Vietnam War Background Vietnam (VN) lost independence to FR mid 1800s FR formed FR Indochina (VN, Laos, Cambodia) Nguyen That Thanh - nationalist A.k.a. Ho Chi Minh (He Who Enlightens) Spent time in CN and USSR Saw opportunity when JP army occupied FR v VN League for the Independence of Vietnam or Vietminh After JP w/drew - Vietminh declared independence Ho tried to get US support US put support behind FR FR ally against communism, Ho has ties with commies US feared communism would engulf Asia Ike cont. w/ Truman policy Domino Theory If VN fell to commies, rest of SE Asia would fall By 1954, US paying much of FRs war $2.6 bill Despite, FR losing $ & military tactic useless against guerilla tactics Dien Bien Phu FR tried to lure Vietminh into conventional battle Backfired 13,000 FR v 50,000 VN Thought help would come it didnt Ike didnt want to get involved with another Asian war FR surrendered on 05/07/1954 Geneva Conference Intl conference to settle conflict Cambodia, GB, Laos, CN, USSR, US included Cease fire Temp division at 17th parallel Vietminh w/drew to north (communists) FR has south (anti-communists) 1 problem S VN led by Ngo Dinh Diem 1956 S VN refused to hold unification elections (w/ US backing) Ngo knew he would lose natl election v. Ho 1958 communist led guerillas - Viet Cong (or NLF)- began to battle S VN US involvement JKF agreed w/ domino ,000 US military advisors in VN Train Army of the Rep of VN JFK then authorized US forces to engage in combat causalities, causalities Diem Overthrow Diem is a R.C. VN is mostly Buddhist Diem had brutal campaign to control Buddhists In response, several Buddhist monks publicly set themselves on fire US shocked! US officials threaten to w/draw support if Diem didnt end campaign Diem assassinated Tonkin Gulf Resolution 1963 Sec of Defense Rob McNamara Advised LBJ to increase commitment in VN LBJ needs congressional backing T.G. Resolution - gave pres authority to take all necessary measures to defend any attacks Tonkin Gulf Resolution LBJ claimed attack in Gulf was unprovoked US destroyer Maddox attacked N VN 1st TGR gave LBJ authority to expand war Congress gave up constitutional power to declare war US Troops LBJ called for escalation Selective Services - draft deferments 2 mill Ams served Poor, black, Hispanic 10,000 servicewomen Air War Operation Rolling Thunder Bombing military targets in North Ho Chi Minh Trail Network of jungle paths Used to bring weapons/supplies into South Ineffective - North found ways around it Rebuild, go w/o, or built underground 800 bombs/day New Weapons! Napalm Jellied gas mixture - firebombs Cluster bombs - sprayed razor-sharp metal fragments Defoliants - planes sprayed chemicals that strip the land of vegetation Expose enemy & destroy food supply Agent Orange - horrible consequences! Ground War Bombings led some South to join Viet Cong US augments ground troops 185, ,000 Search-and-destroy missions Drive Viet Cong out of hiding Pacification - moving villagers to refugee camps and then burning villages US morale declines Thought it would be a quick victory Superior weapons dont work?! ,000 Am killed in VN All access press pass in S VN TV Doves - opposed war Hawks - supported war Doves MLK Jr. George Kennan - not crucial to natl security Dr. Ben Spock - fighting against the wishes of most Vietnamese Anti-War Movement Broad range of people Students, religious, pacifists, doctors, ministers, teachers, homemakers, etc Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Org 1st natl antiwar demonstration 04/17/ DC 20,000 ppl MLK & SNCC - send blacks to wars, yet nothing to help them at home Anti-War Movement Even though visible - still small % Burning Am flag / draft cards Reflected in music Tet Offensive Tet = VN New Year Usually no fighting Viet Cong attacked 100 cities, 12 US bases under attack 84,000 commie soldiers Viet Cong defeat - 40,000 Viet Cong killed 1,000 Ams killed; 2,300 ARVN killed Shook US confidence No part of S VN secured Public criticism rose dramatically Election of 1968 After Tet Offensive - LBJ unpopular Others trying for Democratic nomination Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, & Hubert Humphrey LBJ announces he wont run for re-election RFK seemed to be winning primaries Assassinated in 06/05/1968 by Sirhan Sirhan Ambassador Hotel - Los Angelos Election of 1968 Hubert Humphrey (D) v. Richard Nixon (R) Nixon promised to end ear Wins with Spiro Agnew (VP) Nixon and Vietnamization Foreign policy top priority Foreign policy advisor Henry Kissinger Vietnamization Nixs plan to end war Turning over fighting to the S VN while gradually pulling out US troops August 1969 US troops began to w/draw ,000 troops; ,200 Anti War Protest Increases Nix expanded war into Cambodia Cut off N VN on Ho Chi Minh Triail Outraged at invasion of Cambodia Kent Sate University in OH Someone set fire to ROTC building 05/04/1970 Natl Guard sent in Shot randomly into lg grp of students Killed 4, injured 9 Shocked nation Anti War Protest Increases 10 days later state police in Jackson, MS Fired at protestors in dorms at Jackson State College Killed 2; injured 9 Students and faculty on 100s of campuses went on strike Congress also upset at Cambodia In response - Congress repealed Tonkin Gulf Resolution 12/1970 Pentagon Papers - secret govt docs that revealed govt had mislead public Election of th Amendment Voting age 21 18 Henry Kissinger announced peace is at hand Nix won Cease Fire Kissinger and N VN Le Duc Tho 3 yrs these two were in peace negotiations Peace plan Cease fire Removal of foreign troops; End US military aid New govt in S VN Nguyen Van Thieu as president NLF representatives as well Nguyen opposed Nix rejects agreement as result Cease Fire N VN demanded agreement reinstated Nix orders round the clock bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong N VN didnt give in Nix called it off and resumed peace talks 01/27/1973 cease fire US w/draws troops and helps to rebuild Prisoner-exchange Northern South VN falls US military rushed to evacuate 1,000s of Ams still there 04/30/ S VN surrendered VN War over Vietnam unified under communist control War cost US $150 billion Aftermath 185,000 S VN soldiers died 500,000 S VN civilians died 1 mill Viet Cong dead 879,000 VN orphans 181,000 disabled Agent Orange Aftermath for Am Veterans 58,000 died 300,000 wounded 2,500 MIA No celebration of veterans Targets of anger, guilt, shame Veterans turned to drugs, had hard time finding jobs or adjusting to life Homeless War Powers Act Under what authority can presidents wage an undeclared war? War Powers Act reaffirms Congress constitutional right to declare war by setting a 60-day limit on the presidential commitment of US troops in foreign conflicts VN Veterans Memorial Designed by Maya Ying Lin Most moving attempt to heal the division caused by the war 58,000 Ams names Chronological not alphabetical