Vietnam War

1
Vietnam War
2
Vietnam France

• France controlled Indochina
• Peninsula of Vietnam, Laos Cambodia
• Colonialism
• Ho Chi Minh
• Rebelled against French rule
• Embraced Communism

3
US Involvement Under Eisenhower

• Contain Communist expansion
• Domino Theory
• If Vietnam became Communist then its neighbors
  would follow
• Diem Bien Phu
• Vietminh defeat French forces
• Result Indochina gains independence

4
Vietnam Divided
5
Eisenhower Continued

• South Vietnam controlled by Ngo Dinh Diem
• Anticommunist with American support
• Diem unpopular in South Vietnam
• Catholic follower (majority was Buddhist)
• Vietcong (National Liberation Front)
• Supplied by N. Vietnam to weaken Diems control
• Wanted to unite Vietnam under Communism

6
US Involvement Under Kennedy

• Sent Special Forces into S. Vietnam
• advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
  (ARVN)
• Diems regime alienated S. Vietnamese citizens
• America helps plot overthrow of Diem
• Diem removed from power and later assassinated

7
US Involvement Under Johnson

• USS Maddox patrolled Gulf of Tonkin
• Fired upon by N. Vietnamese boats
• Maddox retaliates
• Johnson orders airstrike
• Asks Congress to use force to defend US troops
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed
• Commit US troops to S. Vietnam
• Fight war against N. Vietnam w/o asking Congress
  for declaration of war

8
Americanizing the War

• Operation Rolling Thunder
• First sustained bombing campaign in N. Vietnam
• General William Westmoreland
• American commander of troops in Vietnam
• Wanted to increase military presence to win the
  war

9
Napalm

• What is it?
• Jellied gasoline dropped in large canisters
• Exploded on impact covered large areas in
  flames
• Effects
• Severe burns, choking, unconsciousness or death
• Agent Orange herbicide used to destroy plant
  life
• Disrupt enemys food supply

10
Effects of Napalm Agent Orange
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The Vietcong NVA

• Ho Chi Minh
• VC NVA tiger
• US elephant
• If the tiger stand still, the elephant will
  crush it. But if the tiger keeps moving and
  occasionally jumps on the elephant to take a bite
  out of it, the elephant will slowly bleed to
  death.
• VC NVA
• Traveled lightly
• Wore clothes to blend in
• Fought mostly at night
• Used booby traps

12
Tunnel System
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Do Now

• At this point what is your opinion about the
  Vietnam War?

14
The Tet Offensive

• General Westmoreland addresses the nation
• Vietcong has weakened
• No longer can mount major attack
• January 30, 1968 Tet Offensive begins
• Tet Vietnamese New Year
• Attacked major cities bases in S. Vietnam
• US S. Vietnamese eventually drove back VC

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The Tet Offensive
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Results of Tet Offensive

• American public opinion negative
• Felt betrayed by govt
• Westmoreland resigns
• Public sees this as punishment for handling Tet
  poorly
• LBJ
• Pursue peace rather than victory
• Stuns nation announces he will not run for
  president in 1968

17
Vietnam Under Nixon

• Vietnamization
• American troops gradually pull out of Vietnam and
  S. Vietnam takes over the fighting
• peace with honor
• Nixon orders bombing of Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Widened the war
• Nixon announces US will invade Cambodia
• US ARVN troops invade
• Results stalemate increased unpopularity in US

18
My Lai Massacre

• March 16, 1968
• Lt. William Calley
• Orders troops to shoot civilians
• Between 400-500 civilians killed
• Originally covered up, but media starts leaking
  photos info from the massacre
• Calley is court-martialed
• Sentenced to life then reduced to 3 ½ years

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My Lai Massacre
20
The Pentagon Papers

• New York Times leaks classified document of all
  US involvement in Vietnam
• Truman through Johnson all lied to American
  public
• Nixon tries blocking publication
• New York Times v. US rules against Nixon
• 1973 War Powers Act established
• Restricts presidents powers to engage in foreign
  conflict

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The Pentagon Papers
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
All of these men lied to America over Vietnam
22
Vietnam Ends for America

• January 1973 Paris Peace Accords
• US, S. Vietnam, N. Vietnam VC at Accords
• Agree to ceasefire, US troop withdrawal
  exchange of POWs
• War ends for US continues for Vietnam
• N. Vietnam breaks ceasefire
• Captures Saigon official end to war
• Vietnam united under Communism

23
Summary

• In the end was the Vietnam War worth fighting
  for?
• Explain why or why not using specific events.