Vietnam Laos Cambodia Colony of France since The 1800 s
What country ruled Vietnam since the 1800 s
1890-1969 In his 20 s, he traveled to the US and England At Versailles Conference, he petitioned for independence for Vietnam, but was ignored Becomes a Communist and travels to USSR and China Returns to Vietnam in 1941
Viet Minh are a guerilla force led by Ho Fight the French for independence Japan invades French Indochina Viet Minh fight the Japanese US supports Ho Chi Minh Common Enemy After WW II French regain power Ho demands independence
1946-1954 War against French for Independence French Emperor Bao Dai VS Viet Minh Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen Giap Communists strength is in North and villages Nationalists control Southern cities
Containment Chinese Civil War Soviets get the A Bomb China goes Commie Korean War
Guerilla War US supports French and Nationalist side Truman Eisenhower Domino Theory By the end US is paying 90% of the War!
French surrounded at Dien Bien Phu General Giap is superior to French leader 56 day siege French ask for direct US help Want US to use nukes Nixon supports idea Ike doesn t French surrender 8000 POWs
Vietnam divided at 17 th parallel Supposed to be temporary Plan for free elections French leave North - Communist Ho Chi Minh Hanoi South Backed by US Bao Dai Saigon US does not sign agreement
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization NATO for SE Asia To protect South Korea and South Vietnam USA UK France Australia Taiwan Thailand. Etc.
1955 Ngo Dinh Diem elected in the South Rigged election to replace Bao Dai More people voted in Saigon than lived there Viet Cong (National Liberation Front) Guerilla force (insurgents) Opposed to Diem Operates in South, supported by the North 1956 Election to reunify Vietnam cancelled by Diem Temporary divide becomes permanent
Leader Ho Chi Minh Capital Hanoi Military NVA (North Vietnamese Army) Formerly the Viet Minh Viet Cong (live in South but fight for North) Backed by Communists (USSR, China)
Leader Ngo Dinh Diem Capital Saigon Military ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Backed by the United States With military advisors
1960 900 1961 3,200 1962 11,500 1963 16,300 1964 23,300 1965 184,300 1966 425,300 1967 485,600 1968 536,100
Corrupt Brother Ngo Dinh Nhu was head of the secret police 1 st Lady Madam Nhu was very unpopular Discriminated against Buddhists Buddhist monks protest by using self-immolation
Win their Hearts and Minds Strategic Hamlet Program Increase number of advisors Create the Green Beret
Nov. 2, 1963 Diem overthrown by S. Vietnamese military Believed US approved Diem and Nhu assassinated South Vietnam will be ruled by a succession of Generals
Aug 2, 1964 - USS Maddox attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin Aug 4, 1964 USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy report that they are attacked again Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara recommends US attack N Vietnam
Aug 5, 1964 US launches air strikes Aug 7, 1964 Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving LBJ permission to use military force in Vietnam Passed House 416-0 Senate 98-2 Official reason for fighting the Vietnam War
Problem? 2 nd incident never happened, we weren t attacked LBJ later said, For all I know, our Navy might have been shooting at whales out there. Over 58,000 Americans will die in the Vietnam War
Nov 1965 7 th Air Cavalry Col. Hal Moore Rick Rescorla 1 st use of Helicopters US reliance on firepower US loses 234 NVA loses 2000 Considered a US Victory Determines tactics for the war
Sec of Defense Robert McNamara General William Westmoreland War of Attrition Kill enough of them and they will give up Body Counts Search and Destroy Missions B-52s Napalm Agent Orange Free Fire Zones
Guerilla warfare Using native material Bamboo Vines Tunnels Ho Chi Minh Trail Not 1 trail but a supply network War of Attrition Kill enough Americans to make them leave
18-26 yr olds Mostly 18-20 Most men of draft age never serve Lottery Exemptions Conscientious Objectors Muhammad Ali Deferments College Draft Dodgers 1977 Amnesty Jimmy Caret
College enrollment doubles in the 60 s SDS Students for a Democratic Society Tom Hayden Vietnam Veterans Against the War Dr. Spock Dr. King Sen. William Fulbright Columbia University Draft evasion increases
VC attack major cities and US bases Saigon Hue Khe Sanh Military defeat for VC over 40,000 killed Moral defeat for US Before Tet: Hawks 62% - Doves 22% After Tet: Hawks 41% - Doves 42% TURNING POINT OF VIETNAM WAR
Lyndon Johnson Hey, hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today? Sen. Eugene McCarthy Antiwar Sen. Robert Kennedy Antiwar LBJ drops out of the race VP Hubert Humphrey runs
Republican Richard Nixon Law and Order Independent George Wallace Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever
Apr 4 Dr. King assassinated in Memphis Most major US cities erupt in riots James Earl Ray Arrested 2 months later in England
June 6 Bobby Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles Had just won the California Primary Sirhan Sirhan Killed RFK because of his support of Israel
Because of RFK s death there was no clear candidate Hippie antiwar protests Mayor Richard Daily Police Riot Chicago 7 Humphrey wins nomination
R Richard Nixon 43.4% 301 Electoral Votes D- Hubert Humphrey 42.7% 191 I George Wallace 13.5% 46
Happened March 1968, reported Nov 1969 US soldiers murdered 350 civilians Military covered it up Finally reported by Seymour Hersh Lt. William Calley convicted of ordering the killing Sentenced to life in prison Released after 4 months
Nixon s plan to turn over control to the S. Vietnamese Gradually pull US troops out Increased bombing May 1970 US invades Cambodia Attack the Ho Chi Minh Trail By 1972 US had pulled over 400,000 troops out of Vietnam
Apr 30 - Nixon announces invasion of Cambodia May 1 - Antiwar protest on campus Friday night vandalism downtown Police shut down bars May 2 Mayor declares state of emergency Gov. James Rhodes sends in the National Guard Students burn down ROTC building Students bayoneted by Guard May 3 Larger protest held Guard tear gasses and bayonets students
College has classes Over 2000 protesters gather at noon on The Commons Guard orders them to disperse Tear gas March up hill with bayonets
Guard gather on practice field Kneel and point rifles at students Regroup and march back up the hill Most protesters think it s over
At the top of the hill, by the Pagoda Guard turns and opens fire!
4 Students killed, 9 wounded 2 students killed and 12 wounded the next week at Jackson State in Miss. End of College for 1970
Top secret history of Vietnam War compiled by Defense Department Detailed lies about the war 1971 Leaked to the NY Times by Daniel Ellsberg Nixon tried to stop the NY Times from publishing NY Times v U.S. 6-3 ruling for publishing 1 st Amendment The Plumbers break into Ellsberg s psychiatrist's office
Paris Peace Talks began in 1968 US negotiator Henry Kissinger Le Duc Tho N. Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu S. Vietnam Cease Fire announced just before 1972 election Kissinger Peace is at hand Agreement falls apart US bombs Hanoi Christmas Bombing Cease fire signed Jan 21, 1973 US withdraws combat troops
US listed 1350 Americans as POWs At the end of the war 591 were returned Some had spent 8 years as prisoners
War continues for 2 years after US withdrawal US evacuates orphans and over 100,000 South Vietnamese that had helped us Many more left behind Saigon is captured in April 1975 Now called Ho Chi Minh City
Over 3 million Vietnamese died Over 58,000 Americans died Over 300,000 Americans wounded Cost more than $150 Billion Vietnam became Communist anyway US resumed diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s Americans are still divided in their opinions over the Vietnam War
Over 2.5 million Americans served in the Vietnam War The served tours of 1 year Many suffer from PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder The were treated different when they can home than veterans of previous wars, by protesters and veterans alike