1. The Vietnam War Years
Chapter 22, Section 1

3. France’s Colony
From the 1800’s until WWII, France had ruled Vietnam and the area that is known as “Indochina”
It was valuable for rubber and rice
Great trading post for the French in China
During WWII the Vietnamese gained experience by fighting, but eventually losing, to the Japanese.
When the Japanese had lost WWII in 1945, Vietnamese leaders had declared their nation to be independent, but France soon invaded.

4. Ho Chi Minh – the name means “he who enlightens”
Due to France’s harsh rule before WWII, many revolutionaries fled to China, including Ho Chi Minh
1930
Ho Chi Minh established the Indochinese Communist Party
Ho returned in 1940 to fight the Japanese
Created the Vietminh to kick out all foreign powers
Continued the fight when France came back to control the region

5. US aides France
President Truman sent nearly $15 million initial aid to help support France.
Over the course of the 4 year struggle, US spent $1 Billion to help, even though we had supported Ho Chi Minh against the Japanese during WWII.
France surrenders at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 while the US, under Eisenhower is fighting in Korea.
Domino Theory
If one country in the region falls to communism all eventually will.

6. Geneva Accords
July 1954
US, GB, France, Soviet Union, China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
Hammer out a peace agreement between the anticommunists and Ho Chi Minh
Split Vietnam along the 17th Parallel
An election will be held in 1956 to reunite the country
Sound familiar?
The Soviets declared they would hold free elections in the countries they controlled after WWII
How did that work out?

7. Cancelled Elections
South Vietnamese president, Ngo Dinh Diem, cancels elections
Ho Chi Minh had gained popular support fighting the Japanese and the French and had become a national hero.
Divided land amongst the peasants in the North
Recognizing “Uncle Ho’s” popularity, Diem refused to take part in the elections.
US supported the cancellation and promised Diem military training if he created a stable South Vietnam
Diem’s government was very corrupt
Diem was Catholic and he angered the country’s majority Buddhist population by restricting Buddhist practice

8. Diem and Ike

9. “Ain’t got no problems with no Vietcong” -Mohammed Ali
1957
A communist opposition group named the “Vietcong” arose to fight Diem in the south.
The US titled them the “NLF” or National Liberation Front
Ho Chi Minh supports the group and establishes the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia to support the troops
Why would Vietminh go through these countries to support the Vietcong?

10. “Ho Chi Minh Trail”

11. Kennedy escalates the war
By 1963, 16,000 American service men were stationed in South Vietnam.
Diem’s popularity shrunk and he moved all villagers to protected areas to keep them safe against the Vietcong.
Most people resented being moved off of their property.
Diem also intensified his attack on Buddhist demonstrators.
Imprisoned and killed hundreds
Destroyed their temples.
Several Buddhist protestors publicly burned themselves.

13. Diem assassinated A U.S. supported military coup toppled Diem’s regime
Diem was assassinated against Kennedy’s wishes
A few weeks later, Kennedy was assassinated and the war was turned over to LBJ

14. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
On August 2, 1964 a North Vietnamese patrol boat fired a torpedo at an American destroyer the USS Maddox
Maddox returned fire and destroyed the patrol boat
August 4, 1964 the Maddox and another destroyer reported torpedo fire from another North Vietnamese ship
Crew later reported that they never heard, nor saw any enemy fire
LBJ asks for “all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the U.S.”

15. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
On August 7, 1964 – Congress approves LBJ’s request and gives him full control over military powers in Vietnam
This is NOT a declaration of War – just unlimited funding to support our troops