Vietnam War

1964-1975

Background

• Ngyuen Ai Quoc– Ho Chi Minh– Treaty of Versailles

1919– Denied audience with

Wilson concerning his 14 points and the condition of French Colonial rule in Vietnam

Background cont.

• Potsdam Conference– 1945– French colonial

possessions returned to help post-war France

• Policy of Containment• Domino Theory

– President Truman– George F. Kennan

• 1954 –Battle of Dien Bien Phu removes French control in all of Vietnam.– Geneva Accords

Wow, that’s a lot of background

• Split of Vietnam• Communist North under Ho

Chi Minh• French control in the south

until 1956 when French left control to Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem –aristocratic Catholic.– Supposed elections in 1956.

• Kennedy administration overthrew Diem for fear he could not defeat communist North

• Lead to destabilization and further American involvement.

1964 –The Gulf of Tonkin

• August 2, 1964– U.S.S. Maddox was

attacked. A destroyer on an intelligence mission in North Vietnam.

• August 4, 1964– U.S.S. Turner Joy also

attacked.

• Conditions of attack debated.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Authorized President Johnson to use military force in Southeast Asia without declaring war.

• A blank check– “All necessary force”

Against Whom?

• Communist North Vietnam

• The Vietcong –embedded in South Vietnam– “Charlie”– “VC”– Guerilla Warfare

The Tet Offensive –1968

• An attack by Communist North Vietnam and the Vietcong in South Vietnam.

• Called “Tet” because it was timed with the Lunar New Year of the same name.

• “Turning point of war”

Increased American protest

• The Draft• “Hey, Hey, LBJ, How

many kids did you kill today?”

• Kent State• Music

– Fortunate Son

Vietnamization

• Henry Kissinger– Special Assistant for

National Security Affairs for Nixon.

• Train and equip forces other than U.S. forces to assume the burden of conflict and be able to withdrawal to boost Nixon popularity.

• Foreign policy swayed by public opinion.

Lessons from the Vietnam War

• For the hawks:– Don’t let politicians hold armed forces back.

Overwhelming force is necessary.

• The Powell Doctrine:– The questions posed by the Powell Doctrine, which

should be answered affirmatively before military action, are:

1. Is a vital national security interest threatened? 2. Do we have a clear attainable objective? 3. Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed? 4. Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted? 5. Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement? 6. Have the consequences of our action been fully considered? 7. Is the action supported by the American people?

8. Do we have genuine broad international support?

Five basic themes of American foreign policy during Cold War conflicts like the Vietnam War

1. A relatively insignificant country invested with importance disproportionate to its intrinsic value.

2. The ends justify the means• Fascism is better than communism

3. U.S. misperceived roots of 3rd world instability as communism not anti-colonialist nationalism.

• Saw communism as a monolith –one giant movement.

4. U.S. overestimated its abilities –confidence bordering on arrogance.

5. Protecting America domestically through war IS protecting America’s national security.