The Vietnam War

1954 - 1975
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 Where is
Vietnam?

Vietnam is located
south of China
On the coast of the
South China Sea
and the Gulf of
Tonkin
The region is
known as
Southeast Asia,
more specifically
Indochina
 Background to
the War
China controlled Vietnam off and
on for over 2000 years

France controlled Indochina

since the late 19th century
(1800s)

Japan took control during WW II

France attempted to re-colonize

after WW II

Vietnamese people wanted to rule

themselves, Nationalism
China and Vietnam
 Background to the War
The French lost control to
Ho Chi Minhs Viet Minh
forces in 1954 at
Dien Bien Phu

President Eisenhower
declined to intervene on
behalf of France, however
provided aid
 Background to
the War
International Conference at
Geneva
P Vietnam was divided at
17th parallel
O Ho Chi Minhs
nationalist forces
controlled the North
O Ngo Dinh Diem, a
French-educated,
Roman Catholic
claimed control of the
South
Page Notes go here
title
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used in what is on the slide show, you need
to get the main idea of the starred
margin points.

Additionally, if there is something

that you see that you want to have
in your notes, write it down.
Background to the War
A date was set for
democratic elections
to reunify Vietnam

Diem backed out of

the elections,
leading to military
conflict between
North and South
U.S. Military Involvement Begins

Repressive dictatorial rule by Diem

P Diems family holds all power

P Wealth is hoarded by the elite

P Buddhist majority persecuted

P Torture and lack of political

freedom
P Build resentment from commoners

that join the Viet Cong

The U.S. aided Diems government
P Sent financial and military aid

P 675 U.S. Army advisors sent

by 1960.
 U.S. Military Involvement Begins

Kennedy elected 1960

Increases military
advisors to 16,000

1963: JFK supports a

Vietnamese military
coup detat
Diem and his brother are
murdered (Nov. 2)

Kennedy was
assassinated just
weeks later (Nov. 22)
A coup detat is
the sudden overthrow
of a government by
usually small group
of persons in or
previously in
positions of
authority
 Johnson Sends
Ground Forces
Remembers Trumans loss of China
that cost him the re-election
Domino Theory revived

Im not going to be the president who saw

Southeast Asia go the way China went.-LBJ
 Johnson Sends Ground Forces

Advisors: Rout the Communists

Secretary of State, Robert S. McNamara
Tonkin Gulf Incident, 1964
U.S. ships torpedoed by North Vietnamese
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
P The Blank Check
P Congress allows the President to
take all necessary measures to
repel any armed attack against
the forces of the U.S. and
prevent further aggression.
 The Fighting Escalates
after Tonkin Gulf
No territorial goals
Body counts on TV every night
(first living room war)

600,000

500,000

400,000

U.S. Troops 300,000

200,000

100,000

0
1961 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968

Viet Cong supplies over the Ho Chi Minh Trail

 The Air War
1965-1968

1965: Constant
bombing of North
Vietnam begins
Operation Rolling Thunder
Hanoi Northern Capital
Especially targets on the
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Carpet Bombing
using Napalm
 Who Is the Enemy?
Vietcong:
P Farmers by day; guerillas by night

P Very patient people willing to accept many

casualties and losses

P The US underestimated their

determination to win and resourcefulness

P The Vietnamese had been ruled by

outsiders for over 2000 years

P Where did they get their weapons from?

The guerilla wins if he does not lose, the conventional

army loses if it does not win. -- Mao Zedong