Ch 17 Sec 1-The Vietnam War
American Support for France-___________________________________________ had begun a revolutionary
movement against the French in the 1930’s
Ho Chi Minh and the ________________________________________ declared Vietnam free
In the late 1945 the French came back to reclaim their colony -The US funded $1 Billion towards the French war
effort from 1950-1954
Vietminh Drive out the French -In 1953 IKE and the US viewed Ho as a communist aggressor
IKE feared The______________________________________and thought it might occur if Vietnam was lost
In 1954 despite massive US aid the French are defeated at Dien Bien Phu -From May through July 1954 seven
countries meet with the Vietminh and the anti-communist South in Geneva to agree to peace
The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, Free Elections promised in 1956
Diem Cancels the Elections -Ho Chi Minh was popular in the North by redistributing land to peasants
South Vietnam’s anti-communist and Catholic President __________________________________ refused to
take part in the Geneva Accord elections of 1956, supported by the US
In 1957 the __________________________________________or Communist Guerillas began attacks in the
South by assassinating members of Diem’s government -In 1959 the
_________________________________________________ or supply line to communists in the South was
opened
JFK and Vietnam -Like IKE, JFK chose to “sink or swim” with Diem in Vietnam
By the end of 1963 more $ and 16,000 US military advisors were in South Vietnam
Diem popularity was plummeting, his _____________________________________________ Program was
unsuccessful
On Nov. 1st 1963 a US supported South Vietnam military coup was carried out and Diem was assassinated
Johnson’s War -In August 1964, a North Vietnamese gun boat fired a torpedo at The USS Maddox
Two days later the Maddox and another destroyer opened fire on the North
LBJ launches limited bombing attacks -Congress adopted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave LBJ broad
military powers in Vietnam
Operation Rolling Thunder was launched -By June of 1965, 50,000 US troops were fighting in Vietnam
Deeper into the Quagmire-Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara and Sec. of State Dean Rusk advised LBJ to deploy
more US troops
In 1965, 61% supported US policy in Nam -US Troop Buildup Accelerates
By the end of 1965, 180,000 US troops were sent to Vietnam, General William Westmoreland continued to
request more US troops
He was not impressed with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) (South Vietnam), By 1967 there were
500,000 US troops in Vietnam
War of Attrition -Massive bombing would weaken N. Vietnam, but the Vietcong used hit-and-run and ambush
tactics
The US used _________________________________________________to set fire to the jungle, The US used the
defoliant _______________________________________________in Operation Ranch-Hand
By 1967 there were 4 million refugees due to US Seek and Destroy missions
Sinking Morale
Guerrilla warfare, brutal jungle, and failure to make headway, and mounting causalities frustrated US troops
Many soldiers turned to alcohol, marijuana and other drugs to escape the war
South Vietnamese civil war within the civil war made the war tough to manage
Many US troops fought bravely and POW fought just to stay alive, even facing torture and the infamous Hanoi
Hilton
Ch 17 Sec 2 Vietnam Divides the Nation
Americans saw the horrific images on TV, Over 16,000 American troops were killed between 1961 and 1967
Many charged that a “___________________________________________________________” between what
the LBJ reported and what was actually occurring (Fulbright Hearings)
Roots of Opposition-”The Times They are A-Changing”
College students became more involved in social protest
From Campus to Mass Mobilization
Professors and students used ______________________________ to protest the war ( Sit-In for the campus)
In April 1965, SDS organized a march on Washington of 20,000, then 30,000, By 1969 SDS had chapters on 400
campuses
In spring of 1967 nearly 500,000 gathered in NYC’s Central Park “Hell no we won’t go!” “Burn Cards not People!”
In October 1967 100,000 anti-war protestors marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon ( 1,500
injured, 700 arrested)
War Divides the Nation -___________________________ versus __________________________________
In December 1967, 70% of Americans felt that the protests were “acts of disloyalty”
Backlash to the Protestors organized“America Love it or Leave It!”, “Support our men in Vietnam!”
“College professors, students…don’t love our country.”
