1. Explain why the United States sent troops to fight in Vietnam
Going to War in Vietnam
Explain why the United States
sent troops to fight in Vietnam

2. American Involvement Deepens
Vietcong – formed by Ho Chi Minh to help reunify Vietnam using armed struggle
President Eisenhower increased American aid and sent military advisors to South Vietnam (Ngo Dinh Diem)
Despite American assistance, Vietcong grew more powerful
Diem looked more increasingly for American support

4. Kennedy Takes Over
Kennedy’s administration increased military aid and sent more advisors to Vietnam.
: military personnel increased from 2,000 to 15,000
American officials believed Vietcong continued to grow because Diem’s government was unpopular and corrupt.
Diem introduced limited reforms that caused resentment from many peasants

5. The Overthrow of Diem
Diem, a Catholic, banned traditional Buddhist practices
In protest, a Buddhist monk set himself on fire
Diem’s unpopularity led to several Vietnamese generals to overthrow him
With American sympathies, they launched a coup and executed Diem in November 1963
South Vietnamese government grew weak and unstable

7. Johnson and Vietnam
“The battle against communism must be joined with strength and determination.” – President Lyndon Johnson
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: August 7, 1964 – Johnson claimed that the North Vietnamese led 2 unprovoked attacks against American naval vessels
Congress authorized the president to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression”.
What does this mean?

8. The United States Sends in Troops
Following an attack on a base at Pleiku, resulting in 7 Americans dead and 100+ wounded – Johnson orders an airstrike on North Vietnam
Most military advisers believed that the U.S. had a duty to halt communism in Vietnam.
March 1965: policy involved a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam
Operation Rolling Thunder

10. A Bloody Stalemate Emerges
End of 1965 – 180,000 American troops in Vietnam
Vietcong used ambushes, booby traps, and guerrilla tactics – blended in with general population
American troops went on “search and destroy” missions, dropped napalm to destroy the landscape, and Agent Orange to turn farmland into wasteland
North Vietnam sent arms and supplies to the Vietcong using the Ho Chi Minh trail entering Cambodia and Laos
North Vietnam received support from China and USSR
Vietcong and North Vietnamese showed no sign of surrender.