Going to War in Vietnam Pgs. 654 - 661 Chapter 19.1 Going to War in Vietnam Pgs. 654 - 661

American Involvement in Vietnam The Growth of Vietnamese Nationalism Ho Chi Minh & the French A little change thanks to WWII America Aids the French The French came back after the war Anti-Colonization vs. Communism The Domino Theory China fell Start of the Korean War

Cont. Defeat at Dien Bien Phu Geneva Accords Remember, these are the French The French lose and are forced to withdraw Geneva Accords 2 Vietnams, elections to reunite in 1956 Ho Chi Minh in north Ngo Dinh Diem in south Elections are not held Some claim the US helped block them

America Becomes Involved in Vietnam Diem’s Actions Went after communists Creation of the Vietcong Begins to weaken Diem, he needs help Kennedy Takes Over Supports Diem Sent troops to Vietnam (from 2000 to 15,000) Diem needs to make changes Creates “strategic hamlets”

Cont. The Overthrow of Diem Diem is anti-Buddhist The South’s military wants to get rid of Diem We sort of say okay How do you keep a guy from coming back? Not cool Things get worse, we get more involved Then Kennedy is killed Enter Lyndon Baines Johnson

Cont. Johnson and Vietnam Johnson feels he can’t “lose” Vietnam The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The north attacked us We claimed it was unprovoked but… “The American flag has been fired upon…” August 7th, 1964 the “war” begins Allowed to defend US troops & our allies Only 2 Congressmen dissented

Cont. The United States Sends in Troops The Viet Cong launch attacks we respond In the court of public opinion 60% approval of Johnson 80% agree with intervention Most of Johnsons advisors agree There is some concern over an exit… sound familiar Combat troops enter in March 1965

A Bloody Stalemate Early Action “Search and Destroy” Sent in over 360,000 troops Way more firepower Vietcong relied on hit & run It was an insurgency… hmmm “Search and Destroy” Find‘em & kill’em Napalm & Agent Orange vs. tunnels & jungles A war of attrition

Cont. The Ho Chi Minh Trail North Vietnam supports the Vietcong A web of trails Through other countries, we can’t bomb China’s role in the war Real losses Vietnamese – 220,000 American – 6,700 Can we really win?