Transcript The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War
Mr. Grimaldi
U.S. History
“Vietnam”
- What comes to mind?
Quick background on Vietnam: Constant War
-2000 years of resistance to outsiders
-China
-Mid 1800’s French Colonialism in Indochina
-WWII Japan
-1941 Birth of the Viet Minh
-WWII ends, Ho Chi Minh
tries to declare
independence (modeled
after U.S. Dec. of Ind.)
-France goes to war to
make Viet. their colony
again
-U.S. gives France $2.6
billion = contain communism
Q:
Look closely at H. C. M. Why was he considered a people’s
leader?
- 9 years of war against France
- 1954 French are defeated
Geneva Accords – July 1954
-Independence for Indochina
-Agreement that Vietnam divided at 17th parallel
-North = Communists
-South = Democracy
1956 – there would be an election to unify
Vietnam
The United States Enters the War:
- U.S. does not sign the treaty for election
to unify because:
-Domino Theory: if South Vietnam falls to
Comm. = all of Southeast Asia follows
Diem Regime:
Unpopular Actions:
-Imprisoned those
who opposed him
-Corruption,
rigged elections,
and nepotism
Q:
-Catholic in a
Buddhist country
How is Diem’s appearance different to Ho Chi
Minh’s?
Puppet Regime?
Warning: next slide is graphic
Q:
How would an American of the time interpret this
image?
Do you know of any instances of protest in recent times that
mirror this event?
Kennedy Years:
1. Strengthen S. Vietnam Army with
aid and training
2. Pressure Diem’s decisions
- South Vietnam Army failed =
money given to officials
The Overthrow of Diem:
May 1963 = Buddhist start to protest
June 1963 = Monk sets fire to
himself
Nov. 1963 = Diem is killed in a coup
-Shortly after Diem’s assassination,
tragedy strikes in the U.S. …
Lyndon Johnson
1963 - becomes
president
Johnson’s War:
- He kept Kennedy’s foreign policy team
(“flexible response” strategy)
- Needed strong anti-communism
stance to win re-election
1964 Presidential Campaign:
Johnson calls Goldwater an extremist / nuclear war
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ
3k&feature=related
A. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
-North Viet. torpedo boats attack U.S.
destroyers at Gulf of Tonkin
- Aug. 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress gives Johnson authority to
“take all necessary measures…”
B. Operation Rolling Thunder
- Feb. 1965 = Vietcong attack
U.S. military base (8 U.S. killed)
- U.S. bombed N. Vietnam (Nonstop
for the next 3 years)
D. Fighting the War
U.S. plan = break V.C. will to fight
Success = not by land, but body
count
( read Ho quote pg. 773)
1. The Air War
• U.S. = intense bombing raids
• Vietcong’s defense = 30K miles of
tunnels
“Tunnel Rats”
2. The Ground War
• U.S. = Search + Destroy Missions
• Suffocating envir. = swamps,
heat, thick jungle, traps (B.B.)
•Who’s who?
– Vietcong or S. Viet. farmer?
3. Guerilla Tactics of Vietcong
• small bands of fighters use:
- ambush / hit + run
• 2 Advantages
- knew the terrain
- support from the peasants
(food + shelter)
By 1967 = 14,000 US killed
Aver. Age = 19 yrs old
Private First Class Phillip Wilson – Killed in action 12 days later.
First-aid center, where wounded Marines were treated before being
helped to air-evacuation points. (Life)
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