Vietnam Conflict
1955 – 1975
1st advisors sent: 1955
1st battle w/ US: 1965
Most men w/drawn: 1973
Last US man killed: 1975
Vietnam reunified: 1975
“Reflections”
by Lee Teter
 Nationality:
Vietnamese (Thai & Chinese)
 Religions Practiced:
Buddhism
Catholicism

Land
is
 Staple Foods: (Single-cropping)
considered
Rice
ANCESTRAL
Corn
Potatoes
Background Information


NV, SV, Laos, Cambodia = French Indochina
Area ruled by Bao Dai - Vietnamese man who worked
for the French
 Vietnamese
nationalists organized
Viet Minh under
leadership of
Ho Chi Minh
 Versailles Conf. 1919:
Ho asked President
Wilson for help.
 Wilson threw him out.
 After WWII: Minh called for independence
(w/ communist gov’t) - Dai abdicated
 French refused to give VN sovereignty &
drove communists to north

Ho Chi Minh wrote to Truman 8 times…
 US saw Minh as agent of
Communism -- so, refused to help
French set up gov’t
to rival Ho & put it
under leadership of
Bao Dai


1954: French lost major battle at Dien Bien Phu
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A peace conference…
… The Geneva Conference
*** The French would leave and…
1. Vietnam split at 17th parallel
2. Ho Chi Minh in North; Bao Dai in South
3. After “cooling off” period, Vietnam to be
united through popular election
Issues that made this
conflict different from others
1. Was a limited war
2. Civilians making military
decisions
3. Enemy difficult to identify:
- Didn’t wear uniforms
- “Switched” sides
- Non-traditional soldiers
women, elderly, children
4. US knew very little about country…
NV took advantage of landscape and
avoided open combat
Issues that made this
conflict different from others
5. War
televised
with daily
death count
6. At home,
opposition
arose
US formed
SEATO to protect
South Vietnam, Laos
& Cambodia from
communism

(South East Asian
Treaty Organization)
Involvement under Eisenhower
Involvement under Ike

Chose Ngo Dinh Diem →
to replace Dai

Diem corrupt & repressive
 Refused
to participate in country elections
 Won S. elections with 98% (!!) of vote…rigged??
 Coined the phrase “Viet Cong”
 Seized land from peasants while VC were giving it,
Involvement under Kennedy
 Sent Green
Berets to
train SV army
 Military
increase:
1961 = 800
1963= 16,700
Involvement under JFK
 Operations (started by SV w/ US help)
1.Operation Sunrise:
2.Strategic Hamlets:
3. Operation Ranchhand:
Robert McNamara, Defense Secretary:
Visits S. Vietnam – May 1962
“We are
winning
the
war."
Involvement under JFK

CIA said NV persecuting N. Catholics (??)
 They fled south and…
 Uprooted Buddhists who were not on good
terms with Diem b/c he = Catholic

wouldn’t let them display religious flags
 Buddhists

peacefully demonstrated…
And MASSACRE occurred
Buddhists protested the killings by…
“Passers-by stop to watch as flames envelope a
young Buddhist monk, Saigon, October 5th,
1963.
The man sits impassively in the central market
square, he has set himself on fire performing a
ritual suicide in protest against governmental
anti-Buddhist policies. Crowds gathered to
protest in Hue after the South Vietnamese
government prohibited Buddhists from carrying
flags on Buddha's birthday. Government troops
opened fire to disperse the dissidents, killing
nine people, Diems government blamed the
incident on the Vietcong and never admitted
responsibility. The Buddhist leadership quickly
organized demonstrations that eventually led to
seven monks burning themselves to death.”
… and Diem viewed
as embarrassment
Involvement under JFK
Despite US efforts, ARVN still losing
 Diem blamed by SV
 US told of plot to kill Diem by SV generals…
 US looked the other way
 Generals then plotted to kill each other
 TEN successive gov’ts in 18 months

