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VIETNAM WAR
Background
Ho Chi MinhFrench Occupation and Defeat
Dien Bien Phu
Geneva Conference 1954 – cease fire / division of Vietnam at 17th parallel / elections set for 1956 / elections never occurred
The U.S. did not support Vietnamese independence because > 1. Ho Chi Minh had ties to the Communist Party 2. Domino Theory 3. Close ally with France
Vietminh
Ho Chi Minh
Led the fight for Vietnam’s independence
Organized the League for the Independence of Vietnam
VIETMINH
Affiliated with the Communist PartyAffiliated with the Communist Party
Ho Chi Minh had close ties to the Communist Party.
Ho Chi Minh led the movement for Vietnam’s independence.
Vietminh – League for the Independence of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh organized the Vietminh.
VIETMINH – League for the Independence of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh – close ties to Communist Party
French Occupation and Defeat
Truman and Eisenhower supported France when they attempted to reestablish control over
Vietnam following WWII.
The Vietminh defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
After the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Conference divided Vietnam into North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel. Elections were set for 1956. The elections never occurred.
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
17th Parallel
The North Vietnamese forces, the Vietminh, supplied and supported the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. They built an elaborate tunnel system.
The U.S. did not support Vietnam independence because Ho had ties to the Communist Party.
The U.S. did not support Vietnam independence
because of the Domino Theory.
The U. S. did not support Vietnam independence because of close ties to the French.
We will always have Paris.
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
Support for the French under Truman and Eisenhower
Kennedy supported South Vietnam with “military advisors”.
CIA backed the overthrow of the Diem governmentDiem and brother killedU.S. involvement deepens
U.S. involvement began when Truman and Eisenhower supported
French efforts to reestablish rule over Vietnam after WWII.
President Kennedy sent “military advisors” to South Vietnam.
The Green Berets
President Kennedy sent “military advisors” to South Vietnam.
At first, the U.S. supported the Diem government. Diem took harsh measures against Buddhists in South Vietnam. His government was very corrupt and unpopular in South Vietnam.
Immolation of ThicQuang Duc
The Diem government was very unpopular. This Buddhist monk was protesting Diem’s treatment of Buddhists in South Vietnam.
The CIA backed theoverthrow of the unpopular Diem government.
Diem and his brother were killed during the CIA backed coup.
The situation in Vietnam worsened.
Diem was killed during the coup. The CIA did not expect him to be killed.
U.S. Involvement in VietnamU.S. Involvement in Vietnam
Tonkin Gulf Resolution – President Johnson asked and received authorization for the use of force.
Unprovoked?The U.S. destroyer Maddox
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
1963
President receives war-making power.
War Powers Act of 1973
Congress limited presidential power.
The torpedo missed.
How was the war fought? How did the media play a role? Describe the anti-war movement.
Operation Rolling Thunder
Ho Chi Minh Trail -
Agent Orange -
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER 800 tons of bombs per day were dropped
on North Vietnam.
Operation Rolling Thunder – massive bombing of North Vietnam.
North Vietnam – targeted with about 800 tons of bombs a day.
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER
Ho Chi Minh Trail – supplies from North Vietnam were transported along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The trail had hundreds of miles of tunnels. The North Vietnamese placed factories and hospitals underground. The thick jungle hid entrances and booby traps were placed in the tunnels to keep the enemy out.
Ho Chi Minh Trail –
Used to transport supplies to
the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Jungle covered the tunnelsand trails used to supply the
Viet Cong with weapons.
Some military personnel were designated tunnel rats. Their mission was to enter the tunnels and find the enemy or destroy the tunnel.
AGENT ORANGE
Defoliant used to kill plants and food sources.
Destroy the ground cover
SEARCH and DESTROY
The U.S. forces did not hold territory. They would find the Viet Cong, kill them or capture them, and then move to other areas. Most of the time the Viet Cong returned to villages soon after these missions were completed. Soldiers became disillusioned with a war that seemed to have no measurable signs of progress.
Search and Destroy
Find the enemy. Kill / Capture / Clear the area
A failure – the Viet Cong would return to the area and frequently the Viet Cong received support from the villagers.
U.S. forces could not tell friend from enemy. It was hard to see any progress. The troops had low morale.
Search and Destroy
“We had to destroy the village in order to save it.”
Pacification – villagers were removed from their homes and their villages were burned.
PACIFICATION
THE BODY COUNT MEASURED SUCCESS.
U.S. OFFICIALS INFLATED THE BODY COUNT.
U.S. OFFICIALS MISLED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
A CREDIBILITY GAP WAS CREATED.
POPULAR OPINION TURNED AGAINST THE WAR.
Troop morale was very low. Many soldiers and marines could see no evidence of progress. Support for the war in America was diminishing. Drug use among soldiers and marines was rampant.
The media reported news that did not fit with the statements government officials were making.
CREDIBILITY
GAP
In 1966, General Westmoreland was Time Magazine’s Man of the Year.
General Westmoreland was the commander in charge of the Vietnam War. (Military Assistance Command)
WESTMORELAND
General Westmoreland said in a news conference that the U.S. had reached “a new phase” and he could “see light at the end of the tunnel”.
19681968
Westmoreland saw light at the end of the tunnel.
Daniel Ellsberg, a Pentagon official, leaked secret government documents to the New York Times that revealed how governmentofficials had misled the American public.
The Pentagon Papers
DANIEL ELLSBERG
New York Times
The Pentagon Papers
The Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protesters. Four students were killed. Nine students were wounded.
Millions of students went on strike in protest of the shootings. The country became more polarized.
Kent State University is in Ohio.
Two students were killed and 12 wounded at Jackson Stateduring an antiwar protest. Some of the students who were wounded were not part of the protest.
The following slides are some of the most memorable photographs and imagery of the Vietnam Era.
My Lai Massacre March 1968
Execution of Viet Cong on a street in Saigon. The executioner was a member of the U.S. backed South Vietnamese Army.
Execution of Viet Cong on a street in Saigon
Immolation of ThicQuang Duc
The Diem government was very unpopular. This Buddhist monk was protesting Diem’s treatment of Buddhists in South Vietnam.
Children burned by napalm (June 1972).
Jane Fonda went to North Vietnam and made a radio broadcast that was very critical of the U.S. government’s actions in Vietnam.
Jane Fonda in North Vietnam.
Jane Fonda (Hanoi Jane) smiling with NVA gun crew.
Last Helicopter Leaving The Roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon (1975).
Escalation
Draft
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
Impact of the Draft (713)
Who served? Who received deferments?
Who served in the most dangerous positions?
The Draft and Public Opinion
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
Morale – (715)
Credibility Gap –(717)
Pentagon Papers (Daniel Ellsberg) (725)
Impact of the Draft (713)
Who served? Who received deferments?
Who served in the most dangerous positions?
The Draft and Public Opinion
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
The SDS drew inspiration from SNCC.
The Students for a Democratic Society drew its inspiration from another student activist group, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
All men are created equal.
All men are created equal.
All men are created equal.
All men are created equal.
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Students for a Democratic Society
First
The Student NonviolentCoordinating Committee was a student organization that worked to achieve racial equality.
The Students for a Democratic Society protested the Vietnam War.
The Port Huron Statement discussed the contradiction between American ideals and the reality of severe discrimination that was common in the South. The Port Huron Statement questioned American foreign policy during the Cold War and was critical of the Cold War status quo.
