The Vietnam War

Indochina Background French control –> Japanese control -> French control Freedom? Ho Chi Minh establishes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 Quandary: anti-colonialism versus anti-communism

US Backs Anticommunism US aid to the French to oppose Ho Chi Mihn By 1953, $1 billion a year Domino Theory justification China and Korea

Geneva Accords May-June 1954 Laos and Cambodia Neutral Vietnam divided at the 17th Parallel with a DMZ Ngo Dihn Diem US trained authoritarian Rejects united Vietnam in 1956 elections Unpopular with the people

Kennedy Escalation When JFK became President there were about 780 American military advisors in S. Vietnam By the time of his death there were over 16,000 advisors in Vietnam supporting the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem 1. He desperately wanted to save face after the Bay of Pigs, Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis 2. “monolithic communism” 3. He supported “limited brushfire wars” in the age of a nuclear threat

Gulf of Tonkin August 2 and August 4,1964 President Johnson called these attacks “as devious as Pearl Harbor” and “open aggression on the high seas.” Gulf of Tonkin Resolution “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.”  Passes 88-2 in Senate and 414-0 in the House Congress continued to appropriate funds

LBJ Escalates 5 regime changes in S.V. by 1965 Rolling Thunder Success for Westmorland= 10-1 body count

Wind down with Nixon Vietnamization Kissinger and Cambodia Slow but immediate withdrawal of 500,000 troops Kissinger and Cambodia Invasion of a “neutral” country Khmer Rouge Pentagon Papers 1971 unofficial release of a secret study of the war. published in the New York Times on July 1 War Powers Act Paris Peace Agreement – January 1973 Announced right before 1972 election but fell through Increase in bombings of civilian areas over Christmas Fall of Saigon in 1975

Cost to the “American Dream” Before the Vietnam War there had been a general consensus about the United States as a champion of freedom against communism The Vietnam War shattered the long-held belief that American money and American technology could accomplish just about anything The Credibility Gap Tet Offensive, My Lai, Pentagon Papers, Cambodia, etc…

Anti-War Movement Draft Dodgers 1968 DNC and “Chicago 8” VVAW 206,000 delinquent reporters 1968 DNC and “Chicago 8” VVAW Kent State and Jackson State

“Vietnam Syndrome” Failures “No more Vietnams” Lost on the home front Westmorland and Generals fight the wrong war Politicians set unrealistic limits on Pentagon Victory = devastation of NV Human cost outweighed gain “No more Vietnams” Clear and compelling political objectives and realistic means to accomplish goal Sustained public support Advance national interest

Human Costs - Operation RANCHHAND Agent Orange 20 million gallons of chemicals Leaked into soil and water supply Continues to cause chromosomal diseases Rashes, stomach disease, birth defects, lung disease, 14 others Compensation in 1991

Human Costs – Napalm Powder mixed with gas = gelatinous mixture Sticks to surfaces Results in extreme burns and suffocation