Transcript 68 Vietnam 2

America’s most unpopular war
Cost LBJ his second term to Richard Nixon
America’s longest and most expensive war
Divided America on the homefront
The best technical war money could buy
America hardly ever lost a tactical battle
A war America did not win
Today, we are living with the
“ghosts of Vietnam”.
Student Activism
Student Activism in the 1960s
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Generation Gap — Young Americans in the 1960s had many opportunities unknown to
previous generations; many also questioned the values of their parents. These factors
contributed to a wider generation gap between college-aged youths and their parents.
Students for a Democratic Society and the New Left — Organized in 1960, Students for a
Democratic Society (SDS) had a major impact on the New Left, a political movement that
advocated radical changes to deal with problems such as poverty and racism.
The Free Speech Movement — Student protests for free speech at the University of
California at Berkeley inspired similar movements elsewhere, including challenges to
social restrictions on campuses.
The Teach-in Movement — Begun at the University of Michigan in March 1965, teach-ins, or
special sessions at which issues concerning the war could be discussed, soon became a
popular means of expressing antiwar sentiment.
Continued Protests — Hundreds of demonstrations continued at colleges and universities
around the country. One of the most dramatic, at Columbia University in New York City,
linked the issues of civil rights and the war.
Draft Resistance
• To increase the available fighting force, the United States
invoked the Selective Service Act of 1951, drafting young
men between the ages of 18 and 26 into the armed forces.
• Most of those who refused to be drafted in the early 1960s
were conscientious objectors, people who opposed fighting
on moral or religious grounds.
• As the Vietnam War progressed, the draft-resistance
movement grew, with many young men burning their draft
cards or fleeing the country to avoid the draft.
• At first, college students could receive a deferment, or
postponement of their call to serve. Deferments were
eliminated in 1971 in response to complaints that they were
unfair to those who could not afford college.
Anti-War
Demonstrations
Columbia University, 1967
“Hanoi Jane”
•Hollywood opposed the war.
•Jane Fonda went to Hanoi to
visit with U.S. POW.
•She was used as propaganda
by North Vietnam.
•Recently, a Vietnam vet
“spit” on her and called her a
traitor.
Jane Fonda
Anti-War
Demonstrations
Anti-War
Demonstrations
This looks like my US History classroom
when I was a Junior in 1970
Anti-War
Demonstrations
May
4, 1970
4
students
shot dead.
11
students
wounded
Jackson
State University
May
Kent State University
2
10, 1970
dead; 12
wounded
Johnson Decides Not to Run
• Continuing protests and an increasing number of
casualties steadily decreased popular support for
Johnson’s handling of the war.
• After the Tet Offensive, Johnson rarely left the White House
for fear of angry protesters.
• Two other Democratic contenders, antiwar candidate
Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy, brother of John
Kennedy and a senator from New York, campaigned against
Johnson for the party’s nomination.
• On March 31, 1968, Johnson announced in a nationally
televised speech that he would not seek another term as
President.
Impact of the
Vietnam War
Johnson announces (March, 1968):

I do not believe that I
should devote an hour
or a day of my time to
any personal partisan
causes, or to any duties
other than the
awesome duties of this
office, the Presidency
of your country.
Accordingly, I shall not
seek, and I will not
accept, the nomination of
my party for another term
as your President.

