The Vietnam War

What was it all about? Link

Longest war in US history. The

first major military defeat for the United

States

1954-1975

55,000+ American soldiers dead

Millions of U.S. and Vietnamese veterans injured or psychologically damaged

1.3 million Vietnamese soldiers dead, and unknown numbers of

civilians

10 million Vietnamese refugees

Bombing

A country permanently scarred by American bombing, chemical

weapons, and the brutality of a civil war

Where is Vietnam?

Where is Vietnam?

Vietnam during the War

Vietnam Today

Colonized by China from 200 BC to 938 AD

Then by the French from the 1880s till WWII

… and the Japanese during WWII

An Independent Vietnam was a dream …

The Geneva Accords

French defeat at defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 after 8 years of battle

Divide the country into North and South

Promise to hold elections in 1956

Ho Chi Minh, leader of communist forces in North Vietnam

Letter to Truman

American Foreign Policy and the Vietnam War (1954-1975)

Continuing US fear of & hostility to communist

Russia & China

American Foreign Policy and the Vietnam War (1954-1975)

Main Entry: com·mu·nism Pronunciation: 'käm-y&-"ni-z&m, -yü-Function: nounEtymology: French communisme, from commun common1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed2 capitalized a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d : communist systems collectively

“Practice skills, be always prepared, support Vietnam, wipe out the American aggressor!” (1966)

Chinese poster reflecting solidarity with Vietnam, Landsberger Collection

. . . Thus the Cold War and the Domino Theory

• Vietnam then became symbolic of the battle to prevent the spread of Communism – a battle of power between the U.S. and the Soviet Union named the Cold War

• With China becoming communist and with a war in Korea, the U.S. feared the consequences of “losing” Vietnam

• This fear became known as the “Domino Theory” – if one country came under communist rule, then adjacent countries would follow suit.

Cold War Map

Who was Fighting?

North/CommunistsDemocratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam)South/InsurgentsPeople's Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF)Vietcong (Charlie, VC)

Vs

South/Anti-communistsRepublic of Vietnam (RVN)Americans

President Eisenhower with President Ngo Dinh Diem

Caution!

• The next slide contains a very disturbing image – you may choose not to see it!

A Vietnamese Buddhist monk burns himself alive to protest the actions of the Diem government

. . . Involvement in Vietnam Grows

• U.S. involvement in Vietnam grew over time

• Following President Eisenhower’s example, President Kennedy tripled aid to S. Vietnam (N. Vietnam was controlled by communists) and increased military presence to 16,700 troops

• After Kennedy’s assassination, President Johnson, faced w/ the potential allegation of “losing Vietnam,” committed himself and the country to deeper involvement in the Vietnam conflict

President Johnson Escalates U.S. Involvement

• By 1965, Johnson had to choose between losing a war or making the Vietnam War a huge military commitment

• He did not choose either extreme, but still committed 300,000+ troops which grew to 500, 000 by 1968

• After the Tet Offensive, a surprise series of attacks on U.S. and S. Vietnamese Troops in 1968, Johnson slowly and painfully reduced U.S. involvement

What event initiated large scale U.S. involvement?

Alleged Provocation, August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin

A resolution was then developed allowing Johnson to use military force in Vietnam – to “take all necessary steps, including the use of armed forces’ to help the South East Asia Treaty Organization “defend their freedom.” Link

The average soldier was 19 years old . . .

Soldiers were drafted, while some volunteered.

Conditions in Vietnam were tough . . .

The Draft

The Viet Cong • The Vietcong usually fought as

guerillas, meaning they did not fight in the open but struck against their enemies and then resumed hiding in the jungle. They also were not distinguished by a uniform as the North Vietnamese Army would have been, so it was difficult to distinguish a member of the Viet Cong from a civilian

• They incorporated extensive methods to remain hidden, building tunnels where necessary

• As guerillas, they did not stage battles but instead murdered S. Vietnamese leaders and village heads to control the Southern country side

• Effective in their methods, the Viet Cong were supported by the North Vietnamese Army by 1960

Key Event – Tet Offensive

The battles ranged throughout the country . . .

A tragedy for U.S. supporters and the military

“We had to destroy the village to save it.” –A quote attributed by reporter Peter Arnett to an anonymous Army officer

. . . So people protested.• The first major demonstration was in NY

City in 1965, where 25, 000 people marched against the war; most protestors were college-aged.

• The anti-war movement grew after 1968, following the My Lai Massacre and later in 1969, the Tet Offensive.

• The My Lai Massacre, in which a company of soldiers massacred 500 Vietnamese – men, women, and children – heightened public dissatisfaction with the war

• When the U.S. invaded Cambodia in 1970, a student demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio led to the deaths of 4 students, shot by the National Guard

• Other key protests occurred, including the bombing on the UW campus

Fall of Saigon

The war continued on throughout 1969-71, even though peace talks

began

• During that time period, the U.S. reduced troops in the region; however, in an attempt to protect fragile S. Vietnam, President Nixon spread the war to Cambodia

• By 1972, 47,000 troops were in Vietnam and the U.S. concentrated on training S. Vietnamese to hold off the communists

• By 1973, the Paris Peace Accord was signed

Although the ceasefire was reached, it failed to save the south

• The Vietcong captured Saigon in the South in 1975

• The last hours of Saigon were full of chaos as U.S. military tried to save its supporters

• Many were left to the vices of the Vietcong . . .

What were the results: The Aftermath of the Vietnam War

The Failure to Protect Democracy . . . And Its Costs

• . . . The only time in its history the U.S. failed to achieve its stated war aims . . .

• Even after the U.S. Treasury spent over $140 billion . . .• And 200,000 South Vietnamese, 1 million North

Vietnamese, 500,000 civilians, and 56,555+ U.S. Soldiers lives were spent.

• Destruction to land, too, was costly: 50% of the country’s forest cover was destroyed as was 20% of its agricultural land.

• Loss of trust in the U.S. Government