U.S. Support of the War at Home & Abroad Chapter 29 Section 2 The Vietnam War Riddlebarger

President Lyndon B. Johnson “I have asked the commanding general, General Westmoreland, what more he needs to meet this mounting aggression. He has told me. And we will meet his needs. We cannot be defeated by force of arms. We will stand in Vietnam.” President Lyndon B. Johnson

The Air War 1st major direct U.S. military activity Goals after Tonkin Pleiku & impact Operation Rolling Thunder Goals

Operation Rolling Thunder Targets

Rolling Thunder

Ho Chi Minh Trail major target of bombing campaign Impact Gen. Wheeler to Sec. of State McNamara: “not reduced in any major way” More and bigger

Agent Orange Ho Chi Minh Trail thick jungles defoliants Agent Orange Toxic Legacy

Other Air Weapons Napalm “Cluster Bombs” Carpet Bombing By wars end, we dropped 3x more on North Vietnam (size of Texas) than on Africa, Asia & Europe combined in WW2

Impact of bombing campaign on war effort Bombings do not weaken enemy’s war effort Increased flow. Effect:

The Ground War Escalation 185,000 in 1965 to 486,000 in 1967 U.S. marines landing at Da Nang in March 1965

Vietcong Tunnels

U.S. strategy search-and-destroy missions Try to drive enemy from hide-outs. Resulting problems

Pacification pacification Effects “hearts & minds” infrastructure & provide economic programs removal Effects

Declining Troop Morale Success assured? History repeats Dangers faced Heavy communist casualties

US Forces Mobilize Over 2.5 million Americans serve in Vietnam On average, most are younger than in previous wars not well educated: 80% have high school diploma or less from rural areas or inner cities sons of WW2 or Korean veterans

The Draft professional soldiers The Draft College deferments Causes some bitterness African-Americans serve in high numbers flee country

Non-combat positions Most in non-combat positions Women in the war Administration, communication, engineering, medical & transportation Dangers faced Women in the war

Public Opinion Shifts Early support By the end of 1968: 16,000 dead question the war Hard to measure progress Body counts

The Media’s Impact News media coverage had a strong impact upon American opinion Looser restrictions Scenes of firefights & burning villages on TV screens 1st “Living Room War” Images vs. gov. reports Questioning of war

Hawks & Doves media reports vs. government reports = increase of the debate at home over the war. LBJ is criticized by both doves (opposed to war) and hawks (support war’s goals) Doves: Don’t see Vietnam as crucial to U.S. security See us fighting against wishes of Vietnam people Costs of war are hurting us at home. Hawks: Some disapprove of government handling of war Want to see more troops & heavier bombing

The anti-War Movement As opposition to the war grows, a large anti-war movement develops College Campuses

Anti-War Rally Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)holds 1st national anti-war demonstration in April 1965. - over 20,000 march to US capitol building.

Civil Disobedience Burning of draft cards Flag burnings U.S. vs. O’Brien (1968) Flag burnings Constitutional issue?

Government Response Pres. Johnson response Government: If U.S. failed to help an ally, who would trust us?

Anti-War Backlash Anti-war protestors make up a small percentage of U.S. population Opposition to protestors Vets speak out Protesters ultimately play some role in U.S. eventually deciding to withdraw from Vietnam.

Views on the Vietnam War “We are honoring a treaty which committed us to ‘act to meet the common danger’ in the face of ‘aggression by means of an armed attack’…And we are answering…the question: Are the word and commitment of the United States reliable?” - National Security Advisor Walt W. Rostow, on his belief that communism must be stopped- by force if necessary “We seem bent upon saving the Vietnamese from Ho Chi Minh, even if we have to kill them to do it…I do not intend to remain silent in the face of what I regard as a policy of madness which, sooner or later, will envelop my son and American youths by the millions for years to come.” -Senator George McGovern, opposed to U.S. involvement in Vietnam.