Early American Involvement The Vietnamese sought independence or reform from of French colonial government One of the leaders of the nationalist movement was Ho Chi Minh had become an advocate of communism. Ho Chi Minh and his followers created a new guerilla army known as the Vietcong. Their goal was to reunite North and South Vietnam August 2, 1964, President Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. A similar attack reportedly occurred two days later. The Senate and the House passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on August 7,1964, authorizing the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack

America and Vietnam The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the president congressional war powers A Bloody Stalemate – by 1965 some 180,000 troops were fighting in Vietnam, with the number doubling by 1966 American planes dropped napalm Agent Orange was also used – turns forests and farmlands into wastelands President Johnson would not allow a full-scale attack on the Vietcong’s supply line known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Pivotal Year (1968) On January, 30 1968, during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack known as the Tet offensive. Militarily, the Tet offensive was a disaster for the Communists, but it was a political victory that shocked Americans.