 JFK
started to withdraw troops, then…
 "I won't send
American boys
to do the
fighting for
Asian troops."
 Didn’t want
to be 1st pres.
to lose a war
 Increased
troops to
27,000 in 1964
Involvement under Johnson
Involvement under LBJ
 Believed S. rebellion caused by North
 NV sending troops into S. through
Ho Chi Minh Trail b/c couldn’t
cross 17th parallel
 Approved Operation Menu –
top secret raids against North =
bomb Trail in Laos & Cambodia
 Gulf of Tonkin Incident
August 2, 1964
USS Maddox attacked
NV “ it was spying”
 LBJ said 2nd attack
occurred 2 days later for no reason…
 … but never really happened
 Led to Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
- war powers to president until…
- EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
- only 2 dissenting votes in
 Used G. of T. to
escalate US involvement
 Operation Rolling
Thunder – dropped
bombs on NV
 Used more bombs in
four years than combined
total dropped by Allied &
Axis in all WWII
Huey
Elephant Grass
General
Westmoreland
Involvement under LBJ
General
Westmoreland’s
policy of Attrition…
Led to Search and
Destroy missions:
“clearing & securing
operations”
End of 1965: 80,000 troops
Napalm – 2 substances mixed with gasoline to gel
1972
SV attack – NOT US attack
Phuc sustained third-degree burns to
half her body and was not expected to
live. But thanks to assistance from
South Vietnamese photographer Nick
Ut, and after surviving a 14-month
hospital stay and 17 operations, she
became an outspoken peace activist.
- Wikipedia
"Napalm is the most
terrible pain you can
imagine," said Kim
Phuc, known from a
famous Vietnam War
photograph. "Water
boils at 100 degrees
Celsius. Napalm
generates temperatures
of 800 to 1,200 degrees
Celsius."
Used in 1965
Involvement under LBJ
 1967 ground war
reached stalemate
 US increased
air raids
 Resulted in many
civilian casualties
 Led to revulsion
in US & abroad
(China & SU)
Tet Offensive 1968
st
31
Jan.
TET =
Vietnamese
New Year
VC hit every major
SV city almost
simultaneously
First, Khe Sanh was attacked…
Followed by Hue…
Referred
to as the
Massacre
at Hue
Considered longest & bloodiest battle of war
Over 3000 civilians killed by VC & NVA
 US estimates approx. 8000 VC & NVA killed
40% of city destroyed in 26 days; 90% homeless
… Took 8 weeks to get
all VC & NVA out…
Saigon captured
for 8 hours…
Both sides claimed victory…
“The United States won the battle, but lost the
war for public opinion.”
- mil.citrus.cc.ca.us/.../ HIST155/Briefings.htm
DA NANG
HUE
Feb. 1, 1968--during Tet Offensive--General Nguyen
Ngoc Loan, director of SV’s national police force,
executed a Viet Cong prisoner on streets of Saigon.
http://www.brianripley.com/2004.htm
Start of 1969:
543,000
After Tet,
Westmoreland
reassured
America:
“Victory was
near”
America divided: been told this since 1955
Then,
they learned of the My Lai Massacre…
My Lai Massacre
March 16, 1968
 In the Son My District (known VC area)10-14,000 ppl
 Charlie Company (150 ppl) under Capt. Medina
 Lt. William Calley (50 ppl)
 Lost 50 ppl in 2 mos. up to massacre
 Search and destroy ordered in My Lai
 2 objectives: revenge & body count

