, ordered first combat troops into Vietnam U.S. soldiers were now fighting alongside Vietnamese troops against the Vietcong

A Bloody Stalemate Emerges 1965: 180,000 U.S. combat troops were fighting in Vietnam 1966: ~400,000 (Doubled) Soldiers entered the war with great confidence “America seemed omnipotent” (unlimited power) However, the war did not turn out as they expected

Frustrating Warfare Vietcong uses guerilla tactics: ambushes, booby traps, etc.  very damaging Blended into the civilian population and then vanishing “It’s a war where nothing is ever quite certain and nowhere is ever quite safe” U.S. used “search & destroy” missions to counter Find enemy troops, bomb their position, destroy their supply lines, and force them out into the open for combat

Chemical Warfare Sought to take away their ability to hide in the thick jungles Dropped napalm jellied gasoline that explodes on contact Agent Orange chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs, turning farmland and forest into wasteland

Napalm Pulitzer-Prize winning photograph during the Vietnam War Taken in 1972, when she was a child, running naked down a road, screaming in pain from the napalm that was burning through her skin

Determined Enemy U.S. military leaders underestimated the Vietcong’s strength and stamina American generals believed that continuously bombing and killing large #’ s of Vietcong would destroy the enemy’s morale and force them to give up It did not demoralize the guerrillas Willing to accept huge losses Vietcong : supplied by N. Vietnam, although many soldiers were S. Vietnamese

Determined Enemy N. Vietnamese support of the Vietcong was a major benefit N. Vietnam provided advisers, arms, etc. As Vietcong casualties mounted, N. Vietnam sent regular N. Vietnamese troops They sent their supplies south by way of a network of jungle paths, Ho Chi Minh trail Because the trail went through neighboring nations, LBJ refused to allow a full-scale attack N. Vietnam received support and aid from China & the Soviet Union LBJ refused to order a full-scale attack in the N because of the fear of bringing China into the war

U.S. Involvement U.S. were forced to fight a war of attrition—a strategy of defeating the enemy forces by slowly wearing them down Bombing from planes led to 220,000 Vietnamese deaths from ‘65 to ’67 End of ‘66, 6,700 U.S. soldiers dead As the U.S. casualties grew, Americans back home began to question the nation’s involvement in the war…

Hawks v. Doves Activity With your group, carefully read each excerpt to determine whether the speaker supports (“Hawk”) or does not support (“Dove”) increased U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. On the appropriate side of your T-chart, write the number of the excerpt and a short summary in your own words of the argument(s ) the speaker uses to support his position. Your group will use this information to help form a recommendation on this question: Should the president significantly increase U.S. military involvement in Vietnam? 6-8 sentences answering the question, support your answer!!! Include and disprove a counter argument, to help support your claim. (What would the other viewpoint say in response?? Explain why that’s less important)

Going to War in Vietnam Vietcong 1. Guerrilla army made up of South Vietnamese, who supported Ho Chi Minh 2. Aid and advisors 2. Eisenhower’s plan to send money, supplies, and military advisors to help South Vietnam fight against North Vietnam and the Vietcong

3. Kennedy and Vietnam 3. Increased aid and number of military personnel in Vietnam – from 2,000 to 15,0004. Strategic hamlets 4. Special fortified villages in South Vietnam -designed to protect villagers from the Vietcong and prevent villagers from aiding the Vietcong - Very unpopular program 5. Overthrow of Diem 5. Harsh policies against Buddhism (main religion of Vietnam) and other policies led to a military coup on November 1, 1963.Created more instability and weakness in S. Vietnam

6. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 6. August, 1964: Reports of American destroyers being attacked – Congress authorizes president to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” (Congress gave over its war powers)7. Operation Rolling Thunder 7. 1965 - Bombing campaign against North Vietnam 8. Increases in troops April 1965 – first combat troops arrive to fight along side south Vietnamese Dec 1965 – 180,000 American combat troops fighting in Vietnam

9. Frustrating Warfare 9. Vietcong use of ambushes, booby traps, and guerrilla tactics. Vietcong blended in with civilian population.10. “Army of moles”10. Vietminh and Vietcong built a series of tunnels to hide in and move troops in position

