Unit 7 Section 5 The Vietnam Years TYWL: Global interaction may be caused by conflict. / Forces of imperialism, nationalism, militarism and geo-political alliances, taken to the extreme, can lead to international conflicts. / Nationalism and the quest for power are often underlying causes for war. / Conflict occurs when compromise over land, national identity and colonial possessions is no longer an option between those in authority and those they serve. /

Background to Conflict Following World War II, France attempts to re- establish colonial control of Vietnam Vietnamese resist under leadership of Communist Ho Chi Minh Eisenhower’s government supports France in battle against Vietminh rebels – domino theory French abandon Vietnam after loss at Dien Bien Phu

US Involvement Begins To end conflict officially, US helps draft Geneva Accords treaty – Divides Vietnam at 17 th Parallel into North and South – North is controlled by Communists and Ho Chi Minh – South is controlled by anti-communist forces – Elections are promised to reunite country

US Involvement Begins US begins providing economic support to anti-communists in South President of South, Ngo Dinh Diem, cancels promised elections (fearing a victory by Ho) Communist guerrillas in the South – the Vietcong – begin attacks against Diem’s government

US Involvement Begins Vietcong supplied from the North via Ho Chi Minh trail Diem is unpopular; eventually assassinated with US approval US bombing of North begins; by 1963, JFK has sent in 16,000 military “advisors”

Gulf of Tonkin Incident South grows more unstable after Diem’s death – Lyndon Johnson fears being perceived as “soft on Communism” August, 1964, US ship attacked by N. Vietnamese patrol boat in Gulf of Tonkin LBJ asks for action from Congress Passes Tonkin Gulf Resolution, giving LBJ carte blanche to conduct war against North Incident is widely believed to have been staged

Americanizing the War LBJ initiates Operation Rolling Thunder – sustained bombing of the North By June, 1965, 50,000 US troops in country Early on, majority of Americans supported war based on containment theory Key US leaders: – Sec. of Defense – Robert McNamara – Sec. of State – Dean Rusk – General William Westmoreland

Troop Buildup South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) quickly judged incompetent by Westmoreland Believed that without US troops, South would rapidly fall LBJ and Westmoreland stage massive troop buildup – 500,000 Americans on ground by 1967 Belief in victory through superior weaponry and sheer number of forces will prove incorrect

A New Kind of War Difficult fighting for American troops Guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare by elusive Vietcong Booby traps and ambush prove constant dangers US strategy – war of attrition and win “hearts and minds” of Vietnamese people 1

A New Kind of War US tactics alienate much of population – Napalm – Agent Orange – Search and Destroy Missions Civilians suffer American troop morale drops as difficulty of situation becomes evident 2

War at Home Great Society programs suffer due to war costs War is broadcast on TV – first time ever Credibility gap develops Draft is seen as unfair – Deferments for college students – Average age of soldier was 19 – African Americans represented in larger percentages Nation divided into pro-war “hawks” and anti-war “doves”

The Protest Movement Many question US involvement in Vietnam Opposition movement grows – New Left – Students for a Democratic Society lead protests Large scale protests, burning of draft cards, draft evasion October, 1967 protest in DC draws 70,000 Conservative backlash against movement LBJ resolved to stay the course

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1.From 2.From Wikis.nyu.edu