Phones Away CE CNN Vietnam The Vietnam War

Phones Away CE CNN Vietnam

The Vietnam War Years

American Involvement • From late 1800 until WWII – France ruled Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) • French did not treat most of the population well (took away land, took much of the rice and rubber for their own profit) • French restricted freedom of speech and assembly, jailing many Vietnamese who protested against French rule.

American Involvement • In 1941, Japanese took control of Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh, driven out leader of the Indochinese Communist Party, returned and organized a nationalist group called Vietminh – which sought independence from foreign rule • When Japanese were defeated in WWII, they believed they had won independence

American Involvement • US had supplied Ho Chi Minh with aid during WWII to resist the Japanese • French troops moved into Vietnam in 1946 to retake control • Vietminh were driven out of the South • In 1950, US under Truman got involved by sending $15 million in economic aid to France to defeat Ho Chi Minh (irony)

American Involvement • Support of France meant keeping an ally against Soviet influence, as well as stopping another Asian country from turning Communist • Ho Chi Minh’s ideas of a democratic government for Vietnam were shattered, and he looked to Communism for support

American Involvement • 1953, President Eisenhower introduces his “Domino Theory” – where countries on the brink of communism are like a row of dominos, ready to fall one after the other. • May 1954, Vietminh overrun French outpost at Dien Bien Phu – forcing the French surrender

American Involvement • United States, France, Great Britain, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietminh, anti-Communist Vietnamese nationalists and the Soviet Union meet in Switzerland for peace. • The Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam into North and South at 17 th parallel until a 1956 election – which never happened

Ho Chi Minh • Ho Chi Minh controlled the Communists in the North, with Hanoi as their capital • He was brutal and repressive, but popular due to land redistribution to the peasants • He was a national hero for his fight against Japanese and French

Ngo Dinh Diem • Strong anti-Communist, refused to take part in elections fearing Ho Chi Minh’s popularity • Led corrupt government that suppressed any opposition • Devout Catholic, angered large Buddhist population by restricting Buddhist practices • Eisenhower decided to “sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem”

Vietcong • By 1957, a Communist opposition group in the South starts attacking the Diem government, assassinating thousands • Known as the Vietcong, this National Liberation Front supported ridding Vietnam of all foreign entanglements, and especially the Diem regime

Ho Chi Minh Trail • In 1959, Ho Chi Minh started supplying the Vietcong via paths through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – what became the Ho Chi Minh trail

Kennedy • Kennedy increased aid to Diem, and sent thousands of military advisors to help train South Vietnamese troops • By 1963, nearly 16, 000 US military personnel were in South Vietnam • Diem’s popularity plummeted when he moved villagers to hamlets and away from homes

Kennedy • Diem’s attacks on Buddhism led to monks and nuns burning themselves in protest publicly, which made papers around the world • November 1, 1963 – under Kennedy’s orders, a US supported military coup toppled Diem’s regime – Diem was executed • Kennedy’s plans to remove troops from Vietnam never happens, as he is assassinated weeks later

Johnson • Johnson, a Democrat, didn’t want to look “soft” on communism. (Democrats under Truman had lost China) • Johnson increases US involvement in Vietnam, leading us into America’s longest war

Tonkin Gulf Resolution • August 2, 1964 a North Vietnamese patrol boat fired a torpedo on an American destroyer – USS Maddox (no damage to US ship, but return fire crippled the patrol boat) • This and a later unconfirmed attack prompted Johnson to launch air strikes on North Vietnam • August 7, Tonkin Gulf Resolution allows “all necessary measures to repel an armed attack” – broad military power without a declaration of war

1 st American Soldiers • Though Johnson didn’t believe in sending American troops to fight a war for Vietnamese – in March 1965 our first 3500 troops arrive in Vietnam • 64% of Americans supported this, only 24% opposed • Troop size in Vietnam escalated very quickly

By December 31, 1965 • Troops in Vietnam 184, 300 • Killed in Action 1, 363 • Wounded in Action 7, 645

General William Westmoreland • General Westmoreland, a veteran of WWII and Korea, didn’t believe the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) could fight without our support, and requested more and more troops – escalating every year until 1969

The Enemy • The Vietcong were elusive, experienced in jungle warfare, and used ambush tactics • They lived among the civilian populations, making it nearly impossible to tell friend from foe • They laced the terrain with booby traps and land mines

The Enemy • Vietcong built elaborate underground tunnels, with sleeping areas, storage rooms, and kitchens • These tunnels connected villages, and became home to many of the guerilla fighters • They were absolutely resolved to fight harder the more we harassed them

By December 31, 1966 • Troops in Vietnam 385, 300 • Killed in Action 6, 644 • Wounded in Action 37, 738

Propaganda • Westmoreland’s strategy was to wear down the enemy by giving out body counts of enemy dead • Vietcong came harder and faster, struggling for their existence • US fought against communism, Vietcong fought for freedom from tyranny

