1. Chapter 27
Section 2

2. A Wider War This phase originated with “Ike” and JFK but was
intensified under Lyndon
Baines Johnson (LBJ), who
assumed the presidency
after JFK’s assassination
After Diem was removed South Vietnam became very unstable & the Vietcong began to win some victories
Johnson believed the domino theory just as Ike & JFK had and makes the statement “ I am not going to lose Vietnam”
This leads to an escalation of the war!

3. PHASE 2 – AMERICAN ESCALATION AND MILITARY INVOLVEMENT
The U.S. never formally
issued a declaration of war, but
after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident,
where two American
destroyers were apparently
fired upon by the North
Vietnamese, Congress
passed the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolutions (August 1964)
- here Congress gave LBJ
their support in sending
American personnel and materiel
LBJ then won a re-election in 1964 claiming “We are not about to send American boys…to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves”
1965 sustained bombings began in North Vietnam after eight Americans were killed at American base in Pleiku (play KOO)

4. More troop involvement followed in 1965 to defend American bases & ground troops for offensive actions
Within six weeks – 50,000
By the end of the year – 184,000
1968 – 500,000
In spite of ongoing escalation
throughout the 1960s, the US
experienced a lack of success
against the Vietnamese
guerrilla forces in S.
Vietnam (the Vietcong) as the
US Army was unprepared for
their tactics and mentality
The US was also never entirely
successful in shutting
down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a
supply line that ran between
North and South Vietnam via
difficult jungle terrain,
often underground and
through neighboring nations
like Cambodia

5. Search & Destroy
Once American troops became more involved a leader to the South named Nguyen Cao Ky rose to power
His methods of how he treated his people were not the best, but he provided stability for the South Vietnamese government
American troops were well trained and had latest weapons such as heavily armed helicopters & superior machine guns
This included usage of weapons like napalm and Agent Orange, which devastated the environment and was later blamed for birth defects, cancer, and other long term health problems
Vietcong did not give up and had advantages: knowing their terrain, guerrilla tactics, etc…
This confused & frustrated the American troops
After mowing down an area with machine guns troops would swoop in as part of search-and-destroy missions hoping to kill enough of the Vietcong to make them quit

6. Tet
The war definitely turned against the US in 1968, when the Tet Offensive began, a surprise offensive on a major Vietnamese holiday that saw attacks all over the country, including in Saigon itself
Ongoing US casualties and losses saw an increase in antiwar sentiment on the American Home Front,
In large part because Vietnam was a TV War where American audiences saw the brutality of war firsthand

7. Hawks & Doves
Hawks supported the war, but not necessarily the way the Johnson administration was fighting it
Many wanted an all out attack with all of our countries resources
Doves believed the war could not be won and was morally wrong
They organized protests and urged the withdrawal of troops

8. A Nation Divided
As the Counterculture gathered momentum (Hippies, Flower Children, etc.), protests became widespread and began to polarize the nation
People against the war began to be referred to as conscientious objectors
CCR
Lennon
Hendrix
Berry McGuire