1. Vietnam – a French Colony no more  France, after ruling Vietnam or over 100 years was defeated by Gen. Giap at battle of Dien Bien Phu-forced to leave Vietnam.  The Vietminh take over and declare Vietnam Independent  France & Vietnam signed Geneva Peace Accords of 1954-split Vietnam along 17th parallel. .

2. The United States Steps in  Geneva Accords stated that in 1956 Vietnam would hold elections to reunify country.  The US and Diem had other ideas  Domino Theory  Worried Ho Chi Minh was too popular and would win  Diem ushers in a corrupt government

3. North vs South  The North led by Ho Chi Minh  Communist  Vietminh  Supported by the Viet Cong in the South later called the National Liberation Front  South led by Ngo Dinh Diem  Supported by US  US supported creation of counter- revolutionary group in S. Vietnam

4. o Political goal needs to align with people’s goal o Criteria for Leaders: Educated, Loyal, Robust Mao Tse-tung’s Influence

5. o Ho sought assistance from Pres. Wilson after WW I o Ho assisted downed American pilots during WW II in the fight against Japan “He believed to attack only when you are sure of winning nibble at the enemy, harass him in such a way that he can neither eat nor sleep in peace to wear him out physically and mentally, “ o Guerilla warriors need to not only focus on war, but politics and economics Ho Chi Minh -first a nationalist then a communist

6. Guerrilla Warfare “It is a weapon that a nation inferior in arms and military equipment, may employ against a more powerful aggressor nation.” ~Mao Tse-tung

7. o Started in rural areas because it was full of poor workers with no finances o Will not work with out the support of the people. o Mostly started by a middle class leader who has support from lower class. Facts About GW

8. Pros of GW in Vietnam o Easy to slip into a village; look like civilians o More cooperation from other Vietnamese o Easy supply system o Territory and topography already known o Used rainy season as cover o Easy to attain civilian help in ambushes and information Cons of GW in Vietnam o Un-organization easily occurs o Renegade or untrained troops confuse strategy o High rates of civilian casualties o Can ruin economic development o It is a long drawn out process; low moral o Can kill own civilians with unremembered booby traps and mines

9. o Extended from N Vietnam to S Vietnam o Est. 1959 and used by N. Vietnamese troops for a major military supply route o Started south of Hanoi, traversed Laos and Cambodia on its way to S. Vietnam o more than a month's march to travel o underground support facilities, incl. Hospitals, weapons caches o main route for invasion of S. Vietnam in 1975 The Ho Chi Minh Trail

10. o built in the time of the French o joined village to village and often passed beneath American bases o not only fortifications for Viet Cong guerillas, but also center of community life o several stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people, supplies and weapons o connected isolated pockets of Viet Cong territory enabled the guerrillas to mount surprise attacks and vanish without trace The Underground Tunnels

11. o Punji sticks were sharpened sticks of bamboo concealed and designed to pierce the enemy’s feet; many times they were contaminated to cause disease o Bamboo maces swung down onto soldiers who triggered tripwires; also used crossbows o Land mines were a favorite of guerilla forces and they were taken from the U.S.S.R., the French, and even U.S. troops Anti-Personnel Weapons

12. Kennedy & Johnson  Kennedy increased aid to Diem  Sent military advisors to help train S. Vietnamese troops  Diem attacks Buddhists & popularity declines  Expands conflict  Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964 gave Johnson broad military powers  Alleged attack on USS Maddox & Turner Joy

13. Troop Build Up  180,000 troops by 1965  Westmoreland requested more  “ARVN can not stand up to the pressure without US forces” (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)  500,000 troops by 1967

14. US Tactics  Agent Orange – a leaf killing toxic chemical devastated landscape and ruined villages  Napalm – a gasoline based bomb stuck to leaves and skin  Search and destroy – uprooting villagers by day and evacuating at night

15. War at Home  Great Society Suffers – money spent on war and not on helping poor at home  Living- room war – media heightens American concern  Manipulatable Draft – different qualifications, if in college could put off service or join National Guard or Coast Guard  African Americans were disproportionately drafted

16. Tet Offensive  (Read packet and summarize this battle and the effects on American support of the war)

17. Protests at Home  New Left organization SDS – Students for a Democratic Society demanded participatory democracy & Free Speech  20,000 Marched on the White House in 1965  Resistance – “Hell No We Won’t Go!”  Doves vs. Hawks

18. Kent State Tragedy  Read article and write 5-8 facts about Kent State

19. American Policy changes  LBJ does not seek reelection  Martin Luther King Jr. & RFK are assassinated  Nixon wins Presidential election  Pull out begins 500,000 troops to 25,000 over 3 years - Vietnamization  Secret bombings of Cambodia and Laos

20. Atrocities  My Lai Massacre  Massacre of 100 innocent civilians by American troops  “Kill anything that breathed”  Court martial - Lt. Calley

21. The War America Lost American forces are not able to defeat the North Vietnamese 1973 US pulls out 1975 North Vietnamese invade and capture Saigon.

22. The War America Lost American forces are not able to defeat the North Vietnamese 1973 US pulls out 1975 North Vietnamese invade and capture Saigon.

23. The War’s Painful Legacy  Longest War – March 29 1973 last combat troops pulled out  2,212 solders MIA/POWs  Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial – Maya Ying Lin a 20 year old student designed the Wall

24. o Vietnam had to rebuild a land destroyed by war. o Recovery was slow due to US boycott of Vietnam o 1990s Vietnam introduced free market reforms and diplomatic relations with the US normalized Vietnam Today

25. Tragedy in Cambodia  During the Vietnam War fighting spilled over into neighboring Cambodia  After Americans left, communist guerrillas known as the Khmer Rouge overthrew the government.  Led by Pol Pot they slaughtered millions in what was known as the “Killing Fields”  1979 Vietnam invaded and Pol Pot”s forces retreated. 1993 UN supervised free elections and a new government started to rebuild  Pol Pot died in hiding before facing trial for Crimes against Humanity