Hearts and Minds • US hoped to win over rural population, giving guerillas nowhere to hide • US tactics such as gasoline bombs called napalm, napalm Agent Orange which was a toxic chemical to kill the vegetation, and search-and-destroy missions which uprooted villagers and burned villages – did not make this hope a reality

Refugees • Keeping rural villages safe by clearing them out led to 3 million refugees in South Vietnam by 1967 • “We had to destroy the town in order to save it” was a quote made after the destruction of the village of Ben Tre

• US troop morale dropped as soldiers turned to alcohol, and other drugs, though most firmly still believed in the cause • South Vietnam was being ruled by a series of military leaders, in power by force – leading to a civil war within a civil war • By December 31, 1967 • Troops in Vietnam 485, 600 • Killed in Action 16, 021 • Wounded in Action 99, 762

Credibility Gap • For the first time, Americans were seeing images of war on television • Despite body count numbers of enemy dead being broadcast, and assurances that their surrender was imminent, a credibility gap occurred between what Americans were seeing and what they were being told

The Draft • Many men sought deferments from the Draft, which was often easily manipulated • Sympathetic doctors gave medical excuses, draft boards were inconsistent with qualifications, and many men joined the National Guard or Coast Guard to keep away from service in Vietnam

The Draft • African Americans served in disproportionate numbers (20% of deaths in Vietnam compared to 10% of our population) • To correct this imbalance, the draft lottery system was instituted in 1969, after much protesting by such leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr.

Opposition • New Left organizations (youth movements) such as Students for a Democratic Society and the Free Speech Movement protested against large corporations and government that had hijacked the average American voice • “Teach-ins” and other forms of demonstration against US involvement in Vietnam grew rapidly, especially on college campuses

Turning Point • January 1968, on the Vietnamese New Year called Tet – there was supposed to be a cease fire • In coffins supposedly holding bodies for memorial, Vietcong had hidden weapons • At one such siege at Khe Sanh – 40, 000 NVA surrounded 5, 600 Marines for 77 days • Operation Niagara in February dropped more bombs than ever before in war • The Tet Offensive, though devastating in body count to Vietcong, was even more devastating to an American public who thought we were nearing peace

• By December 31, 1968 • Troops in Vietnam 536, 100 • Killed in Action 30, 160 • Wounded in Action 192, 850

Shocking News at Home • March 1968 Johnson stuns the nation when he announces not to run again for President • April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, leading to violence nationwide • June 1968, Robert Kennedy, a contender for the Democratic nomination, is assassinated

Nixon • Chaos engulfs the 1968 election, where Nixon wins by promising to restore law and order • By summer 1969, Nixon announces the first US troop withdrawals from Vietnam • Nixon’s strategy, Vietnamization, was gradual withdrawal of US troops so South Vietnamese could take more role in war

Nixon • Nixon hopes for “Peace with Honor” – to maintain US dignity while withdrawing • Demands that South Vietnamese government remain intact • Secretly orders bombing missions in Laos and Cambodia

My Lai Massacre • November 1969 US public learns of an event that had occurred in March • Lt. Wm. Calley, Jr. led troops into the village of My Lai to find Vietcong rebels. They found no Vietcong, but rounded up all the villagers and shot them – more than 100, mostly women and children • Calley was convicted and imprisoned – Americans consciences shocked

• By December 31, 1969 • Troops in Vietnam 475, 200 • Killed in Action 40, 024 • Wounded in Action 262, 796

Kent State • May 4, 1970, students, especially student organizations such as the SDS, protesting US invasion of Cambodia are fired on by National Guard • 9 wounded and 4 killed

Hanoi Jane • Jane Fonda, a wellknown actress – shocks the troops when she chooses to protest the war by meeting with the Vietcong (our enemy) while a war is still being fought against them • She saw them as peaceful people forced to violence to get their country back

The End of the War • By mid 1972 – US social division was growing and Nixon’s preparation for his next election prompted him to drop his insistence that all North Vietnamese troops are removed from the South • Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s advisor and negotiator, announced “peace is at hand”

Christmas Bombings • South Vietnam rejected Kissinger’s plan • Nixon unleashes a bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong – dropping 100, 000 bombs for 11 days, stopping only for Christmas Day • January 27, 1973, peace talks culminate in an agreement to end the war

The End of the War • By March of 1973, the last US soldier in Vietnam was pulledout • Cease-fire between North and South collapsed – North Vietnamese launched a fullscale invasion of the South • By April 1975 South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam

The End of the War • More than 58, 000 Americans were killed, and 385, 000 wounded • Americans had a much more cautious outlook on foreign affairs and more cynical toward government • War Powers Act of 1973 stipulates that a President needs to inform Congress within 48 hours before troops sent in without a declaration of war

Homework: • Find and Print out the lyrics of 2 songs from the Vietnam War Era • Identity the political stance taken in the song and the message conveyed • Due next class