America’s most unpopular warCost LBJ his second term to Richard Nixon

America’s longest and most expensive war

Divided America on the homefrontThe best technical war money could buyAmerica hardly ever lost a tactical battle

A war America did not winA war America did not winToday, we are living with the “ghosts of Vietnam”.

Today, we are living with the “ghosts of Vietnam”.

Student ActivismStudent Activism

Student Activism in the 1960s• 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 ResistanceDraft 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-WarDemonstration

s

Anti-WarDemonstration

s

Columbia University, 1967

“Hanoi Jane”“Hanoi Jane”

Jane Fonda

•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.

Anti-War Demonstration

s

Anti-War Demonstration

s

Anti-War Demonstration

s

Anti-War Demonstration

s

This looks like my US History classroom when I was a Junior in 1970

Anti-War Demonstrations

Anti-War Demonstrations

May 4, 1970

4 students shot dead.

11 students wounded

Kent State University

Jackson State University

May 10, 1970

2 dead; 12 wounded

Johnson Decides Not to RunJohnson 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 WarImpact of the Vietnam War

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.

Johnson announces (March, 1968):

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

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 incombat for 12 mo.

The Election of 1968The 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 ElectionOther 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.

Called Middle America, the Silent Majority

Supported Vietnam War

Traditional American values: hard work, family and patriotism

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, LSDLSD

ESTABLISHMENTESTABLISHMENT ANTI-ESTABLISHMENTANTI-ESTABLISHMENT

divided US

Nixon in VietnamNixon in Vietnam

Nixon’s 1968 Campaign promised an end to the war: Peace with Honor Appealed to the great

“Silent Majority” VietnamizationVietnamization Expansion of the

conflict – The “Secret War” Cambodia Laos

Agent OrangeAgent Orange – chemical defoliant

19691969Secretary 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.

Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79

The First Vietnam War draft lottery,

requiring mandatory military service based

on date of birth.

Nixon PolicyNixon 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 PolicyNixon’s Vietnam Policy

• 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 OrderNixon 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

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

1970Invasion of Cambodia, April 29 to June 29

1971Invasion of Laos, Feb. 6 to March

1972Haiphong harbor mined U.S. air raids over Hanoi

The Vietnam War, The Vietnam War, 1964 to 19751964 to 1975

nixon/cambodia

Anti-War Demonstrations

Anti-War Demonstrations

May 4, 1970

4 students shot dead.

11 students wounded

Kent State University

Jackson State University

May 10, 1970

2 dead; 12 wounded

19701970

Troop levels:

South Vietnamese 968,000

American 334,600

Australian 6,800

New Zealand 470

South Korea 48,450

Philippines 70

Thailand 11,570

National Security Advisor, Henry A. National Security Advisor, Henry A. KissingerKissinger begins secret peace talks with North

Vietnamese leaders in Paris. President Nixon withdrew 40,000 troops as part

of the Vietnamization Vietnamization process.

grunts

19711971Nixon withdrawswithdraws 100,000 troops.

Defensive roleDefensive role for U.S. ground forces. Offensive attacksOffensive attacks by South Vietnamese

Army.

Troop Levels:

South Vietnamese 1,046,250

American 156,800

Australian 2,000

New Zealand 100

South Korea 45,700

Philippines 70

Thailand 6,000

“Pentagon Papers,”

1971

“Pentagon Papers,”

1971 Former defense analyst Daniel EllsbergDaniel 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 StatesNew York Times v. United States (1971)

19721972

Troop Levels:

South Vietnamese 1,048,000

American 24,200

Australian 130

New Zealand 50

South Korea 36,790

Philippines 50

Thailand 50

Mr. Billett turns 18 18 in Feb. and

registers for the draftdraft.

August, the Watergate Watergate

burglariesburglaries occur.

The Ceasefire, 1973

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., South Vietnam, & North Vietnam

Peace with honor (Nixon)

Peace NegotiationsPeace Negotiations

US & Vietnamese argue for 5 mo. over size of conference table.

Dr. Henry Kissinger & Le Duc Tho

The Ceasefire, 1973

The Ceasefire, 1973

Conditions:1. U.S. to remove all troops2. North Vietnam could leave troops already

in S.V.3. North Vietnam would resume war4. 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 CityHo Chi Minh City

Provisions of Peace Settlement Between the United States, South Provisions of Peace Settlement Between the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong,Signed in Paris in Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong,Signed in Paris in

January 1973January 1973

• 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.

American WithdrawalAmerican Withdrawal

helo

19731973

Troop Levels:

South Vietnamese

1,110,000

American 50

19741974Nixon’s impeachment hearings/Resignation

South braces for huge Communist invasion.

1973U.S. troops withdraw

1975Surrender in Saigon, April 20

The Vietnam War, The Vietnam War, 1964 to 19751964 to 1975

The Fall of SaigonThe Fall of Saigon

South Vietnamese Attempt to Flee the Country

The Fall of SaigonThe Fall of Saigon

America Abandons Its Embassy

April 30, 1975

Formerly Saigon

The New VietnamThe New Vietnam

The Fall of SaigonThe Fall of Saigon

North Vietnamese at the Presidential Palace

19751975

The ancient capital city of Hue falls to

the North Vietnamese Army.

Last Americans evacuate as

communists take Saigon.

President Gerald Ford declared the war “finishedfinished.”

In case there was anyone doubt who won the war, the communists later

rename Saigon, Ho Ho Chi Minh City. Chi Minh City.

Aftermath of the War in AsiaAftermath 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 ImpactThe Impact

2626thth Amendment Amendment: 18-year-olds vote Nixon abolished the draft--> all-

volunteer army War Powers Act, 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 WarThe Legacy of the War

• 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”

Some American POWs Returned from the

“Hanoi Hilton”

Senator John McCain(R-AZ)

pows

2,583 American POWs / MIAs

still unaccounted for today.

2,583 American POWs / MIAs

still unaccounted for today.

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 youyou who tires of it.

And in the End….And in the End….

Ho Chi Minh:Ho Chi Minh:

“War—What is it good for?

--absolutely nothing!!”

“War—What is it good for?

--absolutely nothing!!”

Scenes from Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic, Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now

grunts

grunts

tet

dead soldiers

bombing

bombing

The CostsThe 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 programsGreat Society programs underfunded $150,000,000,000 in U.S. spending

U.S. morale, self-confidence, trust of government decimated

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.

The CostsThe Costs

Lessons for U.S. Presidents

Lessons for U.S. Presidents

1. Wars must be of short duration2. Wars must yield few American

casualties3. Restrict media access to battlefields4. Develop and maintain Congressional

and public support5. Set clear, winnable goals6. Set deadline for troop withdrawals

The Debate Continues:The Debate Continues:Where Were YouWhere Were You

in the War, Daddy?in the War, Daddy?George Bush and John KerryGeorge Bush and John Kerry

The Vietnam Veterans MemorialThe 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

President Clinton formally

recognized Vietnam on July 11, 1995