The Vietnam War

Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia = formerly the French colony of Indochina Anti-colonial war with France: Ho Chi Minh = leader of independence movement in Indochina starting in 1945 French tried to reclaim Indochina after being driven out by the Japanese during WWII French defeated at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 Geneva Peace: Vietnam divided Ho Chi Minh led northern Vietnamese gov’t Ngo Dinh Diem led southern Vietnam (with U.S. support) division was supposed to be temporary, with elections to reunify the country to follow

corrupt leaders in South Vietnam failed to make needed reforms War of Two Vietnams: corrupt leaders in South Vietnam failed to make needed reforms Northern leaders played on dissatisfaction of South’s population, sending in bands of Vietcong guerrillas against the government U.S. pledged continued aid to S. Vietnam National Liberation Front (NLF) organized in 1960: Vietcong would receive military aid from China & USSR. Quang Duc immolates himself to protest the policies of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime against Buddhists.

American Involvement 1962: 4,000 American soldiers in Vietnam August 2, 1964: U.S.S. Maddox (destroyer) attacked by three N. Vietnamese PT-boats in the Gulf of Tonkin U.S. planes then bombed Vietcong PT-boat bases Bay of Tonkin Resolution: gave the President (LBJ) power to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression.”(President could have a war without Congress declaring one) by 1968: U.S. forces > 500,000 men

Justification for the war “Hawks” (those “for” war) believed the U.S. needed to contain communism domino theory: if S. Vietnam became Communist, then one after another of the countries of SE Asia would be taken over U.S. believed it had to demonstrate the credibility of its promises to aid friendly nations against communist aggression Opposition to the war “Doves” (those against war) protested by demonstrating, picketing, burning draft cards, & blocking the transport of war supplies

Vietcong attacked numerous capitals in South Vietnam, including Saigon Tet Offensive: Tet, the festival of the Asian lunar new year, usually was the occasion for a formal cease fire, but on Jan. 30, 1968 the N. Vietnamese attacked S. Vietnam. Vietcong attacked numerous capitals in South Vietnam, including Saigon Vietcong proved they could set up an attack that would hit all major cities they knew they were probably going to die; wanted to wear out or embarrass the U.S U.S. won the military part of the war, but the attack made people in America question involvement in the Vietnam War Communists suffered staggering losses Nguyen Ngoc Loan, the national police chief of South Vietnam, shoots a man suspected of being a Vietcong sympathizer.

1968: LBJ called a halt to bombings in 90% of territory of N 1968: LBJ called a halt to bombings in 90% of territory of N. Vietnam & invited the Vietcong to talk July 1969: talks began in Paris Nixon began withdrawal of troops & announced his Vietnamization program eventual withdrawal of all U.S. ground forces replace American troops with those of S. Vietnam

End of 1969: over 100,000 troops withdrawn widespread opposition increased due to hardcore drug use by American troops, S. Vietnamese atrocities, & massacres of civilians by American soldiers war became increasingly unpopular saw images on TV of horrific war scenes Pentagon Papers = Dept. of Defense official Daniel Ellsberg leaked to the press information that the government had lied about their progress in the war Nixon secretly extended the war into Cambodia & Laos--ordered bombing raids on communist bases & supply lines in 1969 Kim Phuc fled from an accidental napalm attack on her village by S. Vietnamese airplanes. She had stripped off her burning clothes as she ran. March 1968: In the My Lai massacre, American combat troops killed 347 Vietnamese women, old men, & children.

Vietnamization continued throughout 1970-73 1972: only 24,200 Americans left in Vietnam But even as #s decreased, bombing of Vietnam & Cambodia increased--tried to end war by escalating it Pressure mounted in Congress to cut off funds for the continuation of bombing August 1973: deadline to cut off money April 30, 1975: S. Vietnam surrendered to N. Vietnam End of the war: Communists controlled Laos Communists overran Saigon in 1975 & renamed it Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam reunited under communism Cambodia fell to communism (brutal Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot) 1.2 m Vietnamese dead, over 57,000 Americans dead U.S.’s longest war; dropped 3x more bombs than in WWII