Vietnam

Moving Towards Conflict  Communism  Domino Theory  N. Vietnam – Communist  S. Vietnam

Moving Towards Conflict HHo Chi Minh

U.S. Steps In NNgo Dinh Diem VVietcong – Communist opposition group HHo Chi Minh Trail PP.733

President Johnson’s Decision  Tonkin Gulf Resolution – August 7 –Congress gives Johnson broad military power

Leaders of U.S.  President Johnson  Robert McNamara – Secretary of Defense  Dean Rusk – Secretary of State  William Westmoreland – American Commander

Fighting in the Jungle  Vietcong – jungle terrain, hit-and-run, and ambush tactics was all to their advantage  They also had Tunnels

Fighting in the Jungle

 U.S. planes dropped napalm  Agent Orange  Often wounded civilians and later Agent Orange was blame for cancer in U.S. veterans of Vietnam

Fighting in the Jungle  Tet Offensive 1968 – Attack on S. Vietnam/U.S.  P.749

Fighting in the Jungle UU.S. soldiers conducted search-and-destroy missions, uprooting civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong, killing their livestock, and burning villages

Prisoners of War  400,000 imprisoned

War at Home  Became America’s first “living-room war”  Soldiers turned to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs

War at Home  Draft – all males had to register with their local draft board when they turned 18  10,000 women served most being nurses

War at Home  April of 1965 march of 20,000 protested in Wash., D.C.  Doves – strongly opposed the war  Hawks – felt America should unleash military force to win

War at Home  MLK Jr. died on April 4 th, was shot  Robert Kennedy – was assassinated June 5 th by Sirhan Sirhan in a hotel kitchen

End of the War  Vietnamization – gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops in order for the South to take more of an active role

End of the War  March of 1972 North Vietnamese launched biggest attack since Tet Offensive  Americans have final push in Dec. of 1972 dropping 100,000 bombs

End of the War  March 29, 1973 – last U.S. combat troops left for home. Vietnam War had ended

Legacy of the War  New period of violence and chaos in Southeast Asia  A controversial war in which the U.S. lost