4. US troops were first sent to Vietnam in 1955 and
the final one left in 1975. What happened during
those two decades?
5. Five Presidents were
involved in sending US
troops to Vietnam:
•
•
•
•
•
Dwight Eisenhower
John F Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Each of them dealt with
the issue differently.
6. The USA was worried
about a Communist
takeover in Asia.
The fact that many
countries – including
China – were
Communist meant they
felt they had to take
action to stop this.
7. At first the US wanted
France to keep control
of Indochina.
Then they offered
economic and military
support i.e. weapons.
Eventually they decided
to send in US troops.
8. After the French exit
from Asia, US President
Dwight Eisenhower
offered support to help
South Vietnam.
In 1955, he agreed to
send ‘advisors’ (US
soldiers) not to fight
but to help train the
South Vietnam army.
9. The South Vietnam Army
training wasn’t effective.
The US soldiers trained in
Texas and knew nothing of
jungle warfare.
The rebel group the
Vietcong were still able
to fight a successful
guerrilla war.
10. US President John F
Kennedy was reluctant to
send more troops but
felt he had no choice.
During his presidency he
sent 16,000 US advisors
to Vietnam. Most notable
were the Green Berets
(Special Forces).
11. Kennedy also
started the
Strategic Hamlets
initiative.
This involved
forcing Vietnamese
peasants to live
in guarded
villages. 3000 of
these were set up.
12. After JFK’s assassination,
new President Lyndon
Johnson sent even more
troops.
The US public was against
this but the Gulf of Tonkin
incident changed their
mind, when the US Navy was
said to have been attacked
by North Vietnam.
13. Johnson set up Operation
Rolling Thunder.
This meant that the US
would bomb important
sites in North Vietnam.
The Soviet Union and
China gave military
support to North Vietnam
to shoot down US planes.
14. Johnson also sent the
first US troops to
Vietnam that were there
specifically to fight,
not just train.
By 1968 there were
535,000 US troops
fighting in Vietnam.
15. The US soldiers were
involved in different
activities, including:
• Search and destroy
missions
• Air attacks
• Chemical attacks
(using Agent Orange)
16. Although the US had a
huge military presence
in Vietnam, they were
not winning.
The US public was
against sending more
troops. Other countries
(including SEATO) would
not send more soldiers.
17. In 1968, new US
President Richard Nixon
announced a new policy
called ‘Vietnamisation’.
This involved giving
more weapons and
training to South
Vietnam troops so that
US soldiers could then
go home.
18. This policy ultimately
proved unsuccessful too,
mainly because the USA
did not win South Vietnam
‘hearts and minds’.
The US also forced a
change of government in
Cambodia, which led to as
civil war and 3 million
people’s deaths.
19. National Security Advisor
Henry Kissinger agreed a
truce with North Vietnam
at Paris Peace Talks in.
However South Vietnam
rejected the agreement and
fighting continued. The
Communists soon took over
more of South Vietnam.
20. After Nixon’s resignation,
his Vice-President Gerald
Ford became President.
Ford struggled to deal
with North Vietnamese
attacks. The US Congress
also refused to give more
funds to keep the fight
going.
21. Eventually it became
clear that the US could
not win in Vietnam.
Millions of people were
dead and the country had
been destroyed by
fighting.
The last US soldier left
in 1975.