11. Napalm 11. A jellied gasoline that exploded on contact. Used to help destroy jungle landscape and the enemy.12. Agent Orange12. A chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs

13. Determined Enemy 13. North Vietnamese had no intention of surrendering despite huge losses in numbers14. Ho Chi Minh Trail 14. A network of jungle paths that cut through Cambodia and Laos (places the US could not attack – limited war ) 15. Weapon suppliers 15. North Vietnamese and Vietcong supplied by China and Soviet Union

Section 3: Vietnam Divides the Nation Chapter 25

Define/Explain Terms On a sheet of notebook paper define/explain the following terms: General William Westmoreland Teach-in Draft (protests) MLK on Vietnam Issues with the draft and voting rights Hawks & Doves

A Growing Credibility Gap When America got involved in ‘65, there were many supporters Gallup Poll: 66% approved U.S. involvement As the war dragged on, approval ratings dropped Suspicious of the gov’s truthfulness about the war 1967: General William Westmoreland stated that the “enemy was on the brink of defeat” Media painted a different picture First televised war Images of deceased and the woundedCredibility Gap – hard to believe what the Johnson admin. said about the war

An Anti-war Movement Emerges As casualties mounted – people began to protest the war Teach-Ins : March 1965 Staff and students at U of M abandon their classes and joined together in a teach-in Informally discussed the issues surrounding the war and reaffirmed their reasons for opposing it Inspired teach-ins at many campuses By May 1965, 122 colleges held a “National Teach-In” by radio for more than 100,000 antiwar demonstrators

Sit In @ U. of Michigan Reasons for protest: Some saw the conflict as a civil war in which the U.S. had no business Others viewed South Vietnam as a corrupt & immoral dictatorship

Anger at the Draft Young protestors focused on the unfair draft system A college student could usually defer military service until after graduation Low-income families were more likely to be sent to Vietnam By 1967: Afr. Americans accounted for 20 of combat deaths—twice their proportion of the U.S. pop MLK speaks out in 1967 to publically condemn the conflict

Increasing the Draft Call As the war escalated, U.S. officials increased the draft call, putting college students at risk 500,000 draftees refused to go Many publically burned their draft cards or simply did not report when called for induction Some fled the country to Canada, Sweden, or other nations Others stayed and went to prison rather than fight

The Draft & Voting Age 1965-68  officials prosecuted over 3,300 Americans for refusing to serve 1969  Gov’t introduced a lottery system Low lottery numbers were subject to the draftApril 1965, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a march on Washington, D.C.20,000 protestorsAnger over the draft fueled debate about the voting ageOld enough to fight, but vote1971: 26th Amendment Changed age to 18

Hawks & Doves Although there was growing opposition, Johnson remained determined Was not the majority opinion  68% favored continuing the war 1968: Nation divided Doves : Wanted to withdraw from Vietnam Hawks : Wanted to stay and fight

1968: The Pivotal Year Tet Offensive: Jan. 30, 1968 Tet = Vietnamese New Year North Vietnamese launches a massive surprise attack Guerrilla fighters attacked virtually all American airbases in South Vietnam and most major cities Bloodiest battle at Hué Communists forces seized the city, political victoryTook 4 weeks for American & S. Vietnamese troops to push them outCommunists had massacred the political and religious leaders, foreigners, intellectuals, and other officials3,000 bodies were found, thousands remained missing

Military Results of the Tet Offensive Militarily , it turned out to be a disaster for the Communist forces After 1 month of fighting, U.S. and S. Vietnamese forces repelled the enemy troops, inflicting heavy losses Gen. Westmoreland boasted that the Communists “well-laid plans went afoul” Johnson added that the enemy’s effort ended in “complete failure”

Tet Offensive Results The N. Vietnamese had scored a major political victory American people were shocked that an enemy “on the verge of defeat” could launch such a large-scale attackWhen Gen. Westmoreland requested 206,000 more troops (already 500,000) in Vietnam, it seemed to be an admission that the U.S. could not win the war

