Vietnam War

International Conference at Geneva

o Vietnam divided at 17
th
Parallel
o Ho Chi Minhs nationalist forced in north
o Ngo Dinh Diem controls south
o A date was set for democratic elections to reunify Vietnam
US Military Involvement
o Repressive dictatorial rule by Diem: wealth hoarded, family holds power, Buddhist
majority persecuted, no political freedom
o USA aided Diems govt
Eisenhower sent financial & military aid (675 US Army advisors by 1960)
JFK increases no. advisors to 16000
JFK supports a Vietnamese military coup detat 1963
Strategic hamlets: isolate small villages so they wont be contaminated by
communism
LBJ revives the Domino Theory
Tonkin Gulf Incident: N. Vietnam & US confrontationescalated war
Tonkin Gulf Resolution allowed LBJ to use military forces in Southeast
Asia w/o the declaration of war
Nixon: promised peace with honor appealed to silent majority
Vietnamization removal of US troops from Vietnam
Secret War expansion of war to Laos & Cambodia
Ground War 1965-68
o USA had no territorial goals
o Vietcong got supplies over Ho Chi Minh Trail
o Use of tunnels
Air War 1965-68
o Operation Rolling Thunder (March 2, 1965 to Nov. 1968)
Nonstop, sustained bombing of Hanoi for 3 yrs
Downed pilots became POWs
Carpet bombing
Napalm bombs used extremely inhumane, caught everything on fire
Agent Orange defoliant, killed trees & plants, helped pilots see where they
were fighting
The Tet Offensive, Jan. 1968
o N. Vietnam army + Vietcong attack South simultaneously
o Aim to take over every major city in South
o USA + Army of Republic Vietnam (ARVN) destroy Vietcong & debilitate northern army
o Seen as an American defeat though, and LBJs popularity drops by 12% in 1968
Mylai Offensive
o USA begins to be seen as cruelas the enemy
o 200-500 unarmed villagers killed
o Lt. William Calley claimed he didnt know they were unarmed
Role of Media in USA
o Known as Living Room War b/s it was the 1
st
televised war
o Anti-war demonstrations: no motivation to fight in war (either go to college or fight in
war; more racial minorities fought in war)
o Hanoi Jane Actress Jane Fonda visited communist Vietnam to protest war to show
that the enemy was people, too. Seen as a traitor in USA.
o Democratic Convention in Chicago, 1968: protestors promised to disrupt convention, 8-
day struggle between police and protestors
o New York Times vs. United States (1971): Pentagon Papers found which show that the
govt under LBJ misled Congress and Americans regarding its intentions in VietnamUSA
wanted to avoid a humiliating defeat, not to eliminate communism
Impacts of Vietnam War
o The Ceasefire, 1973: signed between USA, S. Vietnam, and N. Vietnam
US removes all troops, N. Vietnam can resume war after US leaves, no
provisions for POWs or MIAs
o 26
th
Amendment: voting age changed from 21 yrs to 18 yrs
o LBJ decided NOT to run for reelection
o Nixon abolished the draft
o War Powers Act, 1973
President must notify Congress in 48 hrs of deploying troops
No Congressional approval in 90 days = President withdraws troops
o Disregard for Vietnam veterans seen as cruel, baby-killers
o POW/MIA issue lingered
o Lessons learned by future presidents: war must be short, restrict media access, develop
congressional support, clear goals