The Road to Vietnam

Kennedy accepted President Eisenhower’s “Domino theory”: if the pro-Western Catholic government fell to the Communists, the other nations of Southwest Asia would collapse one after another. Kennedy placed 16,000 American “advisers” in Vietnam.

American ships patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin began to provide cover for secret South Vietnamese raids against the North. On August 2, 1964 three North Vietnamese patrol boats exchange fire with the American destroyer Maddox.

Tonkin Gulf Incident Two nights later, in inky blackness and a heavy thunderstorm, a second incident occurred On August 5 the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed by the Senate 88-2 and the House It gave Johnson the authority to take “all necessary measures” to “repel any armed attack” on American forces and to “prevent future aggression”

Quiz 1 “For all I know our navy might have been shooting at whales out there” 1. What event is the quote talking about? 2.Define the Domino Theory in your own words. 3.Why did the United States go to war in Vietnam?

Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs George Ball Gave President Johnson 3 options for Vietnam: “Goldilocks principle” Option A Maintain current level of covert operations in North and Loas. Continued rejection of negotiating in hope that the situation will improve Option B “fast/full squeeze” – rapid escalation of military actions against the north “without interruption until we achieve our central present objectives” Option C “progressive squeeze and talk” – combination of offers to talk with Hanoi and additional military moves against targets.

A Combination of Options A & C. Escalation of the War In March 1965, Johnson ordered Operation Rolling Thunder, a systematic bombing campaign aimed at bolstering confidence in South Vietnam and cutting the flow of supplies from the North.

Quiz 2 1.What impact did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution have on the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War? 2.Why would some in Congress become opposed to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? “We are swatting flies when we should be going after the whole manure pile.” 3. Was the person who stated the quote a ‘dove’ or ‘hawk’? What event are they talking about? *Doves on the other hand, wanted the opposite and wanted the troops to be withdrawn and settle the war with peace. *Hawks were the side that wanted to increase military force and send more troops into Vietnam to win the war.

The Soldiers’ War By 1966 almost 185,000 American troops At the Height of the war in 1968, 536,000 American troops 76% of the men sent to Vietnam were from lower middle/working class backgrounds 75% had family incomes above the poverty level 79% of the men who served in 'Nam had a high school education or better. 88.4% of the men who actually served in Vietnam were Caucasian, 10.6% (275,000) were black, 1.0% belonged to other races 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and ,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (5 August May 1975)

Since success could not be measured in territory gained, the measure became the “body count”: the number of Vietcong killed.

Quiz 3 1.Who made up a majority of the soldiers? 2.When did a majority of soldiers serve? “The only thing they told us about the Viet Cong was they were gooks. They were to be killed.” US Marine told to Reporter 3. What problems could arise from using “body count” as a measure of winning?