Vietnam Divides the Nation 1. Credibility Gap American public doubted what the government told it about the war2. “Television War” 2. Footage of combat appeared nightly on the evening news

3. Teach-In 3. University of Michigan – teachers and students joined together to discuss issues surrounding the war and reaffirm reasons for opposing it. 4. The Draft4. College students could avoid the draft – meant a higher number of low-income and minorities were drafted5. Draft Dodgers 5. People who burned their draft cards, refused to report, or fled the country to avoid service

6. Hawks 6. People who insisted the US stay in Vietnam to fight 7. Doves7. People who wanted the US To withdraw from Vietnam

8. The Tet Offensive 8. Coordinated attack on American bases and South Vietnamese cities on January 30, 1968.9. Effects of Tet Military disaster for North Vietnamese, but…. Major political victory – shocked American public that an enemy on the verge of defeat could launch such an attack.

10. Domestic problems of 1968 10. -LBJ decides not to run for reelection -MLK, Jr assassinated by James Earl Ray-Robert Kennedy assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan -Riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago 11. Nixon 11. Won presidential election of 1968 on promises to end the war in Vietnam

The War Winds Down 1. Henry Kissinger 1. Special Assistant to President Nixon – given task to end the war with diplomacy2. Linkage2. A policy to rebuild relationship of China and USSR to help then negotiate peace in Vietnam

3. Vietnamization 3. The gradual withdrawal of US troops as South Vietnam assumed more fighting4. My Lai Massacre 4. 1968 - American platoon under Lt. William Calley , massacred over 200 unarmed civilians Drew a lot of media attention5. Invasion of Cambodia5. 1970 - Nixon ordered troops to destroy Vietcong bases in Cambodia- Viewed as a widening of the war

6. Kent State University May 4, 1970 - Ohio National Guard soldiers armed with tear gas and rifles fire on demonstrators.Four students killed, nine wounded 7. Jackson State University 7. Ten days after Kent State Two students killed by police during demonstrations

8. Pentagon Papers 8. A series of documents leaked to the New York Times – revealed many details of decisions by LBJ and his advisers and their intent to deceive the public, press and Congress

9. Negotiating peace 9. Nixon dropped his longtime request for North Vietnam to remove all troops from the South10. Election of 1972 10. Peace talks help get Nixon reelected 11. Christmas Bombings 11. Heavy bombing raid of North Vietnam as peace talks stall 12. Peace at last12. January 27, 1973 – peace agreement signed, but future of South Vietnam still uncertain13. South Vietnam falls13. March 1975 – US troops gone, North Vietnam invades the SouthApril 30, 1975 – Saigon falls to North Vietnam ending conquest of the South

14. Cost of War 14. Over $170 billion in direct costs 15. Human Toll15. - 58, 000 killed- 300,000 wounded- 1,000,000 North and South Vietnamese soldiers killed 16. Psychological Impact 16. Problems with adjustment to civilian life, sacrifices of soldiers went unrecognized, PTSD - Increased cynicism of American public 17. War Power Act 17. Congress reestablished limits on the power of the president to carry out war duties.

Evacuation of US Embassy: Saigon, 1975

Characteristics of the Vietnam War The war was fought in a country whose history, culture, religions, and values little known or understood by the general population of the United States. War against Vietnam was never declared by Congress, the correct term is Vietnam ConflictThere was no direct threat against the United States. The war's goal was unclear; there was never clear indication that America would do whatever was necessary to win. There were no clear combat zones; there was no front. In combat, there was no safety in the rear--there was no rear in Vietnam. Territory was taken, lost, and taken repeatedly. Drug use was a part of the combat scene; Problems in the military included financial corruption, racism, low moral, theft, murder, and suicide.

Characteristics of the Vietnam War Soldiers served a tour of duty (13 months) rather than for the length of the war. Men often had to explain why they served; not serving was acceptable to many. Many soldiers felt a lack of support for their efforts from the general population. Soldiers did not return home at the same time. Little emotional support was offered to soldiers returning home. The United States involvement in the war was controversial and sparked violent protests.