Upload
nathan-tengowski
View
900
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
D. LBJ
• September 25, 1964
• “We don’t want our American boys to do the fighting for Asian boys. We don’t want to get tied down in a land war in Asia.”
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• August 2, 1964• NV torpedo boats fire on
Maddox• Damage-1 Bullet hole!• 3 Torpedoes Missed!
• August 4, 1964• Maddox used as bait!• No one heard a single shot!
• US Response-64 planes bomb oil depot in NV.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• August 7, 1964• House 416-0• Senate 88-2
• Gave LBJ a “Blank Check”• Gave the President the right
to repel by any means necessary any attack against US armed forces.
• Grandma’s Nightshirt
Start of the Air War
• Operation Rolling Thunder• Supposed to take 6-8
weeks, lasted 4 years• Showed support for SV &
Bomb the Ho Chi Minh Trail• “We’re going to bomb
them back to the Stone Age.” –Curtis LeMay
Operation Barrel Roll
• Massive bombing of Laos/Cambodia starting in 1964.• Done in secret!• After revolution in Laos!• Boomerang Effect-
massive infiltration of troops down the trail.• 1965-8,800/month• 1967-100,000/month
Average American Soldier
• 2.6 million men served• Average Age-19, WWII-26• Vietnam-25%, WWII-66%• Poor, only 1/10 had a
college education• Thousands stayed in college
while over 50,000 went to Canada.
The Ground War
• First combat troops sent in March 6, 1965• Defensive War-learned
lessons of aggression from Korea.• Troop level increased to
550,000• Search and Destroy-Locate
enemy, call in air strike, clear ground w/troops• Problem-Never hold and
control any territory.
Body Count
• Secretary of Defense-Robert McNamara• “If it’s dead and
Vietnamese, it’s Vietcong”• Inflated Statistic• If you kill 2, say that you
killed 8 or 10.• Why?
Pacification
• A.K.A. Forced Urbanization• Moved refugees to camps
or cities and then burned their homes.
• Op. Phoenix-CIA secretly executed 20,000 SV civilians that were suspected communists-
Gen. William Westmoreland
General William Westmoreland-”I have never been more encouraged in my 4 years in Vietnam. We have reached an important point when the end comes into view.
Ho Chi Minh
• “You can kill 10 of my men for every 1 I kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.”
• “I know Americans they are impatient people. They will leave.”
Tet Offensive-January 30, 1968
• Vietnamese New Year• VC attacked over 100 cities
and 12 US bases• Saigon• New embassy a symbol of
American power• One of 6 main targets
• LBJ said it was the most secure site in Vietnam• 2:45am 15 people blew a
hole in the 8 ft. wall• 9:20am Embassy was
secured!
Results of Tet
• Militarily-US lost no territory• Casualties- US (1000)• SV (2000)• NV (45,000)• Westy-Battle of the Bulge?
• Politically-hurt US confidence, losing the war• VC-Morale down, lost
confidence in leadership, doubtful of victory.
Results of Tet cont.• Walter Cronkite• “ I thought that we were
winning this war. What the hell is going on here?
• LBJ-• “If I’ve lost Walter, then its
all over. I’ve lost the average American.• Westmoreland asked for
206,000 troops• LBJ gave him 10,500