American Morale
Begins to Dip
 Disproportionate
representation of poor
people and minorities.
 Severe racial problems.
 Major drug
problems.
 Officers in combat
6 mo.; in rear 6 mo.
Enlisted men in
combat for 12 mo.
The Election of 1968
The Democratic Convention
• At the time of the Democratic
Convention in Chicago, Eugene
McCarthy was thought too far out
of the mainstream, and Robert
Kennedy had been assassinated.
• During the convention, police
attacked protesters, with much of
the violence taking place in front
of television cameras.
• Vice President Hubert Humphrey
won the Democratic nomination,
but the party had been further
torn apart by the convention’s
events.
The Nation Chooses Nixon
• Richard M. Nixon received the
Republican Party’s nomination
for President.
• Nixon soon took the lead in
national polls, allowing his
running mate Spiro Agnew to
make harsh accusations, while
Nixon stayed “above the fray.”
• Independent candidate George C.
Wallace drew many votes.
Additionally, many disillusioned
Democrats did not vote.
• In a close race, Nixon won the
presidency in the 1968 election.
Other Factors in the 1968 Election
• The 1960s was an unsettling period for mainstream
Americans, a group sometimes referred to as Middle
America. Many turned to the Republican Party for
stability, voting for Republican candidates such as
Nixon.
• Many Americans were disillusioned by Johnson’s
handling of the Vietnam War. Although Johnson
stopped the bombing of North Vietnam before the
election, Hubert Humphrey’s candidacy was hurt by
his defense of the President’s Vietnam policies.
divided US
ESTABLISHMENT
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Called Middle America, the
Silent Majority
Supported Vietnam War
Traditional American values:
hard work, family and
patriotism
ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT
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
Feared and disliked new styles
of music and dress of youth

Against use of illegal drugs

Called counterculture Hippies,
Flower Children
Opposed Vietnam War
Disillusioned with values of
money, status, power;
emphasized love, individual
freedom, cooperation
Music and fashion emphasized
movement toward new society,
greater freedom
Used “mind-expanding” drugs,
LSD
Nixon in Vietnam
 Nixon’s
1968 Campaign promised an end
to the war: Peace with Honor
 Appealed
to the great
“Silent Majority”
 Vietnamization
 Expansion
of the
conflict – The “Secret War”
Cambodia
Laos
 Agent Orange – chemical
defoliant
The First Vietnam War
draft lottery, requiring
mandatory military
service based on date
of birth.
Ho Chi Minh
dies at age 79
1969
Secretary
of defense, Melvin
Laird, announces the policy of
“Vietnamization”
•Diminished role for the U.S. Military
•The role of defeating the communists shifts
to the South Vietnamese Army.
•Gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Nixon Policy
Peace with honor in Vietnam
– All POWs must return
– NOT turn over SVN to Reds
South Vietnam must fight its war
with US $$$
– Secret bombing in Cambodia (invaded 1970)
– All US ground combat ends 1970; air war?
End of containment policy
– Détente with USSR ... friendship?
– Détente with China ... friendship?
play off China Vs. USSR
– fear each other
– both stop helping Hanoi; US can now bomb
Nixon’s Vietnam Policy
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Toward the end of his term as President, Johnson had called for
peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War. However, the
resulting Paris peace talks, which began in May 1968, failed to
produce an agreement.
President Nixon campaigned on the claim that he had a secret
plan to end the war. In June 1969, he began the policy of
Vietnamization, replacing American troops in Vietnam with South
Vietnamese soldiers.
Although Nixon wanted to end the war, he did not want to lose it.
He therefore launched secret bombing raids and expanded the
war to Cambodia, hoping to destroy Viet Cong camps there.
Nixon hoped his Cambodian attacks would help America in peace
negotiations. Instead, the attacks resulted in both civil war in
Cambodia and more antiwar protests in the United States.
Nixon Calls for Law and Order
The Silent Majority
• Nixon had campaigned promising
a return to law and order. As
President, he strengthened this
position, discouraging protest
against the war.
• In a 1969 speech, Nixon appealed
to those who, he felt, quietly
supported his policies. He
referred to this group of
Americans as “the silent
majority.”
Kent State and Jackson State
• When student antiwar protesters
at Kent State University in Ohio
reacted angrily to Nixon’s
invasion of Cambodia, Nixon
ordered the National Guard to
Kent State. After students threw
rocks at the guardsmen, the
troops opened fire, killing and
wounding both protesters and
bystanders.
• The violence at Kent State, and a
similar incident at Jackson State
in Mississippi, horrified
Americans.
Vietnamization,
1969-72
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SVN government & army built up
– pacification 1969-71; 90% of population safe
(many moved to cities)
– Viet Cong lose base; US victory!
– now a conventional war of NV vs SV
Secret bombings of Cambodia
ineffective; US invasion 1970 [more
protests]
 US ground troops exit 1971

