DO NOW2: Review Game: The Rules  Three teams (Red, White, and Blue)  Hand on desk until question is complete  Ring the bell and give correct answer for 1 point (towards 1968 class work)...to be turned in.  8 questions + bonus  I have final ruling on thoroughness of response…be ready for 2 nd chance or bonus point

The Questions 1.Who fought who in the Vietnam War? 2.Why did the U.S. become involved in Vietnam and why? 3.What event marked the beginning of America’s active military campaign in Vietnam? 4.What advantages did the Vietnamese use against the U.S.? 5.Why did LBJ escalate the # of troops in Southeast Asia every year between 1965 – 1968? 6.What was the initial reaction of Americans towards Vietnam? 7.How and when did the average American’s feelings about Vietnam change? 8.On what promise did Richard Nixon win the 1968 election?

DO NOW: in pairs  Read “How Can We Stop the War?”  Written response: Why do we fail in Vietnam?

Nixon wins in ‘68

Richard Milhous Nixon

Nixon Trivia  Was in Dallas. TX on day JFK was shot  Only President to resign from office  2 nd Quaker to be elected  Favorite sport was football…SB VI  1 st President to visit ALL 50 states  Had swimming pool filled in at White House  1 st President to visit China  Earned nickname “Tricky Dick” for questionable campaign behavior  A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits

U.S. History in Vietnam  The U.S. had begun direct military involvement in 1964 after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.  Lyndon Johnson received a “blank check” from Congress called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. –Allowed the President to use whatever supplies and forces needed to defeat the Communist Vietnamese forces.  Troop involvement drastically increased by hundreds of thousands until Nixon took office in –Numbers were above 500,000 troops in 1969.

Woodstock Music Festival  Clips

Reading  Vietnamization and Silent Majority

Nixon on Vietnam zNixon’s 1968 Campaign promised an end to the war: Peace with Honor P Appealed to the great “Silent Majority” zVietnamization (Read) zExpansion of the conflict  The “Secret War” P Cambodia P Laos zAgent Orange (chemical defoliant)

Cambodia  Throughout the late 1960s, North Vietnamese soldiers found sanctuaries in Cambodia.  In 1969 Nixon ordered the bombings of Cambodia in an attempt to weaken supply routes for the North Vietnamese army.  In 1970 Nixon ordered a ground operation in an effort to destroy enemy sanctuaries. –Successfully captured large amounts of food and arms.

Anti-War Demonstrations zMay 4, 1970 z4 students shot dead. z11 students wounded Kent State University CLIP zJackson State University zMay 10, 1970 z2 dead; 12 wounded

Nixon and Nam  Promised to unify  Country continued to be divided…

“Pentagon Papers,” 1971 zFormer defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked govt. docs. regarding war efforts during Johnson’s administration to the New York Times. zDocs.  Govt. misled Congress & Amer. People regarding its intentions in Vietnam during mid-1960s. P Primary reason for fighting not to eliminate communism, but to avoid humiliating defeat. P New York Times v. United States (1971) P Espionage 1917-> dismissed-> govt in trouble-> $1 fine *

The Ceasefire, 1973 zPeace is at hand  Kissinger, 1972 P North Vietnam attacks South P Most Massive U.S. bombing commences z1973: Ceasefire signed between P U.S., South Vietnam, & North Vietnam zPeace with honor (President Nixon)

Peace Negotiations zUS & Vietnamese argue for 5 months over the size of the conference table! Dr. Henry KissingerLe Duc Tho Dr. Henry Kissinger & Le Duc Tho

The Ceasefire, 1973 zConditions: 1. U.S. to remove all troops 2. North Vietnam could leave troops already in S.V. 3. North Vietnam would resume war 4. No provision for POWs or MIAs zLast American troops left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973 z1975: North Vietnam defeats South Vietnam zSaigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnamization  Successes: –Brought home all the troops by end of –The South Vietnamese successfully defended themselves from without any U.S. support.  Failures: –Saigon fell to Communist forces on April 30,  America refused to respond to calls for help from the South Vietnamese leader. –Vietnam established a Socialist government, rendering U.S. involvement in the war futile.

American Troop Withdrawal  Troop numbers shrunk from 500,000 in 1969 to 30,000 in 1972.

The Fall of Saigon South Vietnamese Attempt to Flee the Country

The Fall of Saigon America Abandons Its Embassy April 30, 1975

What story does this image tell about the Vietnam War?

The Fall of Saigon North Vietnamese at the Presidential Palace

Formerly Saigon A United Vietnam

Read  Legacy  Discuss

The Costs 1.3,000,000 Vietnamese killed 2.58,000 Americans killed; 300,000 wounded 3.Under-funding of Great Society programs 4.$150,000,000,000 in U.S. spending 5.U.S. morale, self-confidence, trust of government, decimated

The Impact z26 th Amendment: 18-year-olds vote zNixon abolished the draft  all-volunteer army zWar Powers Act, 1973 ٭ P President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military force P President must withdraw forces unless he gains Congressional approval within 90 days zDisregard for Veterans  seen as “baby killers” zPOW/MIA issue lingered

Some American POWs Returned from the “Hanoi Hilton” Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

2,583 American POWs / MIAs still unaccounted for today.

I f we have to fight, we will fight. You will kill ten of our men and we will kill one of yours, and in the end it will be you who tires of it. And in the End…. Doors clip And in the End…. Doors clip Ho Chi Minh:

Lessons for Future American Presidents 1.Wars must be of short duration. 2.Wars must yield few American casualties. 3.Restrict media access to battlefields. 4.Develop and maintain Congressional and public support. 5.Set clear, winnable goals. 6.Set deadline for troop withdrawals.

The Vietnam Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Memorial to US Servicemen in Vietnam

Memorial to US Nurses in Vietnam

58,00058,000

President Clinton formally recognized Vietnam on July 11, 1995

Where Were You in the War, Daddy? This war haunts us still!

 Switch to Pol Pot

AND TODAY….. The “Light” at the End of This Tunnel? Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Another Vietnam? OR A transformation of the Middle East? Only time & history can tell!

HW  HW: study guide  “Interview” parents about their memory of Impact of Vietnam War on America…write brief description