Hugh Thompson
Lt. William Calley
W/ him: Lawrence Colburn, Glenn
Andreotta, and Ron Ridenhour
Found: 3 rifles,
10 hand grenades
CALLEY
 1969 court martialed
 109 counts of murder
 Guilty of 33
 Dishonorable discharge
 Life in prison
 Reduced to 20 years
 Pardoned in 1974
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/mylai2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/mylai2.html&h=200&
w=298&sz=11&tbnid=9FsMln1f1uZQdM:&tbnh=74&tbnw=111&hl=en&start=10&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLt%2BCalley%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D
WELCOME to the
Mandatory Draft
December 1, 1969
Affected 18 – 26
year olds
Selective Service System History
and Records.htm
 Males born
btwn 1/1/44 and
12/31/50
 366 capsules
pulled from glass
jar & assigned an
RSN beginning
with number 1
 radio, TV, film
 low number =
greater chance of
being drafted
Draft Exemptions
And Deferments
1. Student Deferment
But if you drop out, expelled or fail out…
2. Hardship Deferment
3. Health Deferment
4. Occupational Deferment
Ministers, Teachers, Elected officials, Farmers
5. Conscientious Objectors
*Draft Dodgers…
Went to Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Am. “Underground”
The Anti-War Movement Arises
WHEN & WHERE FORMED?

1962: Port Huron, Mich SDS

1968-69: all over the US The Resistance

1966: Oakland, CA BPP

1969, gained significant ground in 1970-71:
Vietnam
RITA

Oct. 15, 1969: all over the U.S. Moratorium

1960: Raleigh, NC SNCC
WHO JOINED & FAMOUS LEADERS?






Students (K-college), work force adults, VN
soldiers, int’l protesters (The Moratorium)
Followers of Malcolm X, minorities & white
revolutionaries (in beginning): Huey Newton &
Stokely Carmichael (Black Panthers)
College students and professors (SDS)
College students, Bl & Wh Americans: John
Lewis & Carmichael (SNCC)
Black soldiers influenced by BPP >> spread to all
soldiers, specifically enlistees- (RITA)
Usually males - late teens & early 20s, college
students (The Resistance)
PURPOSE? (For All)






Educate about changing politics & occurrences
in war
Protest the war, save own lives
Freedom for minorities & working class – wanted
revolutionary socialism
Show number who opposed war in all South East
Asia through solidarity
Protest mandatory draft & involvement in VN
Promote desegregation using non-violence (work
with SCLC), protested the war
METHODS EMPLOYED?






Sit-ins, public demonstrations, Freedom Rides &
Ballots, denounced war as racist (Black Panther,
SNCC)
Teach-ins, strikes, demonstrations (20,000 ppl) SDS
Refused to register for draft, burned cards (ALL)
Stayed home from school & work, campus
demonstrations, troops wore black arm bands,
religious services, marched on Washington;
internationally – met outside U.S. embassies
(Moratorium)
Mass organizing, community programs, militant selfdefense (Black Panthers, SNCC)
Underground newspapers, coffeehouse mtgs, fragging,
END RESULT OF ORGANIZATIONS?






Over 2 million people participated in US
Disbanded when U.S. withdrew from war
Broke with SCLC over race issues, ejected white
members, began to work with BPP, fell apart in
late 1960s as lost leaders
Not united on ideas and tactics, internal
disputes, disbanded in late 1960s
Investigations/attacks by FBI and arrests of
leaders led to severe weakening and
disintegration in 1980s
When draft ended, began to focus on U.S.
withdrawal from war
WOODSTOCK
 120,000 expected
 400,000 arrived
 Bethel, New York
 August 1969
http://www.vietnampix.com/hippie3b.htm
“Soldiers and protesters take some time off. The anti-war
movement was without a doubt an important part of the
political development in the US at the time.”
LBJ chose not to run for reelection
Middle of the night updates, death tolls, opposition at home...
Involvemement Under Nixon
 “Peace with
honor”
 Pledged to keep SV
non-comm., but hard
without war
 Vietnamization:
 war & peace at
same time
 withdraw US
troops & allow SV
to take over
Involvement under Nixon

