The Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh

Ho chi minh moved to England at age 21 and pushed for the freedom of Vietnam during the Versailles conference.

When this failed he found an alliance with the soviet union returning to Vietnam to found the first communist party in indo china

Vietminh

Minh’s group grew until it became the Vietminh which united both people of communist and non communist beliefs.

Dien Bien Phu

In the interior of Northern Indo-China 10,000 French troops had been surround by the Vietnamese.

The French turned for support from AmericaAs the U.S. lingered on action the French were

pushed out of North Vietnam

The U.S. would later take over for the French in south Vietnam

Geneva accords

Geneva Accords: When the French could no longer defeat Ho Chi Minh The U.S. and French decided to split the country North and South. North being the communist strong hold of Minh. South being protected by the U.S. government and lead by Ngo Dinh DIeam. There was going to be free election but Diem cancelled them leading Minh to continue his revolt.

Vietnam Dilemma

Vietnam during the Kennedy era fell into political upheaval.

Kennedy sent economic aid along with military advisors.

Johnson continued Kennedy's plan until………

The Gulf of Tolkien Resolution

August 2, 1964 the Maddox was sunk by torpedoes. The ship was gathering information off the coast of North Vietnam.

Two ships investigated the issue resulting in U.S. airstrikes on two shipyards.

Johnson then asked congress to pass a resolution to authorize him to take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks on U.S. forces.

Lead to the escalation of the war.

The early days

The original plan was to use bombing and troop movements to cut off supplies to North Vietnamese rebels.

Johnson was warned that he may be getting into something that can’t be finished in two t three years.

Stalemate

The main supply line was known as the Ho-Chi- Minh trail. That ran through Laos and Cambodia.

The U.S. bombed this area constantly but saw little results.

In the south the search and destroy programs of General Westmorland went no better, as the Vietcong were supported by the North Vietnamese.

Cultural push back

The war became a growing movement for youth protest.

Across the country starting college campuses students began to speak out against the war. Starting at Berkeley.

Full expression started in 1962 with Students for a democratic society.(Started in Port Huron Michigan)Group wanted to end poverty, violence, racism in the country.

Controversy Continues

By 1966 1967 protest became only more tense.

The students did not end the war but atleast gave protestors a voice.

Credibility Gap: As more soldiers were called up to serve and were drafted people started to feel the government might be not telling the truth about the Vietnam war, and that the U.S. might be losing the war

Hawks V. Doves

Hawks: People that were pro Vietnam war.Doves: People that were Anti-Vietnam war, like college students, and hippies. The war became a growing movement for youth protest .Across the country starting college campuses students began to speak out against the war. Starting at Berkeley .Full expression started in 1962 with Students for a democratic society.(Started in Port Huron Michigan)Group wanted to end poverty, violence, racism in the country.

Tet Offensive

By 1968 the Tet Offensive would break the stalemate and drive Johnson from office.

During the holiday known as Tet there was normally a lull in fighting.

The Vietcong considered this a perfect time for a surprise attack.

The attack struck 36 of the 40 important provincial cities including the capital Saigon

6 hours were caught on film.

Democratic party Problems

Johnson decided to remove himself fro reelectionThe vice President Hubert Humphrey stepped in

along with Robert or Bobby Kennedy.Bobby looked like he could be the winner until he

was shot outside a California hotel.

Humphrey got the nomination only to run against……

Nixon’s campaign plan

Nixon ran by appealing to what became known as the “Silent majority”

The idea that the student protestors may have had a loud voice but did not truly speak for America.

Upon election Nixon said he would bring the country together.

Achievements

Nixon was the first President to bring aboutAffirmative actionThe establishment of the EPAThe lowering of the voting ageThe introduction of food stamps

Detente

The policy in which Nixon tried to relax tensions with communist countries

Opened trade with China

Salt conference: Visit to Moscow agreed to arms control and reduction

Pentagon Papers

Pentagon Papers: a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. The papers were discovered and released by Daniel Ellsberg, and first brought to the attention of the public on the front page of The New York Times in 1971 the Pentagon Papers had demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration "systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress

Ending the war in Vietnam

Nixon had a three scale tactic to end the war

1st renewed bombing including a secret order to bomb Cambodia

2nd slowly reducing troops:Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration

during the Vietnam War to end the U.S. involvement in the war and expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops

3rd Secret talks in Hanoi about ending the war

My Lai Massacre

While Public relations with the war continued to go down hill events during the war got worse.

Liutetenant William Calley kills a wipes out a village of women and children.

The main point is that soldiers had trouble seeing who the enemy was.

War powers Act

War powers Act: intended to check the president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress. The resolution was adopted in the form of a United States Congress joint resolution; this provides that the President can send U.S. armed forces into action abroad only by declaration of war by Congress

Watergate

Watergate: Nixon feared the failings that occurred during the pull out of Vietnam. Nixon hired a group of men to break in and tap the phone lines of the democrat’s headquarters across from the Watergate hotel. The burglars were caught, Nixon paid them to lie so that he would not be caught. Eventually the government investigated Nixon asking him to release tapes that had recorded information about the break in. Nixon knew he would be impeached so he resigned in disgrace.