Vietnam: US Involvement and Escalation Chapter 22, Section 2 Notes

Objectives Explain the reasons for the escalation of US involvement in Vietnam Describe the military tactics and weapons used by US forces and the Vietcong Explain the impact of the war on American society

Main Idea and Terms/Names The United States sent troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turned into a stalemate. Robert McNamara Dean Rusk William Westmoreland Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Napalm Agent Orange Search and destroy mission Credibility gap

Johnson increases Involvement 1965 – Johnson and his foreign policy advisors decide to send troops to fight –Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara –Secretary of State Dean Rusk Congress strongly supported Johnson’s strategy Americans supported Johnson’s containment of communism –61% supported

Johnson increases Involvement By the end of 1965 – 180,000 Americans were sent to Vietnam William Westmoreland – American commander in Vietnam –Continued requesting more troops –Was not impressed with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) By 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

Fighting in the Jungle US thought its superior weaponry would lead it to victory –The Jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics turned the war into a stalemate Vietcong used hit and run and ambush tactics –Knew the jungle terrain – advantage! Vietcong had a network of elaborate tunnels –Withstand airstrikes and disappear quickly –Connected villages to launch surprise attacks

Vietcong Tunnel System Link conflicts-periods/vietnam/tunnels.htmhttp:// conflicts-periods/vietnam/tunnels.htm

Fighting in the Jungle The jungle was laced with booby traps and land mines –The US had laid land mines throughout the jungle –Vietcong reused American mines –Nerve-racking for US troops to walk through the jungle

A War of Attrition Westmoreland’s strategy was to destroy the Vietcong morale –A war of attrition – gradually wearing down the enemy with continuous harassment –Used a body count to keep track of the number of Vietcong deaths Vietcong had no intention of quitting –Received supplies from China and USSR The US misunderstood the Vietcong – it was a battle for existence

Battle For Hearts and Minds US began a campaign to win the “hearts and minds” of S.Vietnamese villagers –Would keep them from supporting Vietcong However, this was a difficult task US planes dropped napalm –Gasoline based chemical that set fire to the jungle US sprayed Agent Orange to kill the jungle These chemicals wounded civilians and left their villages in ruins

Battle For Hearts and Minds Search and destroy missions –US troops uproot civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong and burned their villages –Villagers fled to cities or refugee camps

Sinking Morale US troops’ morale sunk –Frustrated with guerilla warfare –Brutal jungle conditions –Failure to make substantial headway against enemy Some soldiers believed in the cause, but many soldiers were legally required to fight a war they did not support –turned to alcohol and drugs Corruption of S. Vietnamese government – civil war within a civil war

The War at Home Great Society Suffered –The war was costly and the US economy suffered –Inflation rate jumped to 5.5% –Johnson asked for a tax increase to help fund the war and check inflation –Congress agreed, but only if the funding for Great Society programs was reduced Living Room War – combat footage appeared on the nightly news –Quoted body count statistics

The Credibility Gap What the government reported and what was really happened Americans saw images on TV that did not match up with the optimistic gov. report Fulbright hearings –Senator Fulbright televised a series of hearing in which the Johnson administration defended their Vietnam policies