The Vietnam Wars
Mr. Daniel Lazar
Lecture Outline
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II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Imperial Roots
On the Back of a Tiger
The Arrogance of Power
Opposition
Peace with Honor
Legacies
The Mission to Uplift and Civilize
The Mission to Uplift and Civilize
Roots of the War: La Mission Civilisature in the Age of
Imperialism, 1887 – 1954
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A foot in the door for gains in the future
– The China Market
French influence in Indochina (Nam, Laos &
Cambodia)
– Reform: government, education, land and
economic
– No free speech
– No self-determination nor nationalistic
sentiments
Rebellion: Phan Boi Chou (1867-1940)
– Reformation Society (Duy Tan Hoi)
– 1921, Phan studied Socialism and the
Soviet model of modernization in the hope
of gaining assistance from the USSR
– 1925, French agents seized him in
Shanghai. Convicted of treason and spent
the rest of his life under house arrest in
Hue.
– 1940, died 1 month after Japan’s invasion
– Streets named after him in every town
Uncle Ho and the ICP
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From 1919-1923, while living in
France, Ho Chí Minh (born
Nguyen Sinh Cung) embraced
communism
Following WWI, under the name of
Nguyễn Ái Quoc (Nguyen the
Patriot), he petitioned for civil
rights for Vietnamese people in
French Indochina to the Western
powers at Versailles
Citing the language and the spirit
of the U.S. Declaration of
Independence, Ho petitioned
Woodrow Wilson for help to
remove the French from Vietnam
and replace it with a new,
nationalist government. His
request was ignored.
Uncle Ho and the ICP
• 1930, Ho helped est. the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP).
• 1931, he was arrested in Hong Kong and incarcerated by British
police until 1933. He then went to USSR, where he spent years
recovering from tuberculosis.
• 1938, went to China and served as adviser to CCP PLA
• 1941, Ho returned to Vietnam to lead the Viet Minh independence
movement. He oversaw many successful military actions against the
Vichy French and Japanese during World War II. Supported by US
OSS
• 1942, Jailed in China for months by Chiang Kaishek's local
authorities. After his release in 1943, returned to Vietnam. He was
treated for malaria and dysentery by American OSS doctors.
• Following WWII, Ho petitioned Truman for support for Vietnamese
independence, citing the Atlantic Charter, but Truman never
responded.
Bao Dai: The Christmas Tree Falls
• Ho was able to persuade Bảo
Đại to abdicate on 25 August
1945, handing power over to
the Việt Minh — an event
which greatly enhanced Hồ's
legitimacy in the eyes of the
Vietnamese people.
• Bảo Đại was appointed
"supreme advisor" to the new
government in Hanoi, which
asserted its independence on
2 September.
• He explained his abdication in
1945 saying "I would prefer to
be a citizen of an independent
country rather than Emperor of
an enslaved one."
Victory for Ho and the Vietminh
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WWII influenced desire for self-determination
French troops arrive in 1946 (French occupy
SVN/ Ho in NVN)
Ho + Vietminh = Communism + Nationalism
Won Battle of Dien Bien Phu (5/5/54): In a battle
of inspiration versus equipment, the French
surrender. Yet the international community learns
no lessons.
Ho declared an independent Vietnam on 9/2/46
The US Reaction
• France crippled from WWII
• SEATO (1954) justifies US
involvement
• Truman, with NSC-68 &
SEATO support, provides
$20 million
• IKE ups the ante to $2.6
billion
The Geneva Accords (1954)
• Cease hostilities
• No foreign involvement
in internal Indochina
affairs
• 17th Parallel
• NVN/Hanoi/Ho
• SVN/Saigon/Diem
• 1956 Elections…
The New Puppet
Anti Buddhist
• Diem used slogans such as
"Christ has gone south" and
"the Virgin Mary had departed
from the North“
• Over 60% of northern Catholics
moved to SVN, providing him
with a source of loyal support.
The New Puppet
No 1956 Elections
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A referendum rigged by his
brother Ngo Dinh Nhu saw Diem
gain 98% of the vote, with 133% in
Saigon.
