Warm up #713.25.2014
1. Who should be exempt from the draft?
2. Should people who believe the war is wrong be forced to fight?
3. Should people with special skills be exempt?
4. How can a draft be made fair?
History of Vietnam
Indochina – controlled by French since the mid 19th century
Sought independence during early 1900s
History (cont)
Ho Chi Minh led nationalist movement in Vietnam
Formed the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930– Tried to overthrow the French– Was exiled to the Soviet
Union & China
History (cont)
Japan controlled Vietnam when Ho Chi Minh returned in 1941– Organized Vietminh to force the
Japanese out
History (cont)
After WWII, Ho Chi Minh declared independence
France tried to regain control– Asked for U.S. help
U.S. agreed because it did not want another communist nation
Roots of the Conflict
Domino Theory – if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in Southeast Asia would do the same
Roots (cont)
Vietminh used guerrilla tactics, irregular troops who blend with civilians against French– Difficult to find/fight– Use hit-and-run & ambush
tactics
Roots (cont)
North Vietnam – controlled by Ho Chi Minh (communist)
South Vietnam – pro-Western (democratic)
Roots (cont)
Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of the South– Pro-Westerner and anti-
Communist– Corrupt Government– Did not want elections
Roots (cont)
Ho Chi Minh forms the Vietcong – new guerrilla army with the goal of unifying Vietnam– Vietcong grew in power
Roots (cont)
Diem assassinated in CIA supported coup d’état – violent overthrow by a small group– 10 different leaders over next 20 months
Roots (cont)
August 2, 1964, Johnson announced N. Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin– Similar event occurred 2 days later
Congress passed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized LBJ to use any force necessary
Full-Scale War (cont)
To burn away the jungle and expose the Vietcong, Americans dropped napalm and Agent Orange – a chemical that strips away leaves and shrubs
Full-Scale War (cont)
Fearing China would get involved, LBJ refused to order full-scale invasion of N. Vietnam
Also refused to attack the Vietcong supply line, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail– Traveled through Laos &
Cambodia
Full-Scale War (cont)
At first, many Americans supported the Vietnam War
As the war dragged on, support decreased– Difficult to believe what LBJ
admin said about the war– Credibility gap
Full-Scale War (cont)
January 1968, during the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong launched a surprise attack known as the Tet offensive– Military disaster for the Communists, but a
political victory– LBJ’s approval ratings plummeted
Opposition to the War College students began to
protest the war Many believed the draft
system was unfair & biased against poor & minorities
Opposition (cont)
1968 - LBJ announced he would not run for reelection– Robert Kennedy entered the
race as a “dove” candidate– That year both Kennedy and
MLK are assassinated– Violence erupts at the
Democratic National Convention
The End of the War
Henry Kissinger was Nixon’s National Security Advisory– His job was to find a way to
end the war with Vietnam– Linkage – Kissinger’s policy to
improve relations with China & the Soviet Union
End of War (cont)
Nixon began Vietnamization – gradual withdrawal of American troops, allowing S. Vietnam to assume more of the fighting– Peace negotiations were
started– Nixon continued air strikes
on N. Vietnam
End of War (cont)
1969 – Americans learned of the My Lai massacre, 200 Vietnamese women and children were killed by an American platoon
End of War (cont)
May 1970 – 4 Kent State students killed by National Guard while protesting the invasion of Cambodia
End of War (cont)
Pentagon Papers were leaked by a former Defense Department worker– Govt officials privately questioned the war– The public had been deceived about Vietnam
End of War (cont)
Nixon wins re-election with news of a peace treaty– Peace talks end– Operation Rolling Thunder – new bombing campaign
1973 – both sides agree to end the war and restore peace
End of War (cont)
March 1975, N. Vietnamese launched invasion of the South– Congress refused to send
aid to S. Vietnam April 30, Saigon is captured
and renamed Ho Chi Minh City
The Legacy of Vietnam War cost over $170 billion 58,000 deaths Many returning soldiers faced psychological problems POWs and MIAs 26th Amendment – Lowered voting age to 18