Vietnam 1953-1975 France in Vietnam 1800 s-wwii French Indochina Imperialist established rice & rubber plantations Suppressed Vietnamese unrest by restricting freedom of speech & assembly. Jailed Vietnamese nationalist Revolutionaries fled to China 1924 Revolutionaries organize under Ho Chi Minh Ho Chi Minh formed the Indochinese Communist Party and organized a Vietnam Independence Movement from exile in the Soviet Union & China. 1940 Japan controlled Vietnam Japan in Vietnam 1941 Ho Chi Minh returns to Vietnam and formed the Vietminh Vietminh=Vietnamese independence organization The U.S. sends aid to Ho Chi Minh to fight the Japanese 1945 September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam Independent. The French return to Vietnam After WWII France wanted to reestablish its control over Vietnam French Indochina War U.S. supported the French with economic and military aid. Truman sent $15 million in economic aid to France in 1950 The U.S. paid over $1 billion to help France fight Ho Chi Minh. (U.S. viewed him as a communist aggressor) May 1954 France surrenders Vietminh took over the French outpost at Dien Bien Phu Geneva Accords Temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17 th parallel North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh/Communists Capital city Hanoi South Vietnam Anticommunist Nationals Capital city Saigon Elections were scheduled for 1956 that would unify the country under one leader. Elections Cancelled Ho Chi Minh gained popularity in the north by breaking up large estates & redistributing the land to the peasants He was also a national hero due to his long fight for Vietnams independence. Ngo Dinh Diem (leader of S. Vietnam) refused to take part in the elections in 1956 U.S. supported the cancellation of the elections, fearing Ho Chi Minh s victory Eisenhower promised to support Diem with military training. 1
Ngo Dinh Diem Ran a very corrupt government Supported the Catholic minority and restricted Buddhist practices (majority of Vietnam is Buddhist) Created land policies that favored the wealthy Tortured and imprisoned his opposition. President Dwight D. Eisenhower welcomes President Ngo Dinh Diem to the United States in May 1957. During his visit Diem addressed a joint session of Congress and got a ticker tape parade in New York City. Eisenhower called Diem the "miracle man of Asia." Vietcong Communist in South Vietnam 1957 Attacked Diem s government Assassinated thousands of S. Vietnamese officials Supported by Ho Chi Minh 1959 he used a network of supply trials called the Ho Chi Minh trail. Kennedy Sent military advisors and increased financial aid to Diem By 1963 16,000 U.S. personnel were in South Vietnam The End for Diem Failed to respond to the people s need for land reform He moved Villagers to strategic hamlets or protect areas The villagers resented being moved from their homes were their families had lived for generations. Diem was angered by Buddhist demonstrations so he imprisoned & killed hundreds of Buddhist clerics & destroyed temples. Buddhist monks protested by burning themselves to death On Nov. 1, 1963 Diem was assassinated as part of a U.S. supported coup 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. I guess you must eventually become immune - the man behind the monk is still trying to find a light for his cigarette. 2
Johnson Did not want to look soft on Communism Dedicated to fighting Communist in Vietnam Tonkin Gulf Resolution August 2, 1964 N. Vietnamese patrol boat fired a torpedo at an American destroyer the U.S.S. Maddox The torpedo missed but the Maddox returned fire and damaged the patrol boat August 4, 1964 The Maddox reported enemy torpedoes despite poor visibility The American destroyer open fire In response Johnson ordered heavy bombing strikes on North Vietnam Operation Rolling Thunder Johnson asked Congress for the power to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression August 7, 1964 Congress adopted the Tokin Gulf Resolution Not a declaration of war Gave Johnson military power in Vietnam Feb. 1965 Johnson used his power to bomb N. Vietnam March 1965 1 st U.S. combat troops arrived in S. Vietnam By June 1965 50,000 U.S. soldiers were fighting the Vietcong War at Home Johnson hoped the war would end quickly however it continued to drag on. Johnson needed more money for the war in Aug. 1967 he asked Congress to increase taxes. Congress agreed only if funding for Johnson s Great Society programs was reduced by $6 billion. Media Living-Room War Nightly news footage contradicted the government s war plan. General Westmoreland used body-count statistics to report that the Vietcong would surrender soon. The T.V. showed images of American body bags showed a different side of the statistics. 1961-67 16,000 American s died in Vietnam Many Americans questioned the credibility of what the government was telling them. 3
A Nation Divided Draft As the war became questionable many young men began to manipulate the draft Medical exemption Men moved residence to face a more lenient draft board. Men joined National Guard or Coast Guard College deferment Most college students in the 60 s were financial well-off and white. Many men who fought in Vietnam were lower-class whites or minorities. 80% soldiers came from lower class. Vietnam was a working class war African-Americans served in disproportionate numbers as ground combat troops 20% of combat deaths were African- Americans (African-American men made up 10% of the total U.S. population) 1969 a draft lottery system was instituted to fix this issue 1967 Martin L. King spoke out against the number of African-Americans dieing for a country that still treated them as secondclass citizens. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 1960 Tom Hayden & Al Haber Free Speech Movement (FSM) 1964 University of California at Berkeley College Campuses all over the U.S. quickly embraced the ideas of SDS & FSM Mostly focused on campus issues Dress codes Curfews Dormitory Regulations Mandatory ROTC programs In the mid 1960 s students united against the Vietnam War. By 1969 over 400 campuses had SDS chapters Tet Offensive Jan. 30, 1968 Vietnamese New Year The Vietcong coordinated a massive attack of over 100 S. Vietnamese cities & towns, 12 U.S. airbases and the U.S. embassy in Saigon Month long battle Westmoreland claimed it was a victory 32,000 Vietcong killed 3,000 American & ARVN killed However many American s did not see this as a victory The media openly criticized the war. Nixon 1969 Nixon announced the first withdraw of troops. He continued the war. Henry Kissinger & Vietnamization Gradual withdraw of U.S. troops from Vietnam S. Vietnamese would take a more active combat role 1969 the first 25,000 U.S. troops came home 1969-71 troop numbers dropped from 500,000 to 25,000 Peace with Honor 4
My Lai Nov. 1969 the New York Times reported on March 16, 1968 a U.S. platoon massacred 200 innocent civilians in a small village of My Lai. Cambodia April 30, 1970 Nixon invaded Cambodia to clear out supply lines College students all over the U.S. protested 1.5 million students closed down 1,200 campuses. Lieutenant William Calley Kent State University Students burned the ROTC building Mayor called in the National Guard May 4, 1970 4 students were killed 9 Wounded Jackson State May 14,1970 Jackson State University Mississippi 12 students wounded 2 killed (innocent bystanders) March 29, 1973 the last of the U.S. troops left Vietnam March 1975 N. Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion of S. Vietnam April 30,1975 N. Vietnam took Saigon Phillip Lafeyette Gibbs James Earl Green 5
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