The Vietnam War,
1964 to 1975
1970
Invasion of
Cambodia, April 29 to
June 29
1971
Invasion of Laos,
Feb. 6 to March
1972
Haiphong harbor
mined U.S. air raids
over Hanoi
nixon/cambodia
Anti-War
Demonstrations
May
4, 1970
4
students
shot dead.
11
students
wounded
Jackson
State University
May
Kent State University
2
10, 1970
dead; 12
wounded
1970
National Security Advisor, Henry A.
Kissinger begins secret peace talks with
North Vietnamese leaders in Paris.
President Nixon withdrew 40,000 troops as
part of the Vietnamization process.
Troop levels:
South Vietnamese
968,000
American
Australian
New Zealand
South Korea
334,600
6,800
470
48,450
Philippines
Thailand
70
11,570
grunts
1971
Nixon withdraws 100,000 troops.
Defensive role for U.S. ground forces.
Offensive attacks by South
Vietnamese Army.
Troop Levels:
South Vietnamese
1,046,250
American
Australian
156,800
2,000
New Zealand
100
South Korea
Philippines
45,700
70
Thailand
6,000
“Pentagon
Papers,”
1971
 Former
defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg
leaked govt. docs. regarding war efforts
during Johnson’s administration to the New
York Times.
 Docs.--> Govt. misled Congress & Amer.
People regarding its intentions in Vietnam
during mid-1960s.
 Primary
reason for fighting not to eliminate
communism, but to avoid humiliating defeat.
 New York Times v. United States (1971)
1972
Mr. Billett turns 18
in Feb. and registers
for the draft.
August, the
Watergate
burglaries occur.
Troop Levels:
South Vietnamese
1,048,000
American
Australian
New Zealand
South Korea
Philippines
Thailand
24,200
130
50
36,790
50
50
The Ceasefire,
1973
 Peace
is at hand – Kissinger, 1972
 North
Vietnam attacks South
 Most Massive U.S. bombing commences
 1973:
Ceasefire signed between
 U.S.,
 Peace
South Vietnam, & North Vietnam
with honor (Nixon)
Peace Negotiations
 US &
Vietnamese
argue for 5 mo.
over size of
conference
table.
Dr. Henry Kissinger & Le Duc Tho
The Ceasefire,
1973
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Conditions:
1. U.S. to remove all troops
2. North Vietnam could leave troops already
in S.V.
3. North Vietnam would resume war
4. No provision for POWs or MIAs

