Background

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwuk8AOjGURE
Background on the Vietnam Conflict
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vXgW0o-Ui94k
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Background on Vietnam

• FRENCH CONTROL
• Colonized Vietnam as part of their Southeast
  Asian Empire
• Controlled Vietnam until World War II
• JAPANESE CONTROL
• During WWII took over control of Vietnam
• When Japanese surrendered to the Allies, Vietnam
  fell under French control again
• AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
• Colonies in Southeast Asia (ie Philippines)
• Region provided U.S. with 90 of rubber and 75
  of tin

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French Indo-China War
1945 - 1954
Vietnamese are fighting for independence from the
French

• Ho Chi Minh leads fight for independence
• Communist China provides direct aid to the
  Vietnamese
• Truman decides he needs to extend containment
  to South East Asia
• - Results in American aid to France military
  and economic assistance (133 million)

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French Indo-China War
1945 - 1954

• In 1950
• U.S. adopts the domino theory
• Ho Chi Minh controls 2/3 of countryside with
  hundreds of thousands of Vietminh
• Korean War solidifies American belief in
  containment

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Indo-China War
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• 1950 1952
• U.S. sent 50 million worth of economic and
  technical assistance to French
• By 1952 U.S. paying for 1/3 of cost of war
• French attempt to recruit Vietnamese to fight
  failed (shows lack of Vietnamese support for
  French/American effort)
• French had lost 90,000 soldiers clear they
  would be defeated

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• Dien Bien Phu
• Remote village in Northwest corner of Vietnam
• Both Vietminh and French had amassed troops
  there in 1954
• General Giap of Vietminh led an attack on the
  village in March of 54
• U.S. debates an air strike, but decide against
  it without U.S. help French doomed and
  surrender on May 7th

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Dien Bien Phu
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Dien Bien Phu
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• Geneva Accords
• July 20th, 1954
• Vietnam is split at the 17th parallel
• French withdraw from North Vietnam
• Elections set for 1956 to reunify country
• Ho Chi Minh is in power in North
• Ngo Dinh Diem is in power in South

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• American Reaction to Accords
• Eisenhower states that it is now U.S.
  responsibility to defend South Vietnam from
  communism
• U.S. and South Vietnam do NOT officially sign
  accordsafraid free elections would result in
  South Vietnamese supporting Communist government!
• Form SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization)
• Goal maintain a non-communist S. Vietnam and
  prevent a communist victory in 1956 election
• U.S. is firmly committed to Diem government

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North Vietnam
17th Parallel
South Vietnam
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Ngo Dinh Diem
South Vietnam

• 11 million residents
• economy devastated by 14 years of war
  colonial dependence
• Diem is not supported by the countryside
• corrupt government
• 10,000 -15,000 North Vietnamese operatives
  living in South to incite problems
• U.S. provided aid to help maintain a communist
  free South leads to dependence on the U.S

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Ho Chi Minh
North Vietnam

• 14 million residents
• well trained and equipped army (thanks to the
  Chinese)
• organized and functioning government
• Ho and his Vietminh are seen as heroes for
  ending French rule over Vietnam

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Insurgents in the South
goal build socialism in the North and carry out
communist revolution in South

• based in the South but organized from the North
• North aides insurgents by moving supplies and
  men into South through Laos (Ho Chi Minh Trail)
• founded the NLF (National Liberation Front) to
  organize insurgents later called the Vietcong
  (VC)
• violence breaking out in countryside
• Eisenhower and Diem ignored problem
• 1956 Election is never held
• JFK sent more money, but not troops believed
  in aid only for ARVN

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• Diem continues corrupt policies, including the
  killing innocent citizens
• Buddhists lead a protest (monk burning)
• Kennedy administration decides Diem has to go
• Diem asked to step down, refuses, so CIA plots
  a coup
• First CIA coup fails, second succeeds
  (Diemassassinated)JFK assassinated just days
  later

The CIA
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Lyndon B. Johnson
1964

• LBJ vows keep Vietnam from becoming another
  China
• conditions in South worse after coup chaos
  followed with no stable government
• U.S. rejected withdrawal because wanted to
  maintain street credibility in the world
• North Vietnam increases aid to southern
  insurgents some Americans believe it is time to
  weaken the North

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Conditions Worsen

• During LBJs presidency, South Vietnams govt
  growing weaker Communism is growing
• RememberNorth Vietnam smuggled weapons into
  South Vietnam to support Communist insurgents
  through a network of trails through Laos and
  Cambodia (Ho Chi Minh trails).

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Ho Chi Minh Trail
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VC Tunnel System
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Gulf of Tonkin

• Aug. 2, 1964- North Vietnamese attacked U.S.S.
  Maddox
• Aug. 4. another attack provided grounds for Gulf
  of Tonkin Resolution (second attack turned out to
  be fakenever happened).
• President Johnson asked Congress to pass Gulf of
  Tonkin Resolution which gave him authorization to
  use military force in Vietnam (not a declaration
  of war).

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Gulf of Tonkin

• Inquiry Was the U.S. planning to go to war with
  North Vietnam before the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
• Review Documents A through D
• Review the Guiding Questions
• Discussion
• Paragraph

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Gulf of Tonkin - Discussion

• What types of documents are these? Do you think
  theyre reliable?
• What evidence do the documents offer that the
  U.S. was planning to go to war with North Vietnam
  before the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
• Is this strong evidence that the U.S. was
  planning an attack?
• What were some of the reasons why the U.S. was
  hesitant about attacking North Vietnam?
• Is there evidence that the U.S. was planning a
  full-scale war?
• What additional evidence would you want to see
  before deciding?
• What additional evidence would you want to see in
  order to determine whether the U.S. was planning
  a war with North Vietnam?

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The Ground War 1965-1968

• No territorial goals
• Body counts on TV every night (first living
  room war)

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The Air War1965-1968

• 1965 Sustained bombing of North Vietnam
• Operation Rolling Thunder
• 1966-68 Ongoing bombing of Hanoi nonstop for 3
  years! Esp. targets the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
• Downed Pilots P.O.W.s
• Carpet Bombing napalm

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The Air WarA Napalm Attack
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Who Is the Enemy?

• Vietcong
• Farmers by day guerillas at night.
• Very patient people willing to accept many
  casualties.
• The US grossly underestimated their resolve and
  their resourcefulness.

The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the
conventional army loses if it does not win.
-- Mao Zedong
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Who Is the Enemy?
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The Tet Offensive, January 1968

• N. Vietnamese Army Viet Cong attack South
  simultaneously (67,000 attack 100 cities, bases,
  and the US embassy in Saigon)
• Take every major southern city
• U.S. ARVN beat back the offensive
• Viet Cong destroyed
• N. Vietnamese army debilitated
• BUTits seen as an American defeat by the media

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The Tet Offensive, January 1968
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Impact of the Tet Offensive

• Domestic U.S. Reaction Disbelief, Anger,
  Distrust of Johnson Administration

• Hey, Hey LBJ! How many kids did you kill
  today?