1. Moving Toward Conflict
Chapter 30 Section 1

2. Daily Objective & Do Now
Objective Understand the reasoning behind the United States entering in the Vietnam conflict Do Now: Under what circumstances is it ok for the U.S. invade and fight in a sovereign country?

3. I Roots of American Involvement
France ruled Indochina until Japan takes over in WWII
Exploited land pop for profit/restricted freedoms  rise of nationalism
Indochinese Communist Party forms (1930)
Leader = Ho Chi Minh  org. uprisings from exile in SU & China
1941 returns home combines Vietnamese Com. Party w/ others to form Vietminh
Sought indep & thought they had it after Japans defeat in WWII

4. French return in 1946 & drive out Vietminh  control southern half
Ho Chi Minh fight from North to drive them out of South
US enters in 1950 (Truman) Paying for France’s war to beat a man we supported during WWII in order to beat the Japanese
Cold War fever & the Red Scare  support France because…
Maintain an ally & help stop another Asian country from going RED

5. Vietminh overruns French at Dien Bien Phu  French pull out of Vietnam
US settling of stalemate in Korea  strengthening of anti-communist feelings
Eisenhower’s Domino Theory = countries on brink of communism are like dominoes, when one falls the others around it will fall
Vietminh overruns French at Dien Bien Phu  French pull out of Vietnam
Geneva Accords peace agreement that temp. divide Vietnam
N = Communists & S = anti- communists until an election in 1956 would unify them

6. II the United States Steps In
Ho Chi Minh wins support by redistributing land to peasants
Ngo Dinh Diem (Pres. Of S & staunch anti- comm) refuses to take part in election
US supports suspension of elections out of fear that that would lead to Ho Chi Minh victory
US sends mil aid to Diem in return for stable gov’t in south but he fails  Vietcong attacks on Diem gov’t
Vietcong AKA National Liberation Front = communist in south Vietnam
Minh sends support to Vietcong  Ho Chi Minh Trail

7. Diem (catholic) attacked Buddhism imprisonment & destroying temples
JFK increases aid to Diem’s corrupt gov’t because DEMS were seen as “soft” on communism
Increase in finance and military support against NLF
Diem’s institute Hamlet Program to combat growing Vietcong presence in South
Diem (catholic) attacked Buddhism imprisonment & destroying temples
Self-Immolation in protests horrified Americans  JFK demanding Diem stop persecution but he refuses
1963 US military coup topples Diems regime JFK assassinated LBJ now controls Vietnam situation

8. III President Johnson Expands Vietnam Conflict
Diem’s death instability in South Vietnam & growing Vietcong presence
LBJ knew communist takeover of S Vietnam would spell disaster for a DEM Party
Also seem like an appeaser around the globe
LBJ announces N Viet. Troops attack an American ship in the Gulf of Tonkin
LBJ launched bombing campaign in N Vietnam & request Congress to allow him to use “all necessary measures…to prevent further aggression”
Tonkin Gulf Resolution = NOT decl. of war but gave LBJ broad military powers in Vietnam

9. Operation Rolling Thunder = the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam
Shortly after thousands of Amer. Troops land in South Vietnam  beginning of Vietnam war