1. Vietnam
A young Marine private soon after arriving in Da Nang during the escalation, 1965.

2. I. History
A former French colony in Southeast Asia that was divided into North and South Vietnam in 1954
North Vietnam
Controlled by the communist government
Led by Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam
Controlled by non-communist government supported first by France and then by the United States.
Led by Diem

3. North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh

4. President Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles greet President Ngo Dinh Diem in Washington.

5. II. Vietcong Known as the National Liberation Front (NLF)
South Vietnamese Communist Guerrillas
2 Goals of the Vietcong:
Overthrow Diem’s government
Reunite North and South Vietnam

6. A Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, moves a Viet Cong suspect to the rear during a search and clear operation.

7. U.S. soldiers searching a village for NLF

8. III. Military Advisors
Eisenhower and Kennedy responded by sending military advisors to South Vietnam.
Diem’s government suffered because:
Arguments over U.S. supplies to South Vietnam
His imprisonment of Buddhists (opposed his government.)
He was eventually murdered by Vietnamese while trying to escape his country.

9. Thích Quảng Ðức photographed during his self-immolation
Thích Quảng Ðức photographed during his self-immolation. Journalist Malcolm Browne won the 1963 World Press Photo of the Year for this image.[1]

10. IV. Gulf of Tonkin August 2, 1964 August 4, 1964
North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked U.S.S. Maddox in Gulf of Tonkin.
August 4, 1964
U.S.S. Turner Joy attacked in Gulf of Tonkin.
Lyndon Johnson’s response:
Ordered immediate air strikes against North Vietnam.

11. V. Response Johnson sent 500,000 troops to Vietnam. ( Police Action )
Throughout the conflict the United States never declared war on North Vietnam.

12. VI. American Response People who supported the wars.
A. HAWKS
B. DOVES
People who supported the wars.
Argued for more troops
Wanted heavier bombing
“Here we are at the height of our power. The most powerful nation in the world. And yet we’re afraid to use the power”
Believed all war was wrong.
Were convinced that Vietnam was not crucial to national security
Feared the U.S. might use nuclear weapons.
Fighting against the wishes of a majority of Vietnamese.

13. VII. Tet Offensive
President Johnson and the media assured Americans the U.S. was winning.
Tet was the Vietnamese New Year.
During the celebration the Vietcong launch attacks on major cities in South Vietnam.
They attacked Saigon, Hue (imperial capital of Vietnam) and the U.S. embassy.

14. National Chief of Police Nguyen Ngoc Loan, executes an NLF officer in Saigon during the Tet Offensive.

15. D. Significance of Tet T.V. coverage shook American confidence.
Westmoreland was denied a request for additional 200,000 troops
Appeared U.S. military had little chance in defeating the North Vietnamese.
Turning point in the war – Protests became common in the United States.

16. VIII. 1968 Election Republican Richard Nixon elected president
Nixon pledged to represent the “silent majority” – people who wanted to restore law and order to society.
Appealed to many older Americans and was extremely successful in the South.

17. IX. Kent State Date: May 4, 1970 What happened? Why did it occur?
Involved the shooting of students by members of the Ohio National Guard
4 students were killed and 9 were wounded, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis
Why did it occur?
Students were protesting the American invasion of Cambodia, which President Richard Nixon announced in a television address on April 30
Fearful of student attacks the National Guard fired shots into the crowd.