The War in Vietnam Chapter 30 Vietnam A

The War in Vietnam Chapter 30

Vietnam • A colony of France until after World War II • 1954 - War for Independence led by Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

The Geneva Accords • The Geneva Accords divided the country into North and South Vietnam • In 1956 a general election designed to unite the whole country would end the division • The United States was allowed to intervene in creating a new government for Vietnam

North and South Vietnam • North – Communist, aided by the Soviet Union – Led by Ho Chi Minh • South – Free, aided by the United States – Led by Ngo Dinh Diem

Ngo Dinh Diem • Some people from the South joined the National Liberation Front (Vietcong)guerilla fighters who joined with the Communist North to fight against Diem • On November 1, 1963, a group of South Vietnamese army officers staged a coup and assassinated Diem

The Domino Theory • Americans were worried that if the Communists took South Vietnam, the surrounding countries of Southeast Asia would fall to communism

Special Forces • President Kennedy sent special forces- the Green Berets- to train and advise South Vietnamese troops

Robert Mc. Namara • Secretary of Defense, Robert Mc. Namara reported that South Vietnam couldn’t resist the Vietcong without more U. S. assistance

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident • August 1964 • Reports surfaced that North Vietnamese patrol boats had attacked American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • Congress allowed the president to use “all necessary measures” to stop aggression and prevent further aggression in Vietnam • President Johnson used this broad authority to escalate the use of American forces in Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder • An intense bombing campaign to attack the Ho Chi Minh Trail • By the end of 1968, American planes had dropped more bombs on North Vietnam than they had dropped on Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII

The Ho Chi Minh Trail • Ho Chi Minh Trail- a network of roads, paths, and bridges that wound from North Vietnam through Cambodia and Laos into South Vietnam • Used by North Vietnamese troops to bring equipment to the South

Fighting Conditions • Dense jungles, muddy trails, and swampy rice paddies • Long rainy seasons • The enemy (Vietcong) was difficult to identify- they blended in with the villagers! • Often necessary to recapture places where they had already fought

Dense Jungles

Muddy Trails and Swamps

Long Rainy Seasons

Vietcong

New Fighting Tactics • American troops used search and destroy missions to seek out and destroy Vietcong or North Vietnamese units and destroy them

New Fighting Tactics • Napalm- an explosive that burned and destroyed jungle growth • Agent Orange- a chemical herbicide sprayed to clear out forests and tall grasses

Effect of Agent Orange

1968 – A Year of Crisis • On January 23, North Korean boats seized the USS Pueblo, a navy spy ship, off the coast of Korea

The Tet Offensive • Began on January 31, 1968 - The Vietnamese New Year, Tet • A series of surprise attacks that targeted American military bases in major South Vietnamese cities • The U. S. Embassy in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was attacked • THE TURNING POINT OF THE WAR • Americans become upset about this and want to leave Vietnam

The Tet Offensive

Tet: Vietnamese New Year • Lasts for three days, but many celebrations occur before and after these days • People bring special food to people they want to impress • Follow the lunar calendar for Tet, but follow the solar calendar the rest of the year • A person is considered one year older on this day • A strong emphasis on ancestors • New clothes, houses painted

Assassinations of 1968 • Robert Kennedy Martin Luther King, Jr.

Election of 1968 • Richard M. Nixon is elected in 1968, and promises to bring an end to the war in Vietnam • He appealed to the “Silent Majority”

The Media • The Vietnam war was much more publicized than any war had ever been. • For the first time, cameras were allowed in the midst of the action. • Photographs and video images from the war in Vietnam had a strong influence on the opinions of the American public.

America’s Reaction • Hawks- supporters of the war • Doves- Oppose the war; anti-war protests (usually on college campuses)

American Culture Begins to Change • Counterculture- a movement that rejected traditional American values • Sometimes called “Hippies”- experimented with clothing and music

The Draft • The Selective Service System • The law required all men to register for the draft at age eighteen • Deferments- issued by draft boards to excuse certain people from military service • Full-time college students received deferments

Opposition to the Draft • Conscientious objectors- claimed their moral or religious beliefs kept them from fighting in the war • Burning of draft cards

Dove/Hawk Day!! Thursday, May 5 th Come dressed up! You may choose to dress up as either a Dove or a Hawk.

Nixon’s Plan • “Peace with honor” – Reform of the Selective Service System – “Vietnamization”- giving more responsibility to South Vietnam for fighting the war – Expanding the bombing campaign

Peace Talks Begin • Henry Kissinger, President Nixon’s national security adviser, represented the U. S. in the Paris peace talks • Rather than accepting the peace terms, North Vietnam adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude with the renewed bombing campaign, believing the anti-war movement in the U. S. would force us to withdraw

The War Goes On • Nixon orders the bombing of Cambodia in April 1970 • North Vietnamese were using Cambodian trails to transport supplies, soldiers, and weapons • Critics believed that Nixon had invaded a neutral country and taken advantage of his presidential authority • Nixon begins to slowly bring troops home

College Protests • Kent State University- four students were killed and nine were wounded by National Guardsmen during an anti-war protest • Jackson State University- following a night of campus violence, two students were shot and killed by police

“Peace is at Hand” • In 1972, Henry Kissinger was sent back to Paris to negotiate a peace agreement, but the South Vietnamese President did not agree to the terms • Paris Peace Accords- signed on January 27, 1973; ended American involvement in Vietnam – U. S. agreed to withdraw remaining troops – North Vietnamese would release all P. O. W. ’s

After the Peace Talks • The Paris Peace Accords did not end the conflict • 1975 - a final major offensive was launched; the South Vietnamese army collapsed • April 30, 1975 - Fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam

The War’s Legacy • 58, 000 Americans die in Vietnam; over one million Vietnamese die • More than $150 billion spent by the U. S. on the war in Vietnam • The war lasted 13 years! • Caused division in America • Changed American culture • Vietnam calls the war “The American War”

Vietnam Soldiers Come Home • When they came home, the soldiers did not receive a hero’s welcome • Many Americans wanted to forget the war • The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was constructed in Washington, D. C. , in 1982