the vietnam war the key players. the vietnamese ho chi minh “uncle ho” leader of the vietminh...
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The Vietnam War
The Key players
THE VIETNAMESE
Ho Chi Minh
• “Uncle Ho”• Leader of The Vietminh• Nationalist • Communist• Becomes leader of
North Vietnam after partition
• Dies before war ends
Vo Nguyen Giap
• “Giap” or General Giap• Former History Teacher• Military leader of the
Vietminh• Defeated French at Dien
Bien Phu• Leader of NVA during
war
Pham Van Dong
• Close comrade of Ho Chi Minh
• Helped found the Vietminh
• Leader of North Vietnam during the war
• Prime minister of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976
Ngo Din Diem
• Known as Diem• Ruler of South Vietnam
1954 to 1963• Ruled autocratically
with family members• Devout Catholic• Disliked by Bhuddists• Killed in Coup 1963
THE AMERICANS
Dwight D. Eisenhower
• US president 1953 – 1960
• Refused to commit troops to help French
• Authorized Aid• Supporter of Diem
John F. Kennedy
• JFK• Started sending
Advisors to Vietnam• Supported Diem at start• Tried to find alternative• Assassinated 3 weeks
after Diem
Lyndon Johnson
• LBJ• Firm believer in Domino
Theory• Did not want to appear
soft on Communism• Sent in 1st combat
troops• Forced out of 1968 pres
race by war
Richard Nixon
• “Tricky Dick”• Republican
Conservative• Anti – Communist• Vows to end war• Visits China and
Moscow as part of Push for “détente”
The Underlings
Robert McNamara• Secretary of Defense for
Kennedy and Johnson• Strong supporter of
intervention
Henry Kissinger• Nixon’s Secretary of State• Negotiated treaty to end
the war
THE COMMUNISTS
Nikita Khrushchev
• Leader of the Soviet Union
• Vows to help all wars of liberation
• Ousted as leader in 1964
Mao Zedong
• Leader of China• Takes Ho in to train his
men at the end of WW2• Backs Ho with arms and
money• Meets with Nixon in
1972