Nixon Doctrine:
 Limit US troops fighting in Asian wars

Remember: Laos and
Cambodia were bombed
(Operation _______________)
WHY?
Attacks in Laos
Bombed
along Ho Chi Minh Trail for 6 yrs
150,000 tons of bombs
Successful
in reduced movement along the
Trail, butAttacks
not stopping
it completely…
in Laos
… So, ARVN attempted to invade and FAILED
750,000 Laotians died
Attacks in Cambodia

US into Cambodia to “secure troops leaving VN”

US college campuses in an uproar >>>
KENT STATE MASSACRE

US passed Cooper-Church Amendment:
 no US troops outside of Vietnam
Kent State Massacre (5/2/1970)
 Riots downtown after troops to Cambodia
 National Guard called in to campus
 student rxn: cleaned & peaceful protests
 but…ROTC building set on fire
Kent State Massacre (5/2/1970)
 Not violent at first – put flowers in rifles
 People began to push against Guards
 Guardsmen: tear gas 1st >bayonets>70 shots fired
 4 students died; 1 paralyzed; 8 wounded
Impact on Cambodia




100,000 peasants died; 2 million homeless
Right wing government in Cambodia supported by US
Cambodians blamed government for bombings by
US…
…and began to support the Khmer Rouge
(communists) led by Soloth Sar (Pol Pot)
Impact on Cambodia


Pol Pot was educated in France; admired Stalin
Three groups he targeted and why:
 City Dwellers
(Wealthy)
 Military
(high officials)
 Educated
The Killing Fields


led to one of the bloodiest regimes in the 20th century
3 years = 1.5 million killed
Involvement under Nixon






Vietnamization was FAILING
Secret peace talks in Paris 1971 and through 1973
Many offensive attacks by NV & bombings by US
Then, Nixon got caught up in Watergate Scandal
“Secret” bombings now public
Nixon decided best course = halt all action in SE Asia
Withdrawal of US Troops

Treaty of Paris was signed
 Cease-fire signed (includes Laos & Cambodia)
 released POWs from NV
 Council to form
new government
for SV
 US sent monetary
aid to SV
Withdrawal of US Troops
Last
NV
group left >> 1972
didn’t break
promise but
SV leader didn’t
follow through
NV launched final
offensive in 1975
SV leader resigned;
ARVN surrendered
to NV
Common Misconceptions






