The Making of a
Stalemate
The Vietnam War 1965-1967
LBJ’s search for advice Eisenhower
• WhiteHouseTapes.org Transcript + Audio
Clip
• WhiteHouseTapes.org Transcript + Audio
Clip
• WhiteHouseTapes.org Transcript + Audio
Clip
“Many Flags” campaign - Allied
support
• 1.) South Korea – largest contingent –
48,000(would lose 4407 men)-US financial
support
• 2.) Australia – 8000, lost 469
• 3.)New Zealand, 1000, lost 37
• 4.) Thailand – 12,000 troops, 351 lost
• 5.) Philippines – medical and small
number of forces in pacification
• 6.) Nationalist China – covert operations
The Stalemated War
• 1.) Battles with the North Vietnamese – Americanization
of the War - Ia Drang, November
1965WhiteHouseTapes.org Transcript + Audio Clip
• 2.) Bombing Halt – December 1965-January 1966 -LBJ
and Eisenhower on Bombing North Vietnam • White
House Tapes • Miller Center
• 3.) Westmoreland’s Strategy of Attrition – the body count
– designed for limited war
• 4.) Search and Destroy operations
• Operation Masher/White Wing – January-March 1966
• Operation Attleboro – September-November 1966
American Force levels/casualties in
Vietnam(K=killed W=wounded)
•
•
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•
•
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•
•
•
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
23,200
190,000
390,000
500,000
535,000
475,000
334,000
140,000
50,000
K 147 W 522
K 1369 W 3308
5008
16,526
9377
32,370
14,589 46,797
9414
32,940
4221
15,211
1381
4767
300
587
Soviet and Chinese Support for
North Vietnam
• 1.) Despite Sino-Soviet dispute and outbreak of
Cultural Revolution in China, support continues
• 2.) Soviet supply of anti-aircraft technology and
supplies to the North – along with medical
supplies, arms, tanks, planes, helicopters,
artillery, and other military equipment. Soviet
ships provided intelligence on B-52 raids – 3000
soldiers in North Vietnam (Soviet govt.
concealed extent of support)
• 3.) Chinese supply of anti-aircraft units and
engineering battalions – 327,000 troops sent –
more than 17,000 killed
The Thieu-Ky government
Problems of the South Vietnamese
Government
• 1.) Gradual stabilization – constitution, elections
- ARVN responsibility for “pacification”
• 2.) Creation of a Revolutionary Development
program
• 3.) Problems of corruption, poor training
• 4.) Key problem of security – thousands
kidnapped and killed by the Viet Cong
• 5.) Refugee problem – 4 million
• 6.) Social and Economic Impact of the American
presence - Dependency
Signs of Discontent – the Fulbright
Hearings – Feb. 1966
George Kennan – the Realist
Critique
1.) Vietnam not a vital national interest
2.) Domino theory – events in Indonesia;
failed Communist coup of October 1965 –
hundreds of thousands slaughtered
(reference in Barack Obama’s
autobiography)
3.) Victory not possible
4.) Misplaced priority – relations with
Soviet Union more important
The Debate at Home
• 1.) Hawks – escalate the war
• 2.) Doves
•
a.) Pacifists
•
b.) New Left
•
c.) Liberals
Draft Card Burning
Antiwar Demonstrations
The Kennedy Challenge
Kennedy as Rock Star
YouTube - Bobby Kennedy - fearless
Johnson – 1966 Political Problems
• 1.) Image Problems – the Credibility Gap
• 2.) Domestic Problems – Inner City Riots,
the “White Backlash”
• 3.) Midterm Election Losses in 1966
Public Opinion Polls – Was sending
troops a mistake? NO
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
August 1965
March 1966
May 1966
Sept. 1966
Feb. 1967
July 1967
October 1967
March 1968
August 1968
61%
59%
49%
48%
52%
48%
44%
40%
35%
The Drive for Peace Talks –
mediators, Wilson, Kosygin
1967 – Origins of the Progress
Offensive
1.) Increasing Discontent with the War
2.) Long Hot Summer – Riots in Detroit
3.) Inflation Fears
4.) LBJ calls for a 10 Percent surtax to pay for
the war
 5.) Public approval of Johnson’s handling of the
war falls to 28 percent
 6.) Martin Luther King’s opposition, March on the
Pentagon October 1967, McCarthy Campaign,
McNamara’s decision to resign
 (Events of Two days in October 1967)
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Martin Luther King’s Opposition
Riverside Church speech, April
1967
YouTube - Martin Luther King Jr_Opposing
The Vietnam War
 King’s opposition – also demonstrating a
strong move to the Left, sign of the
radicalization of the civil rights movement,
the rise of black power

Eugene McCarthy
McCarthy’s Background
1.) Senator from Minnesota
 2.) Johnson considered him as a possible
running mate in 1964
 3.) Digital Classroom Initiative : Template
 4.) McCarthy announces candidacy -November
1967 – only 5 percent in the polls -"I am
concerned that the Administration seems to
have set no limit to the price it is willing to pay
for a military victory."
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San Antonio formula
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1.) Background – debate within the Administration –
military urging a major escalation – McNamara arguing
against it
2.) Speech - September 29, 1967, in San Antonio, Texas,
Johnson offered to cease the bombing of North Vietnam
if Ho Chi Minh would agree to begin serious negotiations
for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and if he would
promise not to use the bombing halt as an opportunity
to “increase” their infiltration of troops and supplies into
South Vietnam.
3.) Transmitted through Henry Kissinger and contacts in
France – (Willingness to include NLF in negotiations)
Hanoi rejects it
North Vietnamese Planning for Tet
1.) Maximum and Minimum objectives –
maximum, another August Revolution –
minimum – psychological advantage for
negotiations, destabilize Saigon, wear down the
Americans, force coalition government
 2.) Strategy – main force units divert the
Americans – Khe Sanh, Viet Cong hit the cities
 3.) Oct. and Nov. 1967 – battles in the north
and central highlands, Con Thien and Dak To
 4.) Beginning of build-up around Khe Sanh
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Johnson’s Progress Offensive
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1.) Johnson’s November press Conference
2.) Bringing Westmoreland home to report to Congress
- “the end begins to come into view”
“the light at the end of the tunnel”
3.) LBJ orders surveillance of the peace movement
activities at home and abroad– Operation Chaos –
dossiers on 7000 Americans – violation of CIA charter
4.) Objective signs of progress – enemy suffering high
casualties, problems with recruiting, ARVN desertion rate
dropping, even McNamara believed progress was being
made
5.) PR campaign – “Committee for Peace and Freedom
in Vietnam” – coordinated with the White House