Vietnam, SALT and the Collapse of Communism

Cold War The Cold War made foreign policy a major issue in every presidential election between 1948 and The heavy military expenditures throughout the Cold War benefited Virginia’s economy proportionately more than that of any other state.

National defense spending especially helped the economies of: Hampton Roads - Naval, army and air force bases Northern Virginia – the pentagon, military bases and private companies who did business with the Dept of Defense Hampton Roads – Northern Virginia

John F. Kennedy Inaugurated as president in 1961 In his inaugural address, Kennedy said that the United States would: “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” In the same address, Kennedy also said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

American Leadership Kennedy’s words meant to show the determination of leadership to challenge the Soviet Union and communist beliefs during the Cold War Both political parties supported the policy of containment Events in Southeast Asia would soon test containment policy

Vietnam After World War II, Vietnamese nationalists in the Indochina fought for independence from France. Vietnamese independence movement was led by a communist named Ho Chi Minh. Because of Ho Chi Minh’s communist beliefs, the United States supported France’s attempt to keep Indochina as a colony after the war. American involvement in Vietnam reflected the Cold War policy of containment of communism.

Vietnam After Ho Chi Minh’s forces defeated the French army, France withdrew from Indochina At a 1954 Geneva Accords, Indochina (Vietnam) divided into two parts communist North Vietnam to be ruled by Viet Minh (US does not sign the Geneva Accords for fear of communist election victory) non-communist South Vietnam Also, reunification elections were scheduled for the mid-1950s, **These were cancelled because the Eisenhower administration feared Ho Chi Minh would win and all of Vietnam would become communist.

Vietnam Beginning in the 1950s and continuing into the early 1960s, the communist government of North Vietnam attempted to install through force a communist government in South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese received support from the Vietcong were South Vietnamese communists who formed the National Liberation Front and fought for the reunification of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh’s rule.

Eisenhower and Kennedy To counter North Vietnam’s efforts in the south, the Eisenhower administration – following containment policy sent massive amounts of economic and military aid to the South Vietnamese government. The American military buildup in Vietnam began under President John F. Kennedy. The Kennedy administration increased the number of American military personnel in South Vietnam from 1,500 to 16,000.

Vietnam President Kennedy, a World War II veteran, was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas. This event shook the nation’s confidence and began a period of internal strife (conflict within America) and divisiveness, especially spurred by divisions over U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded Kennedy as president.

Vietnam after Kennedy In 1965 President Johnson greatly escalated (increased) the American military buildup in Vietnam from about 20,000 troops to almost 200,000 at year’s end. The scale of combat in Vietnam grew larger over the course of the 1960s and by 1968 there were 540,000 American soldiers in Vietnam.

Limited War American military forces repeatedly defeated the North Vietnamese forces in the field They could not force an end to the war on favorable terms by Why? “Limited war” was the American government’s decision to avoid military action which might widen the war to include the Soviet Union or communist China on North Vietnam’s side. While the United States was following the policy of containment in South Vietnam, it also wanted to avoid either a nuclear conflict or a third world war. This was justified as following containment policy.

Vietnam By 1968 the American people became bitterly divided on the issue of American involvement in Vietnam. While many Americans supported the American military and the Johnson administration’s conduct of the war, many other Americans opposed the war. Active opposition to American involvement in Vietnam mounted (increased), especially on college campuses.

Nixon After President Johnson declined to seek re-election, the Republican candidate Richard Nixon won the 1968 presidential election. President Nixon was elected on a pledge to bring the war to an honorable end. He used the slogan “Peace with Honor.”

Vietnamizatin “Vietnamization” was the Nixon administration’s policy of building up South Vietnamese forces while gradually withdrawing American troops. President Nixon hoped to thereby contain communism and achieve his promised “Peace with Honor” Ultimately, “Vietnamization” failed, when South Vietnamese troops proved unable to resist invasion by the Soviet-Union supplied North Vietnamese Army.

Watergate The Watergate scandal forced President Richard Nixon to resign from office in The Watergate scandal was the public exposure of a burglary and its cover-up by the Nixon administration that eventually led to Nixon’s resignation in In Spring of 1975, while Gerald Ford was serving as president, North Vietnamese troops easily overran South Vietnam and both North and South Vietnam were merged under communist rule. This is the Watergate office complex where a burglary of Democratic National Committee offices occurred and was later covered up.

Containment? Although post WWII containment policy had failed to prevent the spread of communism to South Vietnam, the US continued to follow this policy in other parts of the world.

Vietnam Veterans Vietnam veterans returned often to face indifference or outright hostility, unlike veterans of World War II, who returned to a grateful and supportive nation. Initially, Vietnam veterans received respect from Americans who had opposed the war. Over time, treatment of Vietnam veterans improved and they were recognized and honored for their service and sacrifices.

Nixon and China While the Vietnam War was raging (going on) in Southeast Asia, the Nixon administration added a new wrinkle to the containment policy. President Nixon and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, recognized that instead of being strong allies the communist nations of China and the Soviet Union had become rivals for territory and diplomatic influence. By negotiating with each side, Nixon and Kissinger hoped to play the two communist giants off against each other. In 1972 President Nixon began to establish formal diplomatic relations with communist China and met with Mao Zedong in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon

Nixon and the USSR Later that same year (1972) he traveled to the Soviet Union to meet with Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow. Nixon and Brezhnev signed a treaty under which the two superpowers agreed to limit the production of nuclear weapons. This treaty grew out of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) The SALT talks were the Soviet- American discussions begun in 1969 to establish limits on the number of strategic nuclear weapons held by both sides. The SALT Treaty was a crucial first step toward ending the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union