Average age of Vietnam soldier = 22 years, not 18
20% of soldiers drafted, not majority
Two famous pictures:
80% of Vietnam Veterans glad they served &
reported they would serve again if they could go back
in time
of Veterans made successful transition to civilian life
of U.S. public holds Vietnam Veterans in high esteem
The parade of Vietnam veterans down
Broadway in Manhattan, 1985; 10 years
after the war the American soldiers were
finally welcomed home.
After their return from Vietnam, many
veterans in the US were treated with
disrespect. There were few adjustment and
help programs available and the public was
divided in its opinion. American veterans
received only partial benefits in comparison
to earlier campaign veterans, Vietnam
veterans were also stereotyped as drug
addicts, violence seekers etc. As general
interest about the war grew due to the
media attention and Hollywood movies
such as Platoon and Full Metal Jacket,
efforts at correcting some of the problems
have been made. Belated parades and
memorials have sought to patch up some
of the ill feeling, but many US veterans still
feel that there are many areas that still
need improvement.
Works Cited
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Vietnam http://vi.uh.edu/pages/buzzmat/indoch.gif
French Indochina http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/seasia/indochina1907large.GIF
Vietnam hamlets http://www.gosh.org/events/vietnam/images/houses.jpg
Bao Dai http://www.iisalessandrini.it/progetti/studenti/tranzani/Tesina%20Teo/BaoDai.jpg
Ho Chi Minh http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/a/a6/170px-Ho_Chi_Minh.JPG
French Indochina coin http://128.192.145.172/foreign3/08icf1p.jpg
Dien Bien Phu 1 http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t053/T053060A.jpg
Dien Bien Phu 2 http://www.davifo.dk/images/DienBienPhu.jpg
Dien Bien Phu 3 http://www.fonjallaz.net/Vietnam/Photos%20Vietnam/Dien-Bien-Phu-parachutiste.jpg
Jungle http://www.geocities.jp/ryoji92jp/200503vietnam/jungle_creek.jpg
Vietnamese boy soldier http://www.vietnampix.com/faces6.htm
SV Landscape http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/centralhighlands05.jpg
Vietnam TVs http://rootcompromise.org/gallery/d/100-2/Shmoocon_2005_015.jpg
Buddhist http://www.vietnampix.com/fire1.htm
Agent Orange cartoon http://www.hannekevanveen.nl/assets/images/agent-orange.jpg
Agent Orange spraying http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2003/111-3/agentorange.jpg
Vietnam Landscape http://www.terragalleria.com/images/vietnam/viet8248.jpeg
Central Highlands http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/centralhighlands06.jpg
Ho Chi Minh Trail http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org/hochiminh69.jpg
Trail Map http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/1959trail.gif
Search and destroy missions http://hometown.aol.com/aircavnews/images/search%20and%20destroy.jpg
Operation Rolling Thunder http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Bombing_in_Vietnam.jpg/250px-Bombing_in_Vietnam.jpg
Huey http://www.vietnampix.com/mach1g.htm
Integration in elephant grass http://www.vietnampix.com/fire4.htm
Running girl http://www.historiasiglo20.org/GLOS/images/vietnam.jpg
Napalm attach http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7b/Napalm_AirStrike_South_Vietnam_1966.jpg/300px-Napalm_AirStrike_South_Vietnam_1966.jpg
Stalemate http://discover.edventures.com/images/termlib/s/stalemate/support.gif
Tet Offesnive Patch http://www.nutimesnewroman.neu.edu/v3i7/assets/articles/tetpatch.jpg
Tet map http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/05/vietnam_war/img/maps/4.gif
Men holding Hue at Tet http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/hujhe-under-fire-small.jpg
Marine at DaNang http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/38/Marine_da_nang.jpg/220px-Marine_da_nang.jpg
Vietnam Parade and Info
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vietnampix.com/bilder/face2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vietnampix.com/faces2.htm&h=365&w=550&sz=34&tbni
d=aB36rlQeKoPvLM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=130&hl=en&start=226&prev=/images%3Fq%3DVietnam%2BJungle%26start%3D220%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3
D%26sa%3DN
Works Cited
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Tet offensive http://www.nsleloi.co.jp/TetOffensive.jpg
Saigon during Tet http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/thumb/4/4c/SaigonTet1968.jpg/250px-SaigonTet1968.jpg
Woman in Saigon http://www.mosaique-vietnam.com/images/vietnam/saigon_offensive_du_tet.jpg
US Soldier in Hue http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue1/img/i1_a4_4.jpg
Landscape pic http://homes.esat.kuleuven.be/~hermus/vietnam/jeep/tam_coc.JPG
My Lai woman http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/features/war/mylai_big.jpg
My Lai road http://www.internationalist.org/mylai.gif
Lt. Calley http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Jun-03-Thu-2004/photos/guest.jpg
Hugh Thompason http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/01/may01/507thom.jpg
My Lai Monument http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/images/mylai02.jpg
Draft card http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/01/oct01/vet102b.jpg
Draft card http://z.about.com/d/usmilitary/1/0/e/c/sss-2.jpg
Burning card http://people.clarkson.edu/~winklebh/vietnam2/draft.gif
Uncle Sam http://www.bullseyesgames.com/contests/freestuff/surveys/draft/md_01b.jpg
Kent State http://www.laken.com/images/kent%20state.jpg
LBJ 1 http://www.masters-of-photography.com/images/screen/newman/newman_johnson.jpg
LBJ http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,323163,00.jpg
Nixon http://www.conmemora.com/ims/richard_nixon.jpg