Last American troops left South
Vietnam on March 29, 1973
 1975: North Vietnam defeats South
Vietnam
 Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City
American Withdrawal
Provisions of Peace Settlement Between the United States, South
Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong,Signed in Paris in
January 1973
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The United States would withdraw all its forces from South
Vietnam within 60 days.
All prisoners of war would be released.
All parties to the agreement would end military activities in
Laos and Cambodia.
The 17th parallel would continue to divide North and South
Vietnam until the country could be reunited.
helo
1973
Troop Levels:
South
Vietnamese
1,110,000
American
50
1974
Nixon’s impeachment
hearings/Resignation
South braces for huge
Communist invasion.
The Vietnam War,
1964 to 1975
1973
U.S. troops
withdraw
1975
Surrender in
Saigon, April 20
The Fall of Saigon
South Vietnamese Attempt to Flee the Country
The Fall of Saigon
April 30, 1975
America Abandons Its Embassy
The New Vietnam
Formerly Saigon
The Fall of Saigon
North Vietnamese at the Presidential Palace
The ancient capital
city of Hue falls to the
North Vietnamese
Army.
1975
President Gerald
Ford declared the
war “finished.”
In case there was
anyone doubt who
won the war, the
communists later
rename Saigon, Ho
Chi Minh City.
Last Americans
evacuate as
communists take
Saigon.
Aftermath of the War in Asia
South Vietnam Falls
• After American forces had
withdrawn, North Vietnam
attacked strategic cities in South
Vietnam, ending with its capital,
Saigon.
• Following a last-minute
evacuation of both American
soldiers and Vietnamese
refugees, South Vietnam
surrendered in April 1975, and
Vietnam became unified under a
Communist government.
Southeast Asia After the War
• In April 1975, Cambodia fell to the
Khmer Rouge, a Communist
force led by Pol Pot. The Khmer
Rouge killed a quarter of the
Cambodian population, claiming
they were “tainted” with Western
ways.
• Vietnam’s new leaders forced
hundreds of thousands of
Vietnamese into “reeducation
camps”; refugees from Vietnam,
Cambodia, and newly Communist
Laos fled their home countries.
The Impact
 26th
Amendment: 18-year-olds vote
 Nixon abolished the draft--> allvolunteer army
‫٭‬
 War Powers Act, 1973
 President must notify Congress within 48
hours of deploying military force
 President must withdraw forces unless he
gains Congressional approval within 90 days
 Disregard
for Veterans --> seen as
“baby killers”
 POW/MIA issue lingered
The Legacy of the War
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With a cost of at least $150 billion, and hundreds of thousands of
American soldiers killed or wounded, the Vietnam War was the
longest and least successful war in American history.
Thousands of American soldiers who did not return home after
the war were listed as POWs (prisoners of war) or MIAs (missing
in action). Many remain unaccounted for today.
In Vietnam, millions were dead or wounded, many of them
civilians. The war also heavily damaged the landscape of
Vietnam.
In 1994, the United States lifted its trade embargo against
Vietnam; in 1995, full diplomatic relations were restored.
Some American POWs
Returned from the
“Hanoi Hilton”
Senator John McCain
(R-AZ)
po
ws
2,583 American
POWs / MIAs
still unaccounted for today.
And in the End….
Ho Chi Minh:
If we have to fight, we
will fight. You will kill
ten of our men and we
will kill one of yours, and in
the end it will be you who
tires of it.
“War—What is it good for?
--absolutely nothing!!”
Scenes from Francis Ford Coppola’s
Vietnam epic, Apocalypse Now
grunts
grunts
tet
dead soldiers
bombing
bombing
The Costs


3,000,000 Vietnamese killed
 58,000 Americans killed
 300,000 wounded
Of those that died 11,465 were
teenagers
 10,000 dead from accidents
 153,000 hospitalized & survive
 2,590,000 Americans in Vietnam.
 Great Society programs underfunded
 $150,000,000,000 in U.S. spending
 U.S. morale, self-confidence, trust of
government decimated
The Costs
 1,200 airplanes crash
6,727,084 tons of bombs were
dropped.
3,750 fixed wing aircraft
 4,865 helicopters were lost.
500,000 acres of Vietnam were
sprayed with defoliants, Agent
Orange
The effects of Agent Orange may last
up to 100 years.
Lessons for U.S.
Presidents
1. Wars must be of short duration
2. Wars must yield few American
casualties
3. Restrict media access to battlefields
4. Develop and maintain Congressional
and public support
5. Set clear, winnable goals
6. Set deadline for troop withdrawals
The Debate Continues:
Where Were You
in the War, Daddy?
George Bush and John Kerry
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Designed by 21-year old Maya Ying Lin and completed
in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands near
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It consists
of a long wall of black granite, listing the names of
every American who died in the Vietnam War. Since
its completion, visitors have added to the memorial by
leaving personal tokens at the wall in memory of their
loved ones.
President Clinton
formally
recognized
Vietnam on
July 11, 1995