Day 1 Notes US Gets Involved in Vietnam

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Day 1 Notes US Gets Involved in Vietnam
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The Early Days French Indochina

• 1880s to WWII- Vietnam part of French Indochina
• WWII
• Japan occupies Indochina
• Ho Chi Minh leads a group opposing foreign
  occupation (Viet Minh)
• After WWII
• Ho Chi Minh creates Democratic Republic of Vietnam

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• France refuses to accepts Vietnamese independence
• First Indochina War (8 yrs)
• Truman supports the French- believes they are
  keeping communism in check
• War not going well for the French
• Eisenhower warned that if Vietnam fell to
  communism, they rest of SE Asia would topple like
  a row of dominoes
• Domino Theory would provide a strong motive for
  US intervention in Vietnam

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Geneva Accords

• France, US, USSR, China, GB, Laos, Cambodia all
  meet in Geneva, Switzerland
• Geneva Accords drawn up
• Divides Vietnam into two parts at the 17th
  Parallel
• N. Vietnam Communist, led by Ho Chi Minh
• S. Vietnam Nationalist, capital Saigon
• Elections for unification government scheduled
  for 1956

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Diem

• US put Diem in charge
• Built an army with US military advisers
• Elections coming up, Ho Chi Minh most likely to
  win
• Diem, w/ US approval, blocked vote and held
  elections only in the south
• Diem (President of South Vietnam) attacked his
  opponents and jailed people without trial
• Viet Minh communists in south launched a guerilla
  war against Diems govt? formed the Viet Cong
  North Vietnam supporting the rebels

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Kennedy

• Viet Cong insurgency (rebellion) threatened to
  overwhelm S. Vietnamese army
• US sent more supplies and military advisers
  Kennedy resisted sending combat soldiers
• Diems discrimination against Buddhists ?
  protests
• Kennedy realizes Diem failed as a leader
• US approved coup
• Diem killed

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• Kennedy killed Pres. Johnson takes over
• North Vietnam sending weapons and supplies to the
  Viet Cong over the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Passed through Laos and Cambodia

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Gulf of Tonkin

• SV attacks radar stations on NV coast (w/ help
  from CIA)
• NV fire at US ship in Gulf of Tonkin (not
  damaged)
• LBJ says unprovoked attacks would bring
  consequences
• Aug 1964- stormy weather US sailors think they
  are under attack and fire back- no enemy ever
  seen (no attack had taken place)
• US officials (w/ Pres) concluded that a 2nd
  attack occurred, approves air strikes against NV

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• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• Gave permission to President to expand US role in
  the conflict
• NOT a declaration of war

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Debate over Increased Involvement

• Most advisers were hawks- favored expanding US
  involvement
• Crucial in struggle against communism
• Domino theory
• US credibility- tough on communism

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• Doves- advocates of a peaceful solution in
  Vietnam
• No more troops, war is un-winable
• Would undermine LBJs Great Society programs
• Not in nations interest
• US involvement might draw China and USSR into
  conflict

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• Johnson sends more and more troops
• Bases authority to act on the Gulf of Tonkin
  Resolution
• US takes over main responsibility for fighting
  the war
• Americanization of the Vietnam War

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Day 2 Notes

• Frustration in Vietnam

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• Hawks are becoming doves counsel Johnson to cut
  back
• By 1968, most Americans blaming Johnson for a war
  that was out of control

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Difficult Conditions

• By 1968, most soldiers were drafted into the
  army- dim view of the war
• Geography and climate
• Hot and humid
• Swamps, mountains, jungles
• Enemy knew lands and could conceal themselves
• Agent Orange
• Helped kill jungles that gave enemy cover
• Contaminated soil and water
• Long-term health risks

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• Guerilla warfare
• Underground tunnels used by enemies
• Enemy could also hide in plain sight
• search and destroy missions
• Small groups of soldiers (platoons) would search
  for insurgents
• Call for air strikes to destroy enemy force
• N. Vietnamese and Viet Cong
• Determined to fight on, no matter how long

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Opposition to the War

• Role of television on public support of the war
  living room war
• Costs (human and economic)
• Led to inflation and higher taxes
• Credibility Gap- difference between the reality
  of the war and the Johnson administrations
  portrayal of it

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• Hawks and doves
• Evenly divided in 1967
• Peace movement on college campuses
• Protests sit-ins
• Tinker v. Des Moines
• Civil disobedience- burning draft cards draft
  dodgers (Muhammad Ali)
• Complaint that men can be sent to war yet they
  are not old enough to vote ? 26th Amendment
  lowers the voting age to 18.

