4. Timeline: 1945-1963
1945: France takes control of Vietnam
1946: French arrive to fight off
Vietminh revolt
1954: Dienbienphu – Vietminh defeat
the French
5. Timeline: 1945-1963 Cont.
What to do with Vietnam?
Geneva Accords
– 17th
Parallel
– Fear of the Domino Effect
Ngo Dinh Diem put in charge of South
Vietnam
1957: Vietcong/NLF established
6. Timeline 1945-1963 Cont.
Kennedy’s Administration
1961: Promised free election in Vietnam but
U.S. denies
U.S. sends in more advisors and the Green
Berets to train S.V. army
Spring 1963: Buddhist protest against Diem
Oct. 26, 1963: Lodge gives signal for a coup
over Diem
Nov. 1, 1963: Coup successfully kills Diem
Kennedy announces a plan to withdraw
from Vietnam
– He is assassinated
8. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Feb. 1964: Operation
Plan 34 Alta (Oplan 34-
A) – commando raids
in North Vietnam
– Desoto Patrols – naval
surveillance of N.V.
June 1964: U.S. sends
out peace feelers –
only peace if U.S. gets
out of Vietnam
– Westmoreland named
General
9. Gulf of Tonkin Incident Cont.
Aug 2, 1964: 3 N.V. ships attack USS
Maddox – captain wants to leave area but
ordered to stay
Aug 4, 1964: radar goes off and the Maddox
fires back – think they are being attacked
Aug 5, 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
– Blank Check
– Undeclared Declaration of War
Nov-Dec 1964: Johnson wins re-election
10. Goals of 1965
1) Stabilize government of S. Vietnam
2) Get rid of guerillas in S. Vietnam
3) Escalation of ground troops
4) Cut off supply routes
– Ho Chi Minh Trail
11. 1965: Operation Rolling Thunder
U.S. land 3,500 marines into N. Vietnam
along with constant bombing of the North in
one of the largest attacks
– Bomb industry, roads, bridges
– Restricted on what can bomb
Negotiations: Johnson wants Minh to reject
goal of all control of Vietnam, however Minh
refuses
12. U.S. Choices at this time
1) Cut loses and get out
2) Give into Minh and leave
3) Take middle road – attrition
Introduce Search and Destroy
Missions
13. Overall Escalation
1961-1968
1961: 400 advisors
1963: 16,500 men
1965: 161,000 men
1966: 400,000 men
1967: 475,000 men
1968: 500,000+ men
15. Govt. loosing support (why)
1) LBJ promised quick and decisive war, but
war kept dragging on
2) Number of U.S. troops in Vietnam
massively increasing along with casualties
3) First TV war, showed the US was at a
stalemate with no end in site
4) Gen. Westmoreland’s claim that US was
winning looked like a lie
16. The New Left
Growing youth movement in the ’60s
that called for a change in American
society, basing it more on equality
17. Students for a
Democratic Society
Tom Hayden & Al Haber
University of Michigan
Port Huron Statement
22. Tet Offensive
Phase One
– Draw troops out of
cities
– Bring them into the
country side
– Ex: Kha Sahn
Phase Two
– 84,000 VC & NVA
attack cities of S.V.
– U.S. Embassy in
Saigon
– Hue
23. Outcome of Tet
Technically a failure for N.V.
Psychologically a victory for the N.V.
Media plays a role at home
Westmoreland wants more men –
believes N.V. are crippled
– VC lost 70% of fighting force
24. Election of 1968
M a r c h
P r im a r y E le c t io n s
N o v e m b e r
P o p u la r V o t e
D e c e m b e r
E le c t o r a l C o lle g e
J a n u a r y
I n a u g u r a t io n
E le c t io n T im e lin e
25. Events of the Election
of 1968
Primaries
– Johnson loosing, announces will not seek
parties nomination
– Bobby Kennedy assassinated
Democratic National Convention
– Riot breaks out – shows how the war has
reached home
26. Outcome of the
Election of 1968
Democrat: Humphrey
Republican: Nixon
Radical: Wallace
Nixon wins with 56% of the electoral
vote
27. Journal Activity
Examine how the year of 1968 is
considered a turbulent year that
forever changed the US, removing any
sense of innocence. Completely
explain your response.
28. Overall Effect of 1968
Created widespread distrust and
contempt for the US govt.
