1. 30-2: U.S. Involvement and Escalation

2. How did LBJ escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?
Lyndon B. Johnson made the decision to escalate the war and send more U.S. troops to Vietnam.

3. How did Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk escalate U. S
How did Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?
Robert McNamara: LBJ’s Secretary of Defense, advised Johnson on escalation
Dean Rusk, LBJ’s Secretary of State, advised Johnson on escalation

4. How did William Westmoreland escalate U. S
How did William Westmoreland escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?
William Westmoreland, Commander of U.S. Troops, requested more troops
General Westmoreland introduced the concept of the body count (reporting the number of Vietcong deaths as a way to mentally psyche-out the enemy and get them to surrender)

5. How did the U. S. Congress escalate U. S
How did the U.S. Congress escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?
The U.S congress approved of Johnson’s policies
Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, in a post-midnight press briefing at the Pentagon points out action in the Gulf of Tonkin, Aug By August 7th Congress will pass the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, authorizing the Vietnam War

6. How did American public opinion escalate U. S
How did American public opinion escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam?
The American public initially supported the war
Americans believed in the need for containment
of communism.

7. U.S. military strategies result in a bloody stalemate
U.S. military advantages over the Vietcong
Superior weaponry
What military advantages did the Vietcong have over the Americans?
Knowledge of jungle terrain and the ability to blend in with civilians
Willingness to pay any price for victory
U.S. HueyCobra Helicopter
U.S. Grenade Launcher
 Vietcong soldier in a tunnel

8. What military strategies did the Americans have over the Vietcong
Sustained bombings
Search and destroy missions
A war of attrition = wearing down your enemy
Using napalm (a gasoline based bomb that set fire to the jungle) to expose Vietcong tunnels and hideouts
Using Agent Orange (a leaf-killing chemical) to destroy the rain-forest and expose the enemy
Attempt to stop the Vietcong from gaining support of the South Vietnam’s rural population = try to win the hearts and minds of the peasants

9. The Air War: A Napalm Attack

10. What military strategies did the Vietcong have over the Americans
Hit and run ambushes
Booby traps
Land mines
Surprise attacks
Guerilla warfare

11. The cost of the war led to an increase in inflation and taxes
What role did the U.S. Economy play in changing public support for the war
The cost of the war led to an increase in inflation and taxes
There was a reduction of funding for Great Society programs
This 1968 political cartoon captures the struggle of Lyndon B. Johnson's time as President. While Johnson dreamed of a "Great Society," his presidency was haunted by the specter of Vietnam. Much of the funding he hoped to spend on social reforms went towards war in Vietnam.

12. What role did television play in changing public support for the war
Brought the war into U.S. living rooms = (1st “living room” war)
The nightly news reports contradicted Johnson’s optimistic war scenario and led to a growing “credibility gap”

13. What role did the Fulbright hearings play in changing public support for the war
Senator William Fulbright, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, conducted a series of televised hearings in which he called forth members of the Johnson administration to defend their Vietnam policies
The hearings contributed to the average American’s growing ambivalence about the war