1. Vietnam

2. Background France Ho Chi Minh Geneva Accords
France colony in 19th century, leading to a Vietnamese nationalist movement (against colonial rule in Vietnam) Ho Chi Minh
Minh- helped fight Japanese occupation of Vietnam during WWII, after expected their independence, but france will refuse to recognize independence. The SU and china recognized Minh communist government. An armed conflict bw French forces and Vietnamese forces. The US seeing Minhs government as communist will support the French with a lot of money, by 1954 the US was payig for most of France’s war in Vietnam, then in 1954 the Vietnamese forces won a decisive victory against the French.
Geneva accords- Indochina, France, China, the SU, GB, US assembled in Geneva, to negotiate peace, Laos and Cambodia were made into independent neutral states, the country of Vietnam was divided into two Ho Chi Minh and communists got the north the south we will create a capitalist government. This was menat to be temporary and promised free elections in two years, but when we realized the communists would win we will not allow the free elections.

3. Reasons for American Involvement
Fear of Communism
Domino Theory
Belief in Democracy
Underestimation of the Enemy
Domino theory if one country had communism the rest will fall to it too.
Underestimation- didn’t think it would be very hard to defeat vietcong

4. Beginning the War Ngo Dinh Diem Vietcong revolt Kennedy
Diem- Catholic prime minister of south Vietnam catholic Vietnamese will flood to the south telling tales of communist atrocities, but diem himself was creating oppressive policies against the Buddhists.
When diem refused to hold elections the northern Vietnamese communists form a revolutionary army called the Vietcong to take over the south
guerilla warfare
Kennedy- sent military aid and advisors to help diem, US officially involved, Diem will become so unpopular he is murdered by his own generals.

5. Johnson’s Reaction Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Boots on the ground- 1965
Napalm and Agent Orange
Tet Offensive
“winning” war?
Kennedy is assassinated, Diem dies around the same time. The US becomes even more involved in defense of south Vietnam.
In aug 1964 Johnson announced the Vietcong had attacked US ships in international waters in the gulf of Tonkin. So in the Gulf of Tomkin resolution congress votes to give the president almost complete contrl over military actions, johnsons will see this as an encouragement to escalate the war. Later it will become known these ships were in north Vietnamese waters and they were protecting south Vietnamese boats that were bombing targets in North Vietnam
In 1965 Johnson will send the first troops to Vietnam, by the end of the year 184,000 American soldiers were in Vietnam. As the US will drop 3x as many bombs on Vietnam that we did in all of WWII anti-American sentiment will grow in Vietnam.
Combat- jet planes bombed Vietcong supply routes and enemy forces, napalm- sticks to skin as it burns, agent orange- herbicide that destroyed jungle cover. Booby traps, unable to distinguish who was friend and who was enemy, village of My Lai- us troops will kill women children and old men. Not a strong government in south Vietnam made it easier for Vietcong to come in and take over.
Tet offensive- Vietcong seized control of many southern Vietnamese cities, before the US thought that the war was almost won, but this will prove otherwise, that the Vietcong were far from beaten.
They were willing to take major losses, and had been fighting for this cause for a long time. Vietcong were lso supported by china and the SU. Did not want to be seen as giving in to communism. So the war dragged on

6. Nixon’ Continues War Peace with honor “Vietnamization” Supply lines
Withdraw of troops
Ended draft
Supply lines
Cambodia and Laos
China and Soviet Union
Kissinger
Paris Peace Accords
Peace with honor- Nixon was elected partially bc the democrats had become unpopular bc of Vietnam war, he will come up with the idea of peace withhonor, but will continue war for another four years did not want to be seen as the first American president to lose a war.
Vietnamization- Vietnamese take control and start fighting.
Bombed supply line- in Cambodia and Laos– had promised americans we were not in Cambodia or laos.
Tried to take away allies by working with the SU and china to have better diplomatic relationships
Kissinger- will be brought in by Nixon to end war. Secret negotiations in paris- become the paris peace accords, cease fire agreeemtn with the Vietcong based on the withdrawel of the US troops, but could provide military economic aid to the south Vietnamese
After withdrawel of troops fighting will continue in 1975 Cambodia and south Vietnam will fall to communism, unifying Vietnam as a communist nation.