Shamed the US govt. and military
Massive questioning of the US as a
world superpower
Changed US policy towards foreign
policy and intervention
30. Vietnamization (March ’69)
Calls for the withdraw of 540,000
troops in Vietnam over a period of time
SV with US money and weapons will
take over the fight
To implement US must get rid of
supply routes
– Calls for increase in bombing - Cambodia
31. My Lai Massacre
March 16, 1969
Presumed all villagers were VC or
helping
Soldiers opened fire on villagers killing
around 500 people
Lasted 2 hours
Led by Officer Calley
32. Actions Under
Vietnamization
June 8, 1969: Nixon Doctrine
April 30, 1970: Announce invasion of
Cambodia
– Kent State Massacre
June 29, 1970: Gives SV 8 months to
build military and prepare to take over
1972: Easter Offensive – an attack by
NV on SV
33.
34. Actions Under
Vietnamization Cont.
Jan. 1973: Paris Peace Agreement – a
cease fire
Nov. 1973: War Powers Act
Fall 74-75: NV resumes attack on SV
– US doesn’t help
– US helicopter people out of embassy in
Saigon
Quagmire - keep getting deeper and deeper involved: advisors – planes – ground forces – leaving bases Objective – overthrow VC and make Vietnam safe for democracy Problems : 1) US never involved in all out war – afraid pull China into the war 2) to many restraints – no major cities to bomb and the terrain 3) war without fronts – jungle warfare and NV had excellent tunnel system 4) war without clear objectives – didn’t know why we were there Soldiers to young: 18-21
French control – trying to rebuild France after WWII Dienbienphu – Final victory for Vietminh – France leaves
Geneva Accords – NV will be communist under Minh, SV will be safe for democracy – US will pick up were France left off, US promises free elections once civilized – never allow because fear Minh will win Ngo Dinh Diem – thought people would embrace him and vote for him in elections he was Americanized Very corrupt: keeps money and never gives any to people, very harsh form of govt. Forces Catholic faith on people – upsets Buddhist population
Buddhist protest – in reaction to claim that NV soldiers killed 8 of their men protest by burning themselves in public Images hit the American public – outraged Henry Cabot Lodge – sent to Vietnam to investigate what is going on reports of upheaval and agrees we need to support a coup of Diem After coup US supports many other puppet govts. but none our supported by the people as a whole
Johnson from old guard – if keep escalating will wear the enemy out – war of attrition
Aug 4, 1964 : not attacked on that day but Johnson tells congress we were to help get the resolution passed Re-election – shows at the start the people supported Johnson and the Vietnam War
Ho Chi Minh Trail – internal underground tunnel system and transportation route outside of Vietnam - used to transport supplies and troops from NV to SV
Search and destroy missions – uprooting of villagers with suspected ties to the VC, killing their livestock, and burning their villages became a war of casualties A war of attrition
Port Huron Statement – charged corporations and large govt. institutions had taken over America and called for a restoration of greater individual freedom
FSM – grew out of a clash between students and administrators over free speech on campus – focused attention on the American machine. American Machine – the nations faceless and powerful business and govt. institutions
Doves – strongly opposed the war and believed US should withdraw Hawks – believed US should unleash a greater show of military force to end the war Silent Majority – by the end of ’67 a poll showed 2/3 of the American public felt the war was justified - 70% felt the protesting of the war was an “act of disloyalty”
Kha Sahn – heavily fortified US camp that was siege by VC & NV – successfully implemented the first phase of Tet lasted until April when US & ARVN forces finally defeated the communist aggressors US Embassy in Saigon – VC were initially successful in capturing the US embassy for 5-6 hours but within 2 weeks the US & ARVN totally defeated the VC Hue – longest battle in Tet lasting 3 weeks – in the end the US was able to defeat the VC
At this time Nixon openly opposes the anti-war movement attacking them, he calls on the silent majority to support his plan
Calley – was found guilty of murder of 22 villagers and sentenced to life hard labor – only served a couple of days before put on house arrest and eventually pardoned by Nixon
Nixon Doctrine – US not going to get involved in third world civil wars again recalled 25,000 troops Kent State Shooting – simulation Easter Offensive – NV knows US is pulling out so a sharp attack will cause immediate withdrawal of Am. troops series of 3 attacks in the North, Central, and South part of SV NV put down – US only gave aerial support – shows SV can fight NV on their own but needs US aerial support
Paris Peace Agreement : US pulls out of Laos and Cambodia NV will release POWs and respect 17 th parallel SV has promise if get in trouble US will help them War Powers Act – president must inform Congress within 48 hours if US forces are sent into a hostile area without a declaration of war troops can remain there no longer than 90 days without Congressional approval Fall 74-75 – Vietnam becomes one united Communist state which it is still today
