Pre- United States Involvement
-French colonization until 1945 (WWII)
- 1954 12,000 French troops surrounded and surrendered
- Vietnam divided. Unable to unify through Democratic elections
(north- Ho Chi Minh- communist, south- Ngo Dinh Diem- leaning
towards a democratic style)
- We supported the south and Diem, We sent advisors to assist south
and Diem. Domino Theory
U.S. Involvement
- August 2, 1964- U.S. Navy exchange fire with the northern
Vietnamese- Result- Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- It
gave L.B.J. the power to “take all necessary measures to repel any
armed attack against the forces of the U.S.”
- 1965- first combat troops sent.
Date
# of troops in Vietnam
U.S Soldiers killed
July 1965
81,400
509
December 1965
184,300
1,594
December 1967
485,600
15,979
End of January 1973
543,400
58,191
- The U.S. Government used the draft to raise so many troops. Draft
dodgers.
1965- 1968 Operation Rolling Thunder
- Goal- Use air strikes to destroy war production means and the Ho Chi
Minh Trail (was covered in jungle- we used agent orange (chemical
killed vegetation) and napalm (jelly gas that burned vegetation)
harmful to civilians and U.S. veterans
- Was largely unsuccessful, as were peace talks
Tactics used by the Vietcong- Guerilla Warfare
- Knowledge of geography
- Tunnel complexes (see pg. 645)
The United States – “A Nation Divided”
- A televised war
- Within government- Doves(against war) and Hawks(support war)
- Student protests at first, more and more regular people became
opposed to the war- Peaceniks
The Tet Offensive January 30, 1968
- Surprise- It was launched on the Vietnamese New Year (usually was a
cease fire)
- Showed strength and determination of the Vietcong
- Attacked U.S. Embassy
General Decline in U.S. involvement
- More people continued to be against our involvement.
- Nixon promised to end the war.
- January 27, 1973 Paris Peace Accords signed- promised we would
remove all U.S. forces and Vietnamese were to return all U.S.
P.O.W.’s.
In Retrospect
- We overestimated the value of our technological warfare and
underestimated the resolve of the Northern Communist Vietcong.
- Would the Domino Theory have held true?
- Divided country.
- Did we exaggerate the threat posed to us by Communist Vietnam
action or contain it and save the rest of South East Asia from
Communism?
- We lost 58, 191 men. Was this justifiable because it may have
prevented a greater future loss of American lives?
A Lesson Learned?
“We do not have the God given right to shape every nation in our image or
as we choose.” Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense under Presidents
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.