The Vietnam War during the 1960 s Vietnam
- Slides: 9
The Vietnam War during the 1960 s Vietnam during the 60’s
Vietnam in 1960 • Used to be French. • Divided into two countries: North and South at 17 th parallel by the Geneva Accords. • North Vietnam—Ho Chi Minh—backed by Soviet Union. Considered a hero. • South Vietnam—Ngo Dinh Diem—backed by U. S. (Did not allow free elections required by Geneva accords. )
Kennedy and Vietnam • Premier Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam unpopular. • Ho Chi Minh (leader of communist North Vietnam and Viet Minh) supplied Viet Cong allies in S. Vietnam through Ho Chi Minh Trail. • JFK sent in 16, 000 “advisors. ” • JFK did not stand in the way of Diem’s assassination.
Johnson and Vietnam • Tonkin Gulf Incident August 1964: U. S. covert operations enter into Gulf. • Johnson retaliates against “attacks” by North Vietnamese boats. • Congress passes Tonkin Gulf resolution, giving Johnson power to escalate war. • August 4 conversation
Johnson’s 1964 election • Johnson campaigned for his “Great Society. ” • He said he did not want to get involved in Vietnam. • https: //www. youtube. c om/watch? v=d. DTBnsqx Z 3 k
Steady Escalation • Approximately 184, 000 troops in Vietnam by end of 1965 • 90, 000 Vietnamese soldiers deserted. • Opposition to the war grows at home (Doves vs. Hawks). • Tet Offensive—U. S. realizes how futile the effort has become.
Johnson’s Response to TET • Johnson starts pulling out troops. • Johnson says he will not run for re-election. (He has poor polling numbers. )
Issues that Linger • Was Vietnamese Communism so dangerous that it threatened the U. S. ? • Did the U. S. knowingly provoke the North Vietnamese during the Tonkin Gulf incident so they would have a reason to escalate? • What did our involvement say about U. S. conceptions of liberty?
Claims of Historians. . . • LBJ escalated the Vietnam Conflict because he thought his reputation would be hurt if he lost Vietnam to the Communists. • LBJ felt he had to follow the lead of his advisors about Vietnam because they were “Harvards. ” • Because of the problems in Vietnam, LBJ had no choice but to get more heavily involved. • LBJ did not want to get involved in Vietnam. • LBJ and his advisors set up the Gulf of Tonkin incident so they could get more heavily involved. • LBJ hid from Americans the cost of escalation. • We should not have been involved in Vietnam in the first place. The domino theory did not apply, and Vietnam was just seeking self-determination.
