The Making of a Stalemate The Vietnam War

The Making of a Stalemate The Vietnam War 1965 -1967

LBJ’s search for advice Eisenhower • White. House. Tapes. org Transcript + Audio Clip

“Many Flags” campaign - Allied support • 1. ) South Korea – largest contingent – 48, 000(would lose 4407 men)-US financial support • 2. ) Australia – 8000, lost 469 • 3. )New Zealand, 1000, lost 37 • 4. ) Thailand – 12, 000 troops, 351 lost • 5. ) Philippines – medical and small number of forces in pacification • 6. ) Nationalist China – covert operations

The Stalemated War • 1. ) Battles with the North Vietnamese – Americanization of the War - Ia Drang, November 1965 White. House. Tapes. org Transcript + Audio Clip • 2. ) Bombing Halt – December 1965 -January 1966 -LBJ and Eisenhower on Bombing North Vietnam • White House Tapes • Miller Center • 3. ) Westmoreland’s Strategy of Attrition – the body count – designed for limited war • 4. ) Search and Destroy operations • Operation Masher/White Wing – January-March 1966 • Operation Attleboro – September-November 1966

American Force levels/casualties in Vietnam(K=killed W=wounded) • • • 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 23, 200 190, 000 390, 000 500, 000 535, 000 475, 000 334, 000 140, 000 50, 000 K 147 W 522 K 1369 W 3308 5008 16, 526 9377 32, 370 14, 589 46, 797 9414 32, 940 4221 15, 211 1381 4767 300 587

Soviet and Chinese Support for North Vietnam • 1. ) Despite Sino-Soviet dispute and outbreak of Cultural Revolution in China, support continues • 2. ) Soviet supply of anti-aircraft technology and supplies to the North – along with medical supplies, arms, tanks, planes, helicopters, artillery, and other military equipment. Soviet ships provided intelligence on B-52 raids – 3000 soldiers in North Vietnam (Soviet govt. concealed extent of support) • 3. ) Chinese supply of anti-aircraft units and engineering battalions – 327, 000 troops sent – more than 17, 000 killed

The Thieu-Ky government

Problems of the South Vietnamese Government • 1. ) Gradual stabilization – constitution, elections - ARVN responsibility for “pacification” • 2. ) Creation of a Revolutionary Development program • 3. ) Problems of corruption, poor training • 4. ) Key problem of security – thousands kidnapped and killed by the Viet Cong • 5. ) Refugee problem – 4 million • 6. ) Social and Economic Impact of the American presence - Dependency

Signs of Discontent – the Fulbright Hearings – Feb. 1966

George Kennan – the Realist Critique 1. ) Vietnam not a vital national interest 2. ) Domino theory – events in Indonesia; failed Communist coup of October 1965 – hundreds of thousands slaughtered (reference in Barack Obama’s autobiography) 3. ) Victory not possible 4. ) Misplaced priority – relations with Soviet Union more important

The Debate at Home • 1. ) Hawks – escalate the war • 2. ) Doves • a. ) Pacifists • b. ) New Left • c. ) Liberals

Draft Card Burning

Antiwar Demonstrations

The Kennedy Challenge

Kennedy as Rock Star You. Tube - Bobby Kennedy - fearless

Johnson – 1966 Political Problems • 1. ) Image Problems – the Credibility Gap • 2. ) Domestic Problems – Inner City Riots, the “White Backlash” • 3. ) Midterm Election Losses in 1966

Public Opinion Polls – Was sending troops a mistake? NO • • • August 1965 March 1966 May 1966 Sept. 1966 Feb. 1967 July 1967 October 1967 March 1968 August 1968 61% 59% 48% 52% 48% 44% 40% 35%

The Drive for Peace Talks – mediators, Wilson, Kosygin

1967 – Origins of the Progress Offensive 1. ) Increasing Discontent with the War 2. ) Long Hot Summer – Riots in Detroit 3. ) Inflation Fears 4. ) LBJ calls for a 10 Percent surtax to pay for the war n 5. ) Public approval of Johnson’s handling of the war falls to 28 percent n 6. ) Martin Luther King’s opposition, March on the Pentagon October 1967, Mc. Carthy Campaign, Mc. Namara’s decision to resign n (Events of Two days in October 1967) n n

Martin Luther King’s Opposition

Riverside Church speech, April 1967 n You. Tube - Martin Luther King Jr_Opposing The Vietnam War n King’s opposition – also demonstrating a strong move to the Left, sign of the radicalization of the civil rights movement, the rise of black power

Eugene Mc. Carthy

Mc. Carthy’s Background n n 1. ) Senator from Minnesota 2. ) Johnson considered him as a possible running mate in 1964 3. ) Digital Classroom Initiative : Template 4. ) Mc. Carthy announces candidacy -November 1967 – only 5 percent in the polls -"I am concerned that the Administration seems to have set no limit to the price it is willing to pay for a military victory. "

San Antonio formula 1. ) Background – debate within the Administration – military urging a major escalation – Mc. Namara arguing against it n 2. ) Speech - September 29, 1967, in San Antonio, Texas, Johnson offered to cease the bombing of North Vietnam if Ho Chi Minh would agree to begin serious negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and if he would promise not to use the bombing halt as an opportunity to “increase” their infiltration of troops and supplies into South Vietnam. n 3. ) Transmitted through Henry Kissinger and contacts in France – (Willingness to include NLF in negotiations) Hanoi rejects it n

North Vietnamese Planning for Tet n n 1. ) Maximum and Minimum objectives – maximum, another August Revolution – minimum – psychological advantage for negotiations, destabilize Saigon, wear down the Americans, force coalition government 2. ) Strategy – main force units divert the Americans – Khe Sanh, Viet Cong hit the cities 3. ) Oct. and Nov. 1967 – battles in the north and central highlands, Con Thien and Dak To 4. ) Beginning of build-up around Khe Sanh

Johnson’s Progress Offensive n n n 1. ) Johnson’s November press Conference 2. ) Bringing Westmoreland home to report to Congress “the end begins to come into view” “the light at the end of the tunnel” 3. ) LBJ orders surveillance of the peace movement activities at home and abroad– Operation Chaos – dossiers on 7000 Americans – violation of CIA charter 4. ) Objective signs of progress – enemy suffering high casualties, problems with recruiting, ARVN desertion rate dropping, even Mc. Namara believed progress was being made 5. ) PR campaign – “Committee for Peace and Freedom in Vietnam” – coordinated with the White House