The Working Class War-Teenage Soldiers
Many dogged the draft as Americans doubted the war (Draft included 18-26 year old males) Average age 19.,
Some got medical exemptions, Some joined the National Guard or Coast Guard, Some got a college deferment
The less economically privileged fought the war which included lower economic class whites and minorities,
African Americans made up only 10% of the population but 20%-30% of the combat deaths
Women Join the Ranks -10,000 Us Women served in Vietnam
Most served as military nurses (China Beach)
1968: The Pivotal Year
The Tet Offensive -On Jan 30th 1968 during the Vietnamese New Year celebration the Vietcong launched massive
attacks across Vietnam
The ___________________________________________________lasted for one month, 100 cities and towns
were attacked, 12 US air bases, and even the US Embassy in Saigon ( 40,000 Vietcong deaths)
The Tet Offensive increased the creditability gap and shook the public
Tet changed millions of minds, including new Sec. of Defense Clark Clifford who thought the war was
unwinnable
LBJ declines to run in 1968 -Democrats looked for candidates to run against LBJ in the primaries
Senator Eugene McCarthy opposed LBJ, In the NH Primary LBJ got 48% of the vote McCarthy 42% ( Peace
Candidate) -RFK sensing weakness entered the race
On March 31, 1968 LBJ announced the US would seek negotiations to end the war, with more involvement from
South Vietnam and he would not run for re-election in 1968, his VP Hubert Humphrey will.
King, the War and the Assassination
On April 3rd, 1968 DR. MLK addressed a crowd in Memphis, He gave his famous “Promised Land” Speech -He was
assassinated one day later by James Earl Ray on his hotelbalcony
Reaction to King’s Death
Over 100 cities exploded in flames, 27,000 jailed
On June 4th, 1968 RFK won the Democratic Primary on June 5th he was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan after
giving a speech in the hotel kitchen
The DNC of 1968
In August at the DNC Convention in Chicago thousands of anti-war protestors came to Chicago
The Democratic nomination was between Eugene McCarthy and LBJ’s VP Hubert Humphrey
Mayor Richard J. Daley mobilized 12,000 Chicago Police officers “…there will be law and order.”
On Aug. 28th Rock and bottles met nightsticks and mace, “The whole world is watching!”
The Election of 1968 –
Richard M. Nixon (R) vowed to restore law and order, and to end the war in Vietnam
Hubert H. Humphrey (D) LBJ’s VP
 Richard___________________________ won a close race and inherited the Quagmire of Vietnam
Ch 17 Sec 3 The War Winds Down -1969-1973
Nixon’s Vietnamization -Sec. of State Henry Kissinger opted for
__________________________________________which was a reduction in US troops by turning active combat
operations over to the South Vietnamese while negations continued
By August 1969 25,000 troops came home -Between 1969 and 1972 the # of US troops dropped from over
543,000 to less than 25,000
Nixon spoke of “peace with honor” while the US continued bombing campaigns into Laos and Cambodia to cut
supply lines
Trouble on the Battlefront
In Nov. 1969 Americans learned of the My Lai Massacre ( 100 innocent Vietnamese civilians mostly old men
women and children were gunned down by a US Platoon)
The Invasion of Cambodia and Kent State
In April 1970 Nixon announced the US invaded Cambodia to clear out VC and North Vietnam supply centers Colleges burst out in protests, 1.5 million students closed more than 1,200 campuses
On May 4th, 1970 at ________________________________ State after the ROTC building was burned down and
rocks were thrown at the National Guard, they opened fire on protestors, 4 were killed nine wounded at Kent
State
End of the War
In March of 1972 the North Vietnamese launched their largest attack since Tet
Pres. Nixon ordered a massive bombing campaign on Hanoi and other cities, and mined Haiphong Harbor Kissinger announced “Peace is at Hand!”
Nixon unleashed the “Christmas Bombings” of Hanoi and Haiphong, 100,000 bombs over 11 days
Jan 27, 1973 an agreement was reached -On March 29, 1973 the last US troops left for home
The Fall of Saigon -In March 1975 North Vietnamese launched a full scale invasion
The US sent $ to South Vietnam but no troops, Pres. Ford did not want another nightmare
On April 30th, 1975 North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon and the South fell, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh
City
Painful Legacy of Vietnam -There were no victory parades for Vietnam Vets, Many faced bitterness and hostility
15% or 3.3 million soldiers developed _______________________________________ 58,000 US troops were
killed
The Communists forced 1.5 million people out of Vietnam , 50,000 boat people perished
Cambodia’s civil war in which Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot killed 1 million Cambodians
Lasting Legacies of Vietnam -The US abolished the draft, In 1982 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled
in Washington DC
In Nov. 1973 Congress passed The __________________________________________________
which the President must inform Congress within 48 hrs. of sending forces
Troops cannot remain longer than 90 days without authorization from Congress
__in