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• College deferment
• If you are a full-time college student, you dont
  have to go to war
• Once you are done with school, you can be drafted
  ? reason why protests are often on college
  campuses
• War fell primarily on poor and minorities to
  fight
• rich mans war, poor mans fight

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1968

• N. Vietnamese army attacks S.V. cities on Tet
  holiday
• Tet Offensive shocked American people and became
  psychological defeat for US
• Widening of credibility gap
• Walter Cronkite- most respected TV news anchor
• Says Pres. Johnson has misled the American people
• War will end in a stalemate
• Led to a loss of support for Johnson

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Election of 1968

• Democrats Eugene McCarthy, Robert Kennedy,
  Hubert Humphrey
• Johnson says he will deescalate the conflict
  and will not run for president again supports
  his VP Humphrey
• MLK Jr. and Robert Kennedy both killed this year
• Violence at democratic convention

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• Republicans
• Richard Nixon
• 3rd Party- George Wallace
• Segregationist
• Attracted Democratic votes allowing a Republican
  victory
• Republicans (Nixon) win election

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• Why were people unwilling to fight for this
  cause?
• The conflict in Vietnam was a civil war and the
  US had no business there
• The oppressive S. Vietnamese regime was no better
  than the Communists they were fighting
• US could not police entire globe
• Morally unjust

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Day 3Getting Out of Vietnam
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• 1968- Nixon promises to end war in Vietnam
• 1975- All American personnel ordered to leave
  S.V.
• SV had fallen to communists and enemy was bearing
  down on Saigon
• Many flee

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Nixons Dilemma

• Sought to achieve peace with honor
• Carrot and stick approach
• Carrot- actions that reward
• Stick- actions that punish

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• Carrot
• Peace talks- Kissinger (sec. of state) proposed
  ending the bombing of the North- the CARROT- in
  exchange for BOTH sides leaving SV- not accepted
• Vietnamization- SV would gradually take over the
  fighting of the war, while American GIs
  withdrawn CARROT- troop reductions

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• Stick
• To pressure NV to negotiate
• Widening the air war
• Invade Cambodia
• Intercepting supplies and enemy bases
• Communists boycotted peace talks until US pulled
  out of Cam.

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Expanded War Sparks Protests

• My Lai Massacre
• US Platoon massacred village
• 200 innocent people were killed
• reduced U.S. support at home for the Vietnam War
• 1969- Vietnam Moratorium Day
• Rallies, marches, candlelight vigil at White House

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Kent State

• Students protesting against the American invasion
  of Cambodia and others merely walking nearby or
  observing the protest from a distance are shot by
  National Guard
• National response to the shootings hundreds of
  universities closed throughout the United States
  due to a student strike of eight million students
• Many Americans supported the National Guard

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Pentagon Papers

• Documents revealed that govt had plans for
  entering war even as Pres. Johnson promised he
  would not send troops
• Confirmed that the govt had not been honest

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Peace?

• 1973- US troops left Vietnam
• War continued without us
• US sent , but not troops
• Fall of Saigon- N. Vietnam captured S. Vietnam
  capital
• S. Vietnam surrendered

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Legacy

• 58,000 Americans killed 503,000 wounded
• SE Asia remained unstable
• Affected the way Americans viewed the govt and
  the world
• More cautious outlook on foreign affairs
• Health issues of veterans

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Changes

• Draft abolished
• War Powers Act
• Curbed presidents war-making powers
• Passed in response to Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• Vietnam Syndrome
• Americans now consider risk to own interests
  before interfering in affairs of other nations
• Cynicism of leaders