American advisors suggested that
he win by a lesser margin he
would be able to legitimately win
against Emperor Bao Dai.
After pressure from within the
country and the US, Diem agreed
to hold elections in August 1959 to
form a national legislature.
Newspapers were not allowed to
publish names of independent
candidates or their policies, and
political meetings exceeding five
people were prohibited.
The New Puppet
No Land Reform
Mass Corruption
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His most trusted official was his
brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu who was
an opium addict and admirer of
Hitler. He modeled the military
wing of his political party, Can
Lao, marching and torture styles
on Nazi methods
Used Army of the Republic of
Vietnam (ARVN) to work on his
personal construction projects.
Ngo’s wife, Madame Nhu enacted
'morality laws‘-- outlawing
abortion, adultery, divorce,
contraceptives, dance halls,
beauty pageants, boxing matches,
and animal fighting, and closed
down the brothels and opium
dens.
Opposition to Diem
• People's Army of
Vietnam (PAVN)
• National
Liberation Front
(NLF) aka The
Vietcong (VC)
• Led by Ho
• The Ho Chi Minh
Trail
The Kennedy Response
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Democrats accused of
being “soft” on
communism
JFK deploys “advisors”
and “flood crews”
The Strategic Hamlet
Program
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Diem Coup (11/2/63)
likely by ARVN
soldiers
Kennedy assassinated
three weeks later
The Diem Coup
• The McNamara-Taylor Report (from Retrospect)
– ‘There are serious political tensions in Saigon. . . .
Further repressive actions by Diem and Nhu could
change the present favorable military trends. . . . It is
not clear that pressures exerted by the U.S. will move
Diem and Nhu toward moderation. . . . The prospects
that a replacement regime would be an improvement
appear to be about 50-50.’
• Time Magazine 6/30/75:
– ‘The coup against Diem was planned with the
knowledge of Dean Rusk and Averell Harriman at the
State Department, Robert S. McNamara and Roswell
Gilpatric at the Defense Department and the late
Edward R. Murrow at the U.S. Information Agency.’
The Johnson Administration:
The Tonkin Gulf “Incident”
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The US was carrying out a program of covert
naval commando attacks against North Vietnam
with Johnson’s support since January 1964.
There was, in fact, fighting during the day of 4
August. But the "second attack“ is uncertain at
best.
On the night of August 4, both ships thought they
had come under attack again and sent messages
reported enemy contacts, torpedoes in the water,
etc, while firing at the supposed adversary. This
was a supposed challenge to "innocent passage"
The Johnson Administration:
The Tonkin Gulf “Incident”
• No physical evidence for the August 4 attack claims. No
wreckage nor bodies of dead sailors. No photographs.
Radar and sonar sightings provided an exceedingly
confusing set of data at best.
• In Washington Secretary McNamara had a conversation
with LBJ. Their discussion reflects McNamara's
knowledge of the scam when, referring to the U.S.
destroyer, he states, "this ship is allegedly, uh, to be
attacked tonight."
• McNamara and LBJ went on to discuss what retaliation
they could carry out for the attack (that had not yet
happened), including bombing targets in North Vietnam.
• An hour later, when McNamara called in the first report
that the alleged attack had begun, he was already
prepared with a list of options.
The Johnson Administration:
The Tonkin Gulf “Incident”
• As a result of McNamara’s testimony, on 7 August,
Congress passed a joint resolution (H.J. RES 1145),
titled the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted LBJ
authority to conduct military operations in Southeast Asia
without a declaration of war. The Resolution gave LBJ
approval "to take all necessary steps, including the use
of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of
the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting
assistance in defense of its freedom."
• In 2005, it was revealed in an official NSA declassified
report that there was no North Vietnamese boats at the
August 4 incident. The report said:
– ‘It is not simply that there is a different story as to
what happened; it is that no attack happened that
night. In truth, Hanoi's navy was engaged in nothing
that night.’
