Causes of American Involvement in Vietnam

1
Causes of American Involvement in Vietnam

• Ch 23 Sec 1
• Notes

2
Where is Vietnam?
3
Domino Theory

• Cold War Term
• Fall of one country to communism means many more
  will fall
• Ike coins term

4
Containment

• U.S. Cold War policy
• Stuck to it in Korea
• Continued belief in this concept in Vietnam

5
French Indochina

• The French control Vietnam
• 1950 Harry Truman decides to aid French
• Start losing control of their colony

6
Rise of Vietminh

• League of Independence of Vietnam
• Ho Chi Minh
• Communist
• Fight against French control

7
Republic of Vietnam

• Emperor Bao Dai
• Democratic
• Formed by French to fight against Vietminh
• War until May 1954
• Defeated by Vietminh at Dien Bien Phu

8
A Divided Vietnam

• Geneva Accords
• Split at 17th parallel
• Ho Chi Minh
• N.Vietnam Communist
• Ngo Dinh Diem
• S. Vietnam anti-communist
• Elections in 1956
• Agreed at Geneva
• S. Vietnam refuses

9
U.S. Involvement

• Eisenhower pledges support to Diem
• Containment
• By 1960
• 675 military advisors in South Vietnam

10
JFKs Vietnam Policy

• Protect spread of Communism at all cost
• Send VP Johnson to Vietnam
• Needs more aid196316,000 advisors

11
JFKs Vietnam Policy

• Diems Leadership
• for economic reform went to military or own
  pocket
• Strategic Hamlets
• Pushes Catholicism
• U.S. supports coup Diems Assassination

12
LBJs Vietnam Policy

• Belief in Containment
• Diems successors unpopular
• Viet Cong NLF gain popularity
• Aided by Ho Chi Minh
• Convinced he needed to escalate the war

13
LBJs Vietnam Policy

• Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• Actually doesnt occur
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passes Congress easily
• Take all necessary measures to repel any armed
  attack against the forces of the United States
  and to prevent further action