Vietnam: Part I A Chronology of Events

The War in Southeast Asia Background  Most unpopular war  Longest and most expensive war  The best technical war money could buy  A war America did not win

The War in Southeast Asia General Causes  South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia were politically unstable  North Vietnam wanted to unite under communist rule  America wanted to prevent the spread of communism; feared Domino Theory

The French Era – 1940 to 1954  Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia: French colony -- 19th century  At end of WW II, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independent nation  French reluctant to leave because of natural resources—rubber, tin, and rice  France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu May 7 th, 1954 Requested U.S. air support --didn’t get itRequested U.S. air support --didn’t get it

5 U.S. Involvement: the beginning  The Diem Regime: hoped Ngo Dinh Diem would be savior for country  Sparked civil war with U.S. help: 605,000 voters.  National Liberation Front (the Vietcong) to oppose Diem  Protests  Nov. 1, 1963 army seizes control; kills Diem

U.S. Involvement to 1964  U.S. fills power vacuum April US agrees to advise S VietnamApril US agrees to advise S Vietnam Green Berets arrive Oct 1959Green Berets arrive Oct 1959  North Vietnam increased actions to unify North and South  Aug N Vietnamese torpedo 2 U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin  Fails to report the gunboats involvement in raiding N. Vietnamese islands.  All necessary measures!

U.S. Build-up to 1968  1965 – U.S. Marine and Army arrive “Rolling Thunder”-bases, roads, train.“Rolling Thunder”-bases, roads, train.  1965=180,000 troops  1967=500,000 troops  Guerilla war—not prepared!  Air war—avoid lives lost on ground. Vietnamese compensate.

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9 Guerilla Warfare  Farmers by day—VC by night. No clear enemy.  No open battles  Ambushes, hit and run, sabotage  Vietcong: knew the terrain, and had aid of peasants  Close!

Tet Offensive of 1968 The Beginning of the End  On January 30, 1968 the North attacked 12 U.S. bases and Embassy  Objective -- Shatter the South’s army and cause a civilian revolt  A tactical failure -- a huge strategic success American confidence in war effort plummetedAmerican confidence in war effort plummeted Opposition to the war increased significantlyOpposition to the war increased significantly  Get out, quickly and gracefully

Vietnamization The U.S. Withdrawal  Nov Nixon  Vietnamization  U.S. to provide advice, training and material  U.S. forces began withdrawing; morale dropped / winning no longer a goal

The War in Southeast Asia Costs to the U.S.  58,135 Americans killed, 153,000 wounded, 2500 missing in action  $141 billion spent  6.3 million tons of bombs dropped (12 times more than Korea, 2 times more than WW II)  2,257 aircraft lost ($3.1 billion value)  5.2 million combat sorties flown

The War in Southeast Asia Results  U.S. reluctance to enter military conflicts that don’t directly threaten national interests  Congressional restriction on President’s ability to commit U.S. military forces  Lessened public opinion of the government and the military  The all-volunteer military force  Increased emphasis on military resources, training and weapons