1. U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War

2.
Review & preview

3. Review – Discuss 1. Who fought in the First Indochina War?
2. Explain containment
3. Describe the leadership characteristics of Ho Chi Minh (N. Vietnam) & Ngo Dinh Diem (S. Vietnam)

4. U.S. Involvement Truman Eisenhower Kennedy
Containment theory > sends $3 billion to French in 1st Indochina War
Eisenhower
Intervened in 1955 due to belief in the domino theory
Gave South Vietnam money & weapons; sent advisers to train army in the South
Kennedy
Believes in containment & domino theory
After Bay of Pigs & Berlin Wall, determined to show strength
Increases number of advisers & special forces (Green Berets)
1961: 3,000 advisers, 1963: 16,000 advisers

5. Diem’s Government in South Vietnam
Buddhist Response to Diem
Buddhists protestors were killed
Buddhist monks protested by setting themselves on fire
U.S. Response
Public was shocked
Privately leaders planned to overthrow Diem
Nov Diem was murdered

6. Gulf of Tonkin March 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964)
Vietcong (VC) controlled 40% of South Vietnam
LBJ wanted to increase troops but needed Congress
Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964)
USS Maddox attacked in Gulf of Tonkin
LBJ misrepresented facts

7. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Approved by Congress on August 7, 1964
Gave President “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the U.S”
Ability to expand the war
Johnson’s policy = ESCALATION
Response
Only 2 Senators opposed Resolution
“I believe that history will record we have made a great mistake. We are in effect giving the President war-making powers in the absence of a declaration of war.” – Senator Wayne Morse

8. Air War 1st major DIRECT US military activity in air
Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)
Sustained bombing of North Vietnam
*We dropped more bombs on Vietnam than in WWII
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Supply route from North Vietnam through Laos, Cambodia to South Vietnam

9. Weapons of War Agent Orange Napalm Cluster Bombs Effects
Destroyed jungle vegetation to see trail
Napalm
Jellied form of gasoline for fire bombs
Cluster Bombs
Sharp fragments exploding
Effects
Trail rebuilt quickly (with aid from USSR & China)
1968 LBJ bombs Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam
Discuss:
Which of these weapons do you think did the most damage? Justify/defend your response

10. Ground War General William Westmoreland Pacification
Commander of U.S. ground troops
Ordered “search & destroy” missions
Pacification
“pacify” or calm
Goal to win hearts & minds of South Vietnamese
Unsuccessful because it caused many to relocate without help
Due to infrastructure improvements or to search for Vietcong

11. Declining Troop Morale
Faced same problems as French
Difficult to id enemy
Booby traps/tunnels
Resistance to fight
Home “field” advantage
Review:
Explain guerrilla warfare
What were some of the new weapons introduced/used in Vietnam?

12. Mobilizing U.S. Forces U.S. Troops Draft
~ Approximately 2.5 million served
Soldiers were slightly younger than those who served in Korea & WWII
Most were not well educated (80% had some high school education or less)
Early troops in Vietnam were professional soldiers (volunteers) who enlisted
Draft
Defer for college > increase in university enrollment (30%)
Could get drafted if low grades
Defer for medical reasons (25%)
More poor Americans served
Large numbers of African Americans served
3% dodged draft (Canada)
1969 lottery system based on birthday was used
1973 draft ended

13. Public Opinion Shifts Initial support Media
As deaths increased, so did questions of government
Media
TV crews on frontlines
“Living room” war
Images contradicted government reports
Two groups emerged:
Hawks: supported war vs. Doves: opposed war

14. Anti-war Movement
Students, civil rights workers, doctors, homemakers, retirees, teachers…
Much of the anti-war activity took place on college campuses
Student for a Democratic Society (SDS) was the most vocal of the anti-war groups
April 1965 SDS let 1st national anti-war demonstration (20,000 attended)
Visible but small percentage of total population
Discuss:
Which group generally supported the war effort?
How did public attitudes toward the war change over time?

15. Vietnam Pro/Con Chart PROS (Reasons to enter or remain in the war)
CONS
(Reasons not to enter or remain in the war)