CHAPTER 22 VIETNAM MR. ALLEN

Roots of the Vietnam War

Vietnam: French Rule France controlled Vietnam before WWII Japanese occupation during the war France fought to get Vietnam back America supports French control

Ho Chi Minh Leader of Vietnamese Communist Party Led from exile in China since 1920’s Snuck back into Vietnam during WWII Declared independence in 1945 Creates Vietminh: Freedom fighters

Ho Chi Minh

France fights in Indochina (1945-1954) Tries to keep their colony U.S. sends money Ho Chi Minh flees and fights from the North U.S. Afraid of Domino Theory If one country falls, all others around will fall French defeated at Dien Bien Phu (5/54)

Vietnam Split in two North controlled by communists South run by Ngo Dinh Diem Vietcong fights in the South Communists supported by Ho Chi Minh Assassinated thousands of gov’t leaders Kennedy sends 16,000 Americans to Nam 1961

Eisenhower and Diem

Diem is unpopular South Vietnamese hate him He attacks Buddhism No land reform Corrupt U.S. supprts coup, Diem assassinated Nov 1, 1963

Section 22.2 U.S. Involvement and Escalation

Tonkin Gulf Resolution Aug 1964: NVA boat fires on USS Maddox Not hit Maddox reports more gunfire Later said they saw nothing LBJ orders bombing strikes on N. Vietnam Asks Congress for military authority

Robert McNamara: Sec of Defense

Dean Rusk: Sec of State

US Escalation 1965: 180,000 US soldiers in Vietnam Gen. Westmoreland calls for more troops Says ARVN can’t fight very well 500,000 troops by 1967

Jungle Fighting Hit and run guerilla warfare Hiding in cities, spies everywhere Tunnels throughout the country Booby traps all over the jungle

American tactics Use of napalm to firebomb the jungles Agent Orange: Leaf killing toxin Cancer-causing agent Search and destroy missions Destroy villages with suspected NVA spies

War becomes unpopular Protest movements sprout up College youth and left-leaning Americans Protests became resistance

THINK/PAIR/SHARE Who should be exempt form the draft? Should people who believe the war is wrong be forced to fight?

LBJ doesn’t run in ‘68 He is unpopular, war is unpopular Robert Kennedy runs for president Going to win Democratic nomination Assassinated in Los Angeles Nixon defeats VP Humphrey

“Peace with honor” Slow pull out of Vietnam 1968: 500,000 troops 1972: 25,000 troops USA pulls out of the war, 1973 South falls to the communists, 1975