Transcript The Vietnam War

April 24—Write an identification
for Ngo Dinh Diem.
The Vietnam War
1963-1968
Key Terms
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
General William Westmoreland
Tet Offensive
Lecture Outline
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I. Increasing US involvement
II. Tet Offensive
Consequences of Diem’s death
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Diem’s death brought chaos to
Vietnam
The Vietcong was able to fill the
political vacuum.
Consequences of Kennedy’s
assassination
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V.P. Lyndon B. Johnson became
president
He was looking for a way to increase
US involvement in South Vietnam
On August 1, 1964 an American
destroyer was giving electronic and
logistical support to South
Vietnamese commando raids on
coastal North Vietnamese facilities in
the Gulf of Tonkin.
US Involvement
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On August 4 the two Americans
destroyers reported that they were
under attack and that they were
engaging the enemy.
The administration ordered
retaliatory air strikes against North
Vietnamese naval bases and nearby
oil storage facilities.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
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It authorized Johnson to take “all
necessary measure to repel any
armed attacks against the forces of
the US to prevent further
aggression.”
The vote in the Senate was 88 to 2
in favor of the resolution. In the
House debate took 40 minutes and
the vote was unanimous.
US Involvement
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Johnson’s political approval rating in
the Louis Harris poll went from 42%
to 72%.
Containment
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The Administration looked at
Vietnam as a crucial step in the
nation’s policy of Containment.
By the end of January 1965 the
Johnson Administration had come to
the conclusion that the inability to
win guerrilla war in the South
required the US to bomb the North.
Containment
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Sorties against the North increased
from 25,000 in 1965 to 108,000 in
1967 and continued to increase
thereafter.
General William Westmoreland
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In February, the commander of US
forces in Vietnam, General William
Westmoreland, requested Marines to
protect the US airbase at Danang.
North Vietnam began sending regular
army troops down the Ho Chi Minh
Trail through Laos and Cambodia.
US Strategy
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US never developed a strategy
By late 1967, the US had nearly
500,000 combat troops in Vietnam.
It had dropped more bombs than in
all of WWII and was spending more
than $2 billion per month.
From 1965-1968 the Soviets and
Chinese gave $2 billion in aid to the
North Vietnam.
Effects of US Bombing
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Civilian casualties = 1,000 per week
North Vietnam continued to send
men south. 200,000 North
Vietnamese reached draft age each
year.
The US lost a total of 1,577 fixed
wing aircraft and 2,400 helicopters
worth billions of dollars.
Effects of US bombing
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Gave the North Vietnamese a
propaganda advantage.
Captured US airmen gave Hanoi
hostages which they would use to
finally end US involvement.
April 26—Do you think
the U.S. should have
been involved in
Vietnam? Why?
Tet Offensive
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Single most important event in
turning American public opinion
against the war.
On January 30, during the Buddhist
Lunar New Year (Tet), the
Communists launched a massive,
coordinated assault against the
major cities of South Vietnam.
Tet Offensive
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Vietcong and North Vietnamese
deaths have been estimated as high
as 40,000.
In the first 2 weeks of the campaign
the US lost 1,000 killed and South
Vietnam 2,300.
An estimated 12,500 civilians were
also killed.
US won the battle.
Tet Offensive
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Televised accounts of the fighting
undercut Johnson and
Westmoreland’s optimistic year-end
reports widening the credibility gap
between the US government and its
citizens.
Decreasing US Involvement
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On March 31, 1968, Johnson went on
television and announced that the
bombing of North Vietnam would be
limited to the area just north of the
demilitarized zone, that the US was
ready to discuss peace, and that he
would not run for re-election.
UN p. 960-967
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Henry Kissinger
Vietnamization
Pentagon papers
“Christmas bombing”
Paris accords
SALT I
Nixon Doctrine
Read the Vietnam Commitment on
UN p. 936-937 and make a t-chart
on the different historical
interpretations.
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Podhoretz, Lewy, and Smith
Historians on the left
Halberstam
Berman
Gelb and Betts