Transcript Ch. 29, Section 1 Notes #2

Chapter 29
Section 1 Notes
Second Half
“Kennedy and Foreign Policy”–
“Conflict in Vietnam”
Vietnam After World War II
- For centuries the Vietnamese
were dominated by China
- French Indochina – colony of
France since late 1800s that
included Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia
- Vietnamese fought French
rule, under the leadership of
the Communist leader, Ho
Chi Minh
- during World War II Japan
took over Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
- Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet
Minh to fight the Japanese
and received aid from the
United States for doing so
- after the Japanese
surrendered to end WWII,
Ho Chi Minh declared
Vietnam independent,
France returned to regain
their old colony
- both Presidents Truman
and Eisenhower gave
France aid to fight the
communist Viet Minh
Truman & Eisenhower
Aid the French
- while France was fighting in
Vietnam the U.S. was following
its containment plan in Western
Europe against the Soviet
Union in the Cold War
Chairman Mao Zedong,
- when China became
Communist Leader of China
communist in 1949 U.S.
leaders feared the spread of
communism in Asia
- domino theory – U.S. theory
that if one nation fell to
communism, that other
neighboring nations would
Sec. of State John Foster Dulles
and President Dwight Eisenhower
become communist, too
discuss strategy in Vietnam
French Defeated in Vietnam
- Viet Minh had fewer weapons and supplies but used
hit-and-run guerilla tactics to weaken French
- France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and
peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland began
French get re-supplied by air while
surrounded at Dien Bien Phu
French surrender to Vietnamese
forces at Dien Bien Phu
Geneva Accords Divide Vietnam
- Geneva Accords – agreement
that was to temporarily split
Vietnam between north and
south, with elections to unify
the nation to be held in 1956
- North Vietnam became
communist under the
leadership of Ho Chi Minh
- South Vietnam became anticommunist under Ngo Dinh
Diem (supported by the U.S.)
Diem’s Government
- Diem’s govt. in South
Vietnam wasn’t
in South Vietnam
democratic, but was
corrupt, oppressive, and
unpopular
- Thousands of political
opponents were
imprisoned and tortured
- elections to unify Vietnam
never held as the popular
President Eisenhower
Ho Chi Minh would have
and South Vietnamese
won and turned Vietnam
leader Ngo Dinh Diem
communist
The Viet Cong
Oppose Diem
- National Liberation Front
is formed by the North
Vietnamese to oppose
Diem and recruit fighters
against his govt.
- Viet Cong – nickname for
South Vietnamese
communists who opposed
Diem and were aided
North Vietnam
- Viet Cong fought to
overthrow Diem’s govt.
and reunite the nation all
of Vietnam under
communist rule
American
Involvement
• Pres. Eisenhower
helped Diem’s
government in South
Vietnam by sending
aid, weapons, and
military advisors
• Kennedy sent more
advisors and special
forces (who did take
part in combat
missions)
• Diem ordered troops to
open fire on Buddhist
protesters against his
government
• Buddhist monk sets himself
on fire in protest against
South Vietnam’s govt.
The Diem Government Falls
- U.S. aid increased in South
Vietnam, but U.S. upset that
Diem wouldn’t make political,
economic, and military reforms
- with U.S. support, a military coup
overthrew Diem, and against
Kennedy’s wishes killed Diem
- shortly after, Kennedy himself
V.P. Lyndon Johnson is
was assassinated and the
sworn in as President
problem of Vietnam fell to the
aboard Air Force One in
the presence of JFK’s wife,
new U.S. President, Lyndon
Jacqueline Kennedy
Johnson