Vietnam War Part I French IndoChina Vietnam Cambodia

Vietnam War – Part I

French Indo-China (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) had been part of the French Empire since the late 19 th century p During WWII, Japan occupied the country p The Viet Minh, was organized in 1941 in order to resist occupation p

Viet Minh p They were led by Ho Chi Minh and the Communists p They were armed by the Americans to fight the Japanese p At the end of the war, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent country, but the French wouldn’t let go p Hostilities broke out between the French and the Viet Minh in 1946

FDR’s Policy In Indochina p p p Recognized that colonialism was doomed in Vietnam and that the U. S. should identify with the forces of nationalism in Asia Regarded the French as “poor colonizers” He pressured France to relinquish its hold over Vietnam and advocated placing Indochina under international trusteeship in preparation for independence

French Indo-China In November 1946, the French ordered Ho Chi Minh’s government to leave Hanoi p When they refused, the French bombarded Hanoi and Haiphong, killing 6, 000 p Ho and the Viet Minh were forced into a war for independence p The French, wishing to keep control of the rice and rubber of the south, set up Bo Dai as a puppet p

Truman’s Policy In Indochina p p Truman scrapped the trusteeship plan due to the Sovietization of Eastern Europe and communism in Asia after 1949 Ho appealed to the U. S. for support, but by 1950, he committed aid and military advisors to the French in Vietnam

Outside Assistance in Vietnam The Viet Minh fought a guerilla war p The Communist Chinese supported the Viet Minh with arms and equipment p The Americans began to help the French with money, equipment, and advisers p

Eisenhower’s Policy In Indochina p p “New Look” defense policy called for sharp reductions in American ground forces They were reluctant to commit American combat troops to SE Asia (“no more Koreas”) and agreed that France must continue to bear the burden Continued aid would depend on detailed and specific information about French plans to ensure an aggressive strategy By 1954, the U. S. was funding 80% of the war

Dien Bien Phu By 1954, the French had lost control of the countryside p The French were decisively defeated in 1954 when a French army was surrounded and forced to surrender in a 50 -day siege in Dien Bien Phu p

Reasons for the French Defeat Ho and the Viet Minh had the support of the people p The Viet Minh were masters of guerilla warfare p From 1950, the Viet Minh were supplied by China p The French were war-weary and failed to run the war effectively p The French were experiencing problems in other parts of the world p

Significance of the Indo-China War p The war was seen by the Americans as a proxy war (when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly): n n Ho Chi Minh was the Soviets French were the Americans

Geneva Peace Conference A peace conference was arranged in 1954 p USSR, UK, France, USA, China, and Indo. China were there p

Geneva Peace Conference p The terms of the Geneva Agreement of 1954 were: n Laos and Cambodia were to be independent n Vietnam was to be temporarily divided into two states at the 17 th parallel p Ho Chin Minh’s government was recognized in the north p An American puppet regime under Ngo Dinh Diem was set up in the south n In 1956, elections were to be held throughout Vietnam, after which it was to be united

Lack of Support for Diem p Since Diem had begun ruling South Vietnam in 1954, he lacked support: n n n He imprisoned people who criticized his government Filled many government positions with members of his own family U. S. money that was supposed to go to economic reforms went to the military and corrupt officials

Lack of Support for Diem n Diem was a Catholic in a largely Buddhist country p For example, he passed laws banning the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday He was seen as an American puppet n He blocked demands for land reform, which was being carried out in the north under Ho n Below: Self-immolation; the S. Vietnamese First Lady reacted by saying “Let them burn and we shall clap our hands”

Going Against the Geneva Convention In 1955, Diem refused to make preparations for the promised elections p The U. S. supported him, since they expected that Ho would win any genuine elections overwhelmingly p

National Liberation Front (NLF) or Viet Cong In 1960, groups formed the NLF, otherwise known as the Viet Cong to the Americans p They demanded a democratic coalition government which would negotiate a peaceful union of Vietnam p When this was refused, a guerilla war began in the south, waged by the Viet Cong p Advisors first were sent over p

JFK’s Policy In Indochina p p p Felt that the administration would lose face if they negotiated in Vietnam and didn’t take military action (would be repeat of China in 1949) Expressed deep concern about simultaneously having major obligations in Europe and SE Asia Settled between negotiation and troops by sending aid and a limited number of advisors (this would actually enlarge the U. S. role and commitment in Vietnam) Was preoccupied with Cuba at first Had interest in troop withdrawals

Causes of the War Containment worked in Europe (Greece, Turkey, and Berlin) & with Korea p North Korea’s invasion of South Korea confirmed U. S. suspicions that the Soviets sought to conquer all of Asia p SE Asia provided 90% of America’s rubber, 75% of its tin, and 27% of its oil p We had to replace the French and were a world power, so we needed to help South Vietnam retain its freedom p America felt its prestige was on the line, so it did not want a defeat in Vietnam p

Causes of the War Americans viewed Vietnam as the key to keeping SE Asia out of communist hands (domino theory) p The Truman administration had been under fire for “losing” China and felt compelled to hold the line somewhere else p People believed that destiny had singled out the U. S. to defend and spread the democratic ideal p The U. S. believed the Vietnamese were inferior and could beat them with superior technology p

Attempting to Gain Support America tried to involve her allies, but only Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines ever sent troops p Local peasants were moved into “fortified villages” where they could be controlled by the ARVN (South Vietnamese Army). They were, in effect, concentration camps p

Increasing American Involvement In Vietnam p p p By his death, Kennedy had ordered 15, 000 American men and equipment to Vietnam Kennedy realized that Diem would never reform The U. S. told the South Vietnamese military that they wouldn’t object to a coup

Military Government The coup worked, but the death of Diem lead to unstable generals ruling the country p The new military government bickered among themselves and failed to direct the South Vietnamese army effectively p Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese aided the Viet Cong throughout the struggle p