1. Another “hot” war in the Cold War
The Vietnam war
Another “hot” war in the Cold War

2. What was going on in Vietnam before the war?
a French colony
Ho Chi Minh (communist leader) pushed the French out in 1954
Vietnam divided in half:
North Vietnam - communist under Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam - ruled by corrupt Ngo Dinh Diem who was very unpopular
makes this area weak
vulnerable to communism

4. But why did America get involved?
America was still following the foreign policy of containment and did not want communism to spread into South Vietnam
Also, Eisenhower believed in the domino theory if Vietnam fell to communism then the rest of Asia would fall as well
In the beginning America did not send troops to fight, just training the Vietnamese so they could fight the Vietcong (North Vietnam soldiers) also called “Charlie”

5. Johnson deals with Vietnam
While Kennedy was in office, the US had assisted in the assassination of Diem
By the time Johnson comes along the war has escalated and so had American involvement
Being advised by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
The North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin leading Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution –
Congress gave away its power of declaring war
gave Johnson authority to do whatever he wanted in Vietnam

6. Operation Rolling Thunder
Air raids over North Vietnam hoping to get a surrender
Vietcong use guerilla warfare by hiding in the jungle
To combat this the US used a chemical spray called agent orange that used to kill the vegetation, robbing the Vietcong of their hiding spots in the jungles
Another weapon was napalm which was a gelatin gasoline mixture that stuck to the skin of its target and burns away the skin

8. Fighting the Vietnam War
General Westmoreland
many had been drafted under Selective Service System
extremely hard time fighting:
lost in the jungles
climate/environment
Vietcong often brought fight into the streets
caused many civilians to be killed in the process…
didn’t help the anti-war sentiment back home

9. Tet Offensive North Vietnam began fighting in the streets of Siagon
Proved the Vietcong were not backing down
war would not end easily

10. The Home-Front
In 1970, four Kent State students were killed (by Ohio National Guard) when the peaceful protest went bad
Huge anti-war sentiment because
Americans did not understand why US was involved
watched unproductive combat on TV
Some were pacifists (Doves)
Didn’t like that soldiers had been drafted
Even some soldiers were against the war

12. Nixon and the Vietnam War
Wanted “peace with honor”
Supported Vietnamization
But he bombed Cambodia without Congress or the American people knowing in advance which will lead Congress to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress then passed the War Powers Resolution the president may commit troops to a foreign war for only 60 days without Congressional approval

13. My Lai Massacre
US troops were looking for Vietcong in the My Lai village and ended up killing 400 civilians in the process
Lieutenant in charge was put on trial for murder charges
Led to even more anti- war protesting

14. Pentagon Papers
Papers included a history of American involvement in Vietnam most of which took place without the American people knowing or Congress
NY Times was going to publish the papers but Nixon tried to block it
Supreme Court ruled in NY Times vs. US allowing the papers to be published

15. The War Ends
Peace talks between US and North Vietnam were unsuccessful
Finally in 1973 the US, South Vietnam and North Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords
agreed to cease-fire
withdrawal of American troops in South Vietnam
return of Prisoners of War (POWS)
The war for America was over but the war between North and South Vietnam raged on until the Fall of Siagon to North Vietnam leading South Vietnam to surrender
Vietnam was reunited under communism

17. Impact of Vietnam War 58,000 Americans dead 2 million Vietnamese
Communism spread into Laos and Cambodia
Power of the President to make war and intensify war was put under question
Public trust in the government at an all time low
Memorial constructed in 1982