Transcript President Years Cold War Policy Decisions in Vietnam and events

President
Years
Cold War Policy
Truman
19451952
Containment
Eisenhower
19531960
Diplomacy,
Brinksmanship,
Covert operations
JFK
19611963
LBJ
19631969
Nixon
19691974
Ford
19741975
Flexible Response
Escalation
Vietnamization,
Detente
Detente
Decisions in Vietnam and events
(SEPTEMBER 2, 1945)
"All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"
This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the
United States of America m 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples
on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy
and free.
The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the Rights of Man and
the Citizen also states: "All men are born free and with equal rights, and must
always remain free and have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths.
Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the
standard of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and
oppressed our fellow-citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity
and justice. In the field of politics, they have deprived our people of every
democratic liberty.
Should the United States support the French?
.
.
.
.
1954 Geneva Accords- divided
French Indochina into 4 nations.
North Vietnam
Hanoi
17th
Saigon
South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
North Vietnam
Hanoi
17th
Saigon
South Vietnam
Ngo Dinh Diem
.
The New York Times.
New York, Friday August 7th, 1964
American Planes Hit North Vietnam After
Second Attack on Our Destroyers; Move Taken
to Halt New Aggression
Congress votes YES to Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
President Johnson request broad Military Powers
98 senators say yes, 2 senators say no, 435 reps vote yes.
Escalation and Rolling Thunder to follow.
Can the enemy be worn down?
According to Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
Is he telling the whole story?
The Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as
Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack
against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.”
536,000
The Tet Offensive
In December of 1967, LBJ and General
Westmoreland stated that the end was near
and that the enemy couldn’t threaten the
South any longer.
From 1964 to 1967 the war was mostly
supported by Americans.
In January 1968, the NVA attacked the
northern base of Khe Sahn, this forced the US
to concentrate their attention and troops at
this location.
On January 31st, 1968 during the Tet New Year
celebration, the NVA and Vietcong orgainized a
surprise attack on every major South
Vietnamese town and city. Including the
American Embassy in Saigon.
.
536,000