The Johnson Administration:
The Tonkin Gulf “Incident”
• Squadron commander James Stockdale was one of the U.S.
pilots flying overhead during the alleged attack. Stockdale
wrote in his 1984 book Love and War:
– "[I] had the best seat in the house to watch that event, and
our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets—
there were no PT boats there… There was nothing there but
black water and American fire power." Stockdale said his
superiors ordered him to keep quiet about this.”
– "There was absolutely no gunfire except our own, no PT
boat wakes, not a candle light let alone a burning ship. None
could have been there and not have been seen on such a
black night."
• The history of U.S. destroyers carried on the Navy's official
website no longer contains any reference to a naval
engagement having occurred on August 4.
Mr. Johnson’s War
LBJ & Operation Rolling Thunder
Four Objectives:
• To bolster the sagging
morale of the Saigon
regime in the Republic of
Vietnam
• To convince North
Vietnam to cease its
support for the
communist insurgency in
South Vietnam
• To destroy North
Vietnam's transportation
system, industrial base,
and air defenses
• To interrupt the flow of
men and material into
South Vietnam.
LBJ & Operation Rolling Thunder
Results:
• Mar 1965 - Nov 1968, U.S. Air Force flew 153,784 attack
sorties against NVN, while the Navy and Marine Corps
had added another 152,399.
• 31 December 1967, the DOD announced that 864,000
tons of NVN during Rolling Thunder, compared with
653,000 tons dropped during the entire Korean Conflict
and 503,000 tons in the Pacific theater during WWII
• 1 January 1968, CIA estimated on that damage inflicted
on NVN totaled $370 million in physical destruction,
including $164 million in damage to capital assets
(factories, bridges, and power plants). Also 1,000
casualties had been inflicted on the North Vietnamese
population per week, or approximately 90,000 for the 44month period, 72,000 of whom were civilians.
United We Stand…
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Hawks
Robert MacNamara—Secretary of
Defense
Dean Rusk—Secretary of State
William Westmoreland—
Commander of ARVN forces
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Doves
John McNaughton—Assistant
Secretary of Defense
George Ball—Undersec. of State
William Fulbright—Senator on
Foreign Relations Committee
LBJ between Rusk & Mac
The Arrogance of Power
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Bombing to the
Negotiating Table
Body Count: US
never lost a battle
Search and
Destroy--“destroy
the city in order to
save it”
Battle of Hearts and Minds:
Two Sides. One War
Battle of Hearts and Minds:
Agent Orange
A People’s War
US Soldier Morale
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Drugs
Fragging
Deserting
Race Relations
UUUU: the unwilling, led
by the unqualified, doing
the unnecessary for the
ungrateful
• A civil war within a civil
war left the soldiers
mystified
Living Room War: The Media Turns
The War at Home
• Living Room War & The Credibility Gap
• Working Class War (85% from lower SES)
– MLK and the “Cruel Irony”
– African-Americans as 20% of combat deaths
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Civil Rights Movement
Women’s Rights Movement
Student Movement: Tune In, Turn on, Drop Out
The Great Society? Maybe Later.
– $6 billion domestic budget cut in 1967
– Inflation rate at 6% (3 times that of 1960)
The New Left
“Peace With Honor”
• Tet Offensive—Jan-Sept 1968, led by combined forces
of the NLF and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)
• LBJ steps down…Enter Nixon (1968) to “restore law and
order” and appease The Silent Majority
• Vietnamization
– gradual withdrawal and shifting power
– bombing to the Negotiating Table (troops out planes
in)
• My Lai Massacre--mass murder of 347 to 504 unarmed
citizens in South Vietnam, mostly women and children,
conducted by U.S. Army forces on March 16, 1968
• 58,022 vs. 1,600,000 (plus 9,000,000 refugees, plus
5,500,000 maimed and wounded)
• 12/17/72 = Christmas Bombings (11 days/100,000
bombs)
• 3/29/73 = last US troops go home
• 4/30/75 = NVN takes Saigon with little resistance
Honor? The Cambodian Genocide
Legacies