Transcript Document
Vietnam 1954 - 1964 At the Geneva Conference it was decided that: Ho Chi Minh’s forces were given control of the North Vietnam was to be divided at the 17th parallel O Ngo Dinh Diem, a French-educated, Roman Catholic took over control of the South Date was set for democratic elections to reunify Vietnam But Diem backed out of the elections, leading to military conflict between North and South U.S. Military Involvement Begins Diem = Dictator (but an anti-communist one!) Buddhist majority persecuted Torture, no political freedom The U.S. aided Diem’s gov’t Eisenhower sent financial/ military aid 675 U.S. Army “advisors” sent by 1960 U.S. Military Involvement Increases Gen. Maxwell Taylor’s recommendation (Oct. 1961): --send 8000 troops Sec. of Defense McNamara’s recommendation (Nov. 1961): --send 200,000 troops In 1962, JFK sends 11,000 troops in to train & coordinate South Vietnamese troops Americans soon began to suffer casualties Protests of Diem’s Government Self-Emulation by a Buddhist Monk Assassinations 1963: JFK supports a Vietnamese military coup d’etat – Diem murdered Nov. 2 But then: Kennedy assassinated weeks later (Nov. 22) Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) becomes president • Incredible Negotiator • Had served many terms in Congress • Huge supporter of civil rights & helping the poor Johnson Inherits Most of Kennedy’s Advisors Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara advises LBJ to rout the communists “Unless we can achieve this objective in South Vietnam, almost all of Southeast Asia [Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia] will probably fall under Communist dominance . . . Thailand might hold for a period with our help, but would be under grave pressure. Even the Philippines would become shaky, and the threat to India to the west, Australia and New Zealand to the south, and Taiwan, Korea, and Japan to the north and east would be greatly increased. . . . [T]he rest of the world [is watching because]the South Vietnam conflict is regarded as a test case of U.S. capacity to help a nation meet a Communist ‘war of liberation.’” Gearing up for 1964 election, Johnson wanted congressional support for involvement in Vietnam Would give LBJ • Increased credibility • Increased flexibility • Tough image against his opponent Barry Goldwater So he wrote up a statement asking Congress for power to use military in Vietnam if necessary— and then he waited for the right time to make his request First Tonkin Gulf Incident, August 2, 1964 Context: Two U.S. Operations Were Being Carried Out: a) Hit and run strikes on N. Vietnamese coastal areas b) Cruising within 8 miles of Vietnamese coast to trigger and locate radar stations On Aug. 2nd the U.S. destroyer Maddox was attacked by several N. Vietnamese patrol boats • No U.S. casualties • LBJ sent a stern message to North Vietnamese leaders but did not order any retaliation at that time Second Tonkin Gulf Incident, August 4 • The Maddox and a second destroyer, the Turner Joy were immediately ordered back into the area. • Another hit and run mission was conducted. • That night radar & sonar readings indicated they were under attack, but no enemy boats were actually seen and no hostile gunfire was heard. • Both destroyers fired for several hours at the unseen attackers. Heavy rain contributed to the confusion. On August 5, Johnson publicly ordered retaliatory measures, bombing four torpedo boat bases, and an oil-storage facility . Several days later analysis of the incident raised doubts that any attack had occurred at all: Johnson himself said, “Hell, those dumb stupid sailors were just shooting at flying fish.” The Tonkin Gulf Resolution “The Blank Check”: --authorized the President “to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” House 416-0 Senate 88-2 Separation of Powers Regarding Use of Military Force Article I says only Congress can declare war and provide funding to fight a